Penny Johnson Jerald

Penny Johnson was born 14 March 1961 in Baltimore, Maryland, one of seven siblings. Johnson aspired to be an actress as a child. She first attended Western High School before transferring to Park School of Baltimore. Johnson trained at the Juilliard School, where her classmates in 1982 included Megan Gallagher, Jack Kenny, Jack Stehlin, and Lorraine Toussaint. Jerald began her career with small guest roles. She made her screen debut on an episode of American Playhouse in 1983. Her first major role on television was Vivian Conway in The Paper Chase from 1984 to 1986. She appeared in General Hospital in 1986 and Do the Right Thing in 1989. She portrayed Virginia "Vicki" Harper on short-lived sitcom Homeroom in 1989. In 1992, Jerald landed the role of unflappable personal assistant, Beverly Barnes, on The Larry Sanders Show. For her work on Larry Sanders, Jerald received a CableACE Award nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy Series in 1996. Two years later, she earned an NAACP Image Award nomination in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She continued playing Beverly until the show ended in 1998.