Jodi Balfour
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Balfour in 2019
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| Born | (1986-10-29) 29 October 1986 (age 37)
Cape Town, South Africa
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| Education | University of Cape Town |
| Occupation(s) | Film and television actress |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Known for |
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| Spouse |
(m. 2024) |
Jodi Balfour (born 29 October 1986) is a South African actress. She won a Canadian Screen Award for her performance as Gladys Witham in the series Bomb Girls (2012–2013). She has since starred as Ellen Waverly Wilson in the Apple TV+ series For All Mankind (2019–2023).
Balfour grew up in Cape Town, South Africa. She was the co-host of the South African youth television series Bling in the early 2000s. She later studied drama at the University of Cape Town[1] and competed in the Miss South Africa 2008 pageant.[2]
Since her graduation in 2009, she has worked as an actor primarily in British and Canadian film and television productions.[2]
She was cast as Gladys Witham in the Canadian television drama series Bomb Girls in 2013.[3] She won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television Film or Miniseries at the 3rd Canadian Screen Awards in 2015 for her performance in the series' follow-up television film Bomb Girls: Facing the Enemy.[4]
In February 2015, she was cast in the Cinemax series Quarry.[5] From 2019 to 2023, she starred in the Apple TV+ space drama series For All Mankind.
In April 2022, she was cast in the Apple TV+ football sitcom Ted Lasso.[6]
In the 2023 film Freud's Last Session, she portrayed the American psychoanalyst Dorothy Burlingham, the colleague and companion of Anna Freud.[7]
Balfour was based in Vancouver, British Columbia, where in addition to her acting she is co-owner of Nelson the Seagull, a coffeehouse and bake shop in the city's Gastown neighborhood.[8]
On 30 June 2021, she announced on Instagram that she identifies as queer, stating that she found it freeing to "finally embrace and explore [her] queerness."[9] On 24 October 2021, Balfour announced on Instagram that she and Abbi Jacobson had been romantically involved for a year.[10] As of June 2024, Jacobson and Balfour are married.[11]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Vampire | Michaela | |
| Final Destination 5 | Woman | ||
| 2013 | A Ghost Within | Hanna / Abby | Short |
| The Husband | Claire | ||
| Afterparty | Karen | Also producer | |
| Waterloo | Molly Mckenzie | Short | |
| 2014 | Valentines Day | Molly | Short |
| 2015 | Unearthing | Fisher Hart | |
| Eadweard | Mary | ||
| Almost Anything | Beans | Also executive producer | |
| 2019 | The Rest of Us | Rachel | |
| 2023 | Freud's Last Session | Dorothy Burlingham | [12] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The Philanthropist | Concierge | Episode: "San Diego" |
| 2010 | Kongo [de] | Johanna Wenz | TV film |
| Tower Prep | Emily Wright | 2 episodes | |
| 2011 | The Sinking of the Laconia | Sarah Fullwood | TV miniseries |
| R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series | Priscilla | Episode: "Nightmare Inn" | |
| Supernatural | Melissa | Episode: "Like a Virgin" | |
| V | V Greeter | Episode: "Uneasy Lies the Head" | |
| Sanctuary | Terry | Episode: "Icebreaker" | |
| 2012–2013 | Primeval: New World | Samantha Sedaris | 3 episodes |
| Bomb Girls | Gladys Witham | Main role | |
| 2014 | The Best Laid Plans | Lindsay Dewar | TV miniseries |
| Bomb Girls: Facing the Enemy | Gladys Witham | TV film | |
| 2016 | Quarry | Joni Conway | Main role |
| 2017 | Rellik | DI Elaine Shepard | Main role |
| The Crown | Jackie Kennedy | Episode: "Dear Mrs. Kennedy"[13] | |
| 2019 | True Detective | Lori | 3 episodes |
| 2019–2023 | For All Mankind | Ellen Waverly / Wilson | Main role (seasons 1–3), guest (season 4)[14] |
| 2023 | Ted Lasso | Jack Danvers | 4 episodes |
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Leo Awards | Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series[15] | Bomb Girls | Nominated |
| 2014 | Canadian Filmmakers' Festival | Best Ensemble (shared with Graham Coffeng, Ali Liebert, Nicholas Carella, Peter Benson, David Milchard, Erica Carroll, Christina Sicoli, and Emma Lahana) | Afterparty | Won |
| 2015 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series[16] | Bomb Girls: Facing the Enemy | Won |
| International |
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| National |
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