After a brief stint as a teen model, this statuesque blonde made her TV debut in an episode of PBS’ “Wonderworks”. Berkley is best known for her role as the intelligent Jessie on the Saturday morning sitcom “Saved By the Bell” (NBC, 1989-93) and its TV movie spin-offs. She followed with appearances on episodic TV (“The Hogan Family”, “Life Goes On”, “Diagnosis Murder” and “Burke’s Law”) and appearances in primetime “Saved By the Bell” specials (1992-93). Berkley made her feature acting debut as an uptight teenager in “White Wolves II: Legend of the Wild” (released direct to video, 1995) and then starred in the change of pace role of Nomi, a conniving lap dancer in Paul Verhoeven’s “Showgirls” (1995). Many unfairly placed the failure of the film, universally panned as one of the year’s worst, on Berkley; her agent dropped her and she had difficulty finding an appropriate follow-up vehicle. With new representation, she landed a role as Victor Garber’s actress-girlfriend in “The First Wives Club” (1996) and the lead in Tom DeCillo’s “The Real Blonde” (1998). Berkley enjoyed a critical success on the London stage as Honey, the stripper married to comic Lenny Bruce, in the play “Lenny”. On the big screen, she appeared as a secretary in Woody Allen’s period comedy “The Curse of the Jade Scorpion” (2001). After a short-lived stint as Christopher Titus’ step-sister on his eponymous sit-com, Berkley earned positive notices for her warm turn in the amusing 2002 film “Roger Dodger.”
