American actress-author-composer Jessica Harper was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Eleanor (Emery), a writer, and Paul Church Harper, Jr., a painter who was chairman of the Needham Harper Worldwide advertising agency in NY. Jessica launched her professional acting career soon after graduating from Sarah Lawrence. Drawing on her considerable singing skills, she was an understudy in the Broadway production of the "tribal love" rock musical Hair (1979) -- other understudies included Diane Keaton, Melba Moore, Keith Carradine, Meat Loaf and Cliff De Young, who would later co-star with Harper in Shock Treatment (1981),which also showcased her musical gifts.

In the 1970s and 1980s, she developed quite a reputation for herself as a cult actress: her wide-eyed, fresh-faced beauty and air of melancholy made her a unique presence on film. As "Cathy Cake" in the X-rated Inserts (1975), she was arguably the first "serious" American actress to have a truly explicit on-screen sex scene. Other memorable films she appeared in were Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise (1974), Dario Argento's seminal slasher film Suspiria (1977), and two for Woody Allen: Love and Death (1975) and Stardust Memories (1980). Since her appearance in the American remake of Dennis Potter's Pennies from Heaven (1981) and My Favorite Year (1982), her film career has cooled somewhat (likely as directors didn't know how to use this seemingly fragile, ethereal and always unique talent), though she continues to work steadily in film and on television.

Since the 1990s, Harper -- the wife of motion picture executive Tom Rothman -- has developed a second successful career as an author of children's books and as a composer of music for children. She has written four picture books in collaboration with her sister, Lindsay Harper DuPont, including her most recent, "A Place Called Kindergarten". Her debut music CD, "A Wonderful Life" (1994), which won both a Parent's Choice Gold Award and a National Association of Parenting Publications Award, was particularly praised for the lyrics written by Harper. Her other five children's music CDs include "Inside Out" and "Hey, Picasso".

Stephen Lang, Jessica Harper, Jon Landau, and Tom Rothman at an event for The 82nd Annual Academy Awards (2010)

Upgrade membership to get access to client roster details.

Upgrade to see how you're connected to other professionals through your credits.

Upgrade membership to unlock contact and representation information.

Upgrade membership to unlock box office data.

Upgrade membership to add and manage your images.

Select your profession and Known For titles

Access full contact and representation details

Find the right people with Discover advanced search

View contact info and get hired with IMDbPro

Add your primary image and get discovered

Find contact info for agents and management

View connections to industry professionals

See who's working on in-development titles

Upgrade membership to access historical STARmeter charts for yourself and other professionals.

Get insights on who this person is frequently credited with.

Upgrade membership to add and manage demo reels.

Cliff De Young and Jessica Harper in Shock Treatment (1981)

Cliff De Young, Jessica Harper, and Barry Humphries in Shock Treatment (1981)

Cliff De Young, Rayner Bourton, Gaye Brown, Ray Charleson, Imogen Claire, Jessica Harper, Barry Humphries, Robert Longden, Wendy Raebeck, and Steve Debrow in Shock Treatment (1981)

Cliff De Young, Jessica Harper, and Rik Mayall in Shock Treatment (1981)

Cliff De Young, Jessica Harper, Rik Mayall, Richard O'Brien, and Patricia Quinn in Shock Treatment (1981)

Richard O'Brien in Shock Treatment (1981)

William Finley in Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

Jessica Harper(I)

Jessica Harper(I)

Known for

Credits summary

Photos138

Videos12

STARmeter

Contacts

Frequently credited with