Jill Eikenberry Siblings: All About Ken Eikenberry

Jill Susan Eikenberry, born on January 21, 1947, in New Haven, Connecticut, is an American actress whose career has spanned over five decades.

Raised in Madison, Wisconsin, and later in St. Joseph and Kansas City, Missouri, Eikenberry grew up in a family that nurtured her artistic inclinations.

Initially studying anthropology at Barnard College of Columbia University, she discovered her passion for acting during her second year, leading her to audition for and gain acceptance into the Yale School of Drama.

There, she honed her craft and met her future husband, actor Michael Tucker, whom she married in 1973.

Eikenberry’s poised and intelligent presence has made her a standout in roles that demand emotional depth and complexity.

Best known for her portrayal of lawyer Ann Kelsey in the NBC drama L.A. Law (1986–1994), she has built a reputation as a versatile performer.

Siblings

Jill has one known sibling, a brother named Ken Eikenberry, who has led a distinguished career outside the entertainment industry.

Ken served as the Attorney General for the State of Washington during the mid-to-late 1980s, a role that placed him in a prominent public position.

Beyond this, little public information is available about Ken’s personal life or their sibling relationship, as Eikenberry has largely kept her family life private.

Career

Eikenberry’s career began in the theater, where she developed her skills in the 1970s through performances at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., where she met Michael Tucker.

Her Broadway debut came in 1974 with All Over Town, directed by Dustin Hoffman, followed by roles in Moonchildren (1972), Summer Brave (1975), Watch on the Rhine (1980), and the musical Onward Victoria (1980), which closed on opening night despite her starring role as suffragette Victoria Woodhull.

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Her performance in Wendy Wasserstein’s Uncommon Women and Others earned praise, and she reprised the role for a 1978 PBS broadcast.

Eikenberry transitioned to film with a minor role in the television movie They’ve Killed President Lincoln (1971), followed by feature films like Between the Lines (1977), An Unmarried Woman (1978), and Arthur (1981), where she played Dudley Moore’s snooty fiancée.

Her role as Ann Kelsey in L.A. Law became her defining performance, earning her critical acclaim for portraying a strong, independent lawyer.

The series, produced by Steven Bochco, who cast her and Tucker after their appearances on Hill Street Blues, allowed Eikenberry to showcase her range over eight seasons.

She and Tucker also collaborated on several television films, including Assault and Matrimony (1987), The Secret Life of Archie’s Wife (1990), A Town Torn Apart (1992), and Gone in a Heartbeat (1996), often playing spouses.

Her film roles include Hide in Plain Sight (1980) and The Manhattan Project (1986), while later television appearances featured guest spots on Numb3rs (2008), Law & Order (2009), and Body of Proof (2011).

More recently, she played maternal roles in films like Suburban Girl (2007), Something Borrowed (2011), and Young Adult (2011), and returned to theater in productions like The Kid (2010) and The Two Hander (2024) at the New Jersey Repertory Company.

Eikenberry also co-produced a 1989 NBC documentary, Destined to Live, inspired by her breast cancer experience, and has performed in cabaret with Tucker, including their 2007 act Life Is a Duet.

Accolades

For her role as Ann Kelsey in L.A. Law, Eikenberry received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (1987–1989, 1990, 1991) and four Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama, winning the Golden Globe in 1989.

Her theater work earned her a 1986 Obie Award for her performances in the Off-Broadway plays Lemon Sky and Life Under Water, showcasing her stage prowess.

In 2011, she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her role in the Off-Broadway musical The Kid.

Eikenberry’s advocacy for breast cancer research, spurred by her own survival, has also been acknowledged, with her induction into the Cancer Survivors’ Hall of Fame and commendations for her work with the Susan G. Komen Foundation.