“I think as a kid I compensated for being different and not being understood,” she said. Early on, she learned that using humor diffused potentially hurtful situations. She was born early with brain injury due to a car accident her mother sustained while six months pregnant.īecause she had Cerebral Palsy, Geri sometimes had to contend with bullying from peers, who sometimes had a laugh at her expense. Geraldine Ann Jewell was born three months premature on Septemin Buffalo, New York, but her parents, Olga and Jack, moved her to Orange County, California, when she was young. Knowing, she said, would have created a lot of pressure.Īs she tells it, having Cerebral Palsy in Hollywood is about, as Carol Burnett said, putting one foot in front of the other. Today, Geri is thankful she didn’t initially understand the barrier she broke for entertainers with disabilities. “It took a while for me to understand that.” “I received letters that said, ‘You changed my life,’” she said. But after I first appeared on, I received thousands of fan letters. “It would take me a long time to understand it. “I didn’t know the significance my appearance on television has until later,” Geri remembered.
Geri is perhaps best known for her role as Blair’s Cousin Geri Tyler in NBC’s sitcom “Facts of Life.” I was fascinated at the fact that they were laughing with her, not at her.”īy appearing on “The Facts of Life” Geri trail blazed a trail, even though that’s not what she intended. Though we see a sprinkling of actors on television with a disability today, in the 1980s, the concept of a recurring television character with a disability was virtually unheard of. The first regularly featured actor with a disability on a prime time television sitcom, Geri was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy as an infant. More than anything else, just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you get where you want to go.”įor Geri, truer words were never spoken. There’s no guarantee that you’re ever going to be professional. The letter said: “Get into every aspect of acting, including school projects. Much to Geri’s surprise, her idol wrote back. “I was fascinated at the fact that they were laughing with her, not at her.” “I was mesmerized with Carol Burnett,” remembered Geri, 56. In the letter, Geri explained that she wanted to be a comedic actress so that she too could make people laugh. When Geri Jewell was 13-years-old, she wrote a letter to the reigning comedienne of the 1970s, Carol Burnett. Actress and comedienne credits tenacity, determination for showbiz career
FACTS OF LIFE SERIES
Geri Jewell first made us laugh as Blair Warner’s cousin on the 80s television hit series “The Facts of Life.” But, being the first actor with a disability to have a regular role on a prime time sitcom had as many challenges as it did rewards. Geri Jewell Actor, Comedienne, and Motivational Speaker
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