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"Our attitudes are the biggest disability in life; once we instill a positive attitude, everything else becomes a healthy challenge rather than an unhealthy burden." Geri Jewell is an American actress best known for her work on the hit HBO television show, Deadwood. Jewell has a longstanding career that dates from the early 90s to the present day. Long before Deadwood, Jewell was also a television star thanks to her role on The Facts of Life.

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Jewell is well-known outside of her work on camera thanks to her activism as it pertains to working with the hand that you are dealt. Jewell is vocal about her cerebral palsy diagnosis, yet she is also quick to point out how that doesn't mean that she is going to stop trying to work toward her dreams. Thanks to her perseverance in the face of such struggle, Jewell has been given many different awards, including the 2005 Independent Living Legacy Award as well as the National Rehabilitation Hospital Victory Award.

Born in Buffalo

Geraldine Ann 'Geri' Jewell was born on September 13, 1956, in Buffalo, New York. Due to how long it took for Jewell to really cement herself in showbusiness, she didn't leave behind much in the way of her personal life. Jewell is quick to keep her personal life to herself, so not much is known about her childhood.

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While Jewell may not have cataloged her childhood, we do know a couple of things. We know that Jewell was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child and that she had trouble dealing with it, at first. After graduating from high school, Jewell attended college for a short period of time. After realizing that college wasn't for her, Jewell dropped out and began to perform stand-up comedy at the famous Comedy Store. Jewell's pursuit of stand-up comedy began just two years before the role that would functionally transform her life.

Star of Deadwood

While there isn't much cataloged in the way of Jewell's early life, she HAS been a visible part of the entertainment landscape for decades. Jewell would appear in an episode of The Righteous Apples in 1980 before she got called in to audition for The Facts of Life. A year later, Jewell landed her lifechanging role when she portrayed Geri Tyler on The Facts of Life. In doing so, Jewell became the first person to ever perform with a visible disability in a recurring role on a nationally broadcast, primetime television show. Jewell says of her early fame for performing with a disability, "It did help children get comfortable dealing with a person who has a disability, and taught them the value of a good sense of humor."

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After starring as Geri on The Facts of Life for four years, she was in a position to continue nurturing her career. Jewell would go on to appear in Sesame Street (1985), Dr. Ruth Westhelmer (1985), and 21 Jump Street (1990) as Officer Rebecca Scanlon. Following this role, Jewell would vanish from the Hollywood map for over a decade, appearing once in The New Lassie (1991).

Almost fourteen years later, Jewell would resume her career with the biggest role of her life, Deadwood (2004). In Deadwood, Jewell starred as the golden-hearted barmaid to the irascible Al Swearengen. Jewell would appear as her character, Jewel, 23 times across three seasons. During this time, Jewell would also once again become a face for talented actors that were diagnosed with a life-altering disability. Jewell would harness her momentum from Deadwood and turn it into a recurring role on The Young and the Restless (2004) and The Night of the White Pants (2006). 

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Following the sudden cancelation of Deadwood, which came as a surprise to both fans and castmembers, Jewell took another hiatus from Hollywood. It wasn't until 2012 that Jewell came back in earnest with an appearance on the television show, Alcatraz. Jewell would then land a four-episode spot on Child of the '70s (2013). While far from a mega-star, Jewell's ability to continue working while wrestling with the difficulties of her disability was nothing short of inspiring. Jewell then appeared on Glee in 2014 before returning to the set of Deadwood: The Movie (2019). Deadwood: The Movie was nothing short of a shocking development as many fans had moved on from the production. Still, Jewell reprised her famous role and in doing so made her fans happy yet again.

Jewell has put out two books during her professional career, Geri (1984) and I'm Walking as Straight as I Can (2011). The first book was an autobiography while the latter was a more intense look into her own life and struggles as someone with cerebral palsy. The title is a cheeky reference to the fact that Jewell is also a proud and open lesbian. Right now, Jewell is slated to appear in the film Carol of the Bells with nothing else in development.