Jessica Lundy

Jessica R. Lundy (born March 20, 1966) is an American actress. She began her career appearing in films Bright Lights, Big City (1988), Caddyshack II (1988) and Madhouse (1990), before regular roles in the short-lived police drama Over My Dead Body (1990–91) and six-episode revival of The Carol Burnett Show (1991). She starred as Gloria Utz in the NBC sitcom Hope & Gloria from 1995 to 1996, and the comedy films The Stupids (1996) and RocketMan (1997). From 2015 to 2019, Lundy starred as Amanda Wainwright in the CBS crime drama series, The Inspectors.

Early life and education
Lundy was born in San Diego, California, the daughter of Jean (née McDonald) and Joel Lundy, a surgical oncologist. She grew up in Avon, Connecticut. Lundy has a younger sister, Judy.

Lundy attended the Circle in the Square Theatre School. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1987 at the Tisch School of the Arts of New York University, where she majored in drama and performing arts. Lundy moved to Los Angeles in 1990.

Career
Lundy made her film debut with Bright Lights, Big City (1988). That same year, she appeared in Caddyshack II (1988). Lundy also appeared opposite John Larroquette in the 1990 film Madhouse. Lundy auditioned for the role of Elaine Benes on Seinfeld. From 1990 to 1991, Lundy appeared opposite Edward Woodward in the short-lived CBS police drama series Over My Dead Body. In 1991, she was regular cast member in the six-episode revival of The Carol Burnett Show. She appeared as Joel Fleishman's fiancée/ex-fiancée Elaine Shulman on the drama series Northern Exposure in 1990 and 1992. She also appeared in The Golden Girls and Seinfeld and had a recurring role on Baby Talk.

Lundy has also performed in theater. In 1994, Lundy portrayed Rita Altabel in an Off-Broadway production of Uncommon Women and Others. From 1993 to 1994 she starred in the short-lived NBC sitcom The Second Half. From 1995 to 1996, Lundy played the title role of Gloria in the NBC sitcom Hope and Gloria. The show was canceled after two seasons and 35 episodes.

In 1996, Lundy starred opposite Tom Arnold in the comedy film The Stupids based on The Stupids, characters from a series of books written by Harry Allard and illustrated by James Marshall. It received negative reviews and was box-office bomb. The following year she had two female lead roles: in the Italian comedy film The Good Bad Guy and science fiction comedy RocketMan produced by Walt Disney Pictures. In 1998, she had supporting role in the drama film, Denial. The following years, Lundy played supporting roles on both film and television, notable guest-starring on Dharma & Greg, Monk, The Game, Criminal Minds, Two and a Half Men and Major Crimes. From 2015 to 2019, Lundy portrayed Inspector Amanda Wainwright in the CBS educational series, The Inspectors. In 2016, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming for her performance on The Inspectors.