Jennifer Holland actress, age, net worth, husband, peacemaker, height 2025

Jennifer Holland Biography

In 2021, audiences discovered Jennifer Holland through her role as the wryly sarcastic special agent Emilia Harcourt in the superhero action flick "The Suicide Squad." A year later, the actress reprised this role in the "Peacemaker" series. She's married to director James Gunn, who's been spearheading the DC Universe reboot since 2022.

Holland worked intensely for years to reach this success, fighting to stay optimistic despite disappointing roles along the way. Thanks to her natural ease and vibrant energy, Jennifer won over not just Hollywood, but also one of American showbiz's most eligible bachelors – renowned director James Gunn, who helmed both "The Suicide Squad" sequel and "Peacemaker." In 2022, the filmmaker proposed to the actress.

Childhood

Actress Jennifer Holland was born on November 9, 1987, in Chicago, Illinois. As a kid, she got hooked on gymnastics and pole vaulting, always trying to make her parents proud – she'd even pick number 7 for her athletic competitions because it was her mom's favorite number.

Jennifer never dreamed of an acting career, though she loved participating in school theater, and teachers noticed her natural ability to transform and her self-confidence.

Jennifer Holland with her brother as a child

Her mom was a homemaker who devoted all her free time to raising Jennifer and her older son Bill. Her father worked various jobs at a fast-food chain.

In her youth, Jennifer Holland was engaged in pole vaulting

Her parents were religious people, so Jennifer and her brother attended Catholic school. But over the years, her parents developed drinking problems and eventually became dependent on alcohol. Jennifer hasn't shared details about how their lives unfolded, only mentioning in one interview that both her father and mother ultimately died from alcohol-related causes.

Holland experienced the horror of her parents' constant drinking binges as a child, which led her to make a principled decision never to touch alcohol – she's remained committed to a sober lifestyle ever since. After graduating high school in 2002, she moved far from home, enrolling at the University of San Francisco to study management.

First Roles

Jennifer never finished college, quickly realizing that management just wasn't for her. After a few months of soul-searching, she settled in Los Angeles, remembered her childhood theater classes, and started auditioning for every film project that came her way.

In 2003, she landed her first roles – small appearances in the long-running series "Days of Our Lives" and "CSI: Miami." But for Jennifer, this was valuable acting experience and a chance to see filming from the inside, right on set.

A year later, she scored one of the lead roles in the horror feature "Sorority Sister Slaughter," but the film wasn't aiming for mainstream audiences, so it never even got a theatrical release. Holland patiently accepted projects that couldn't exactly be called successful, taking any work she could get.

Producers kept casting the pretty blonde with expressive eyes in either teen romance roles or typical female characters in horror films. In 2005, the actress appeared in episodes of "Dante's Cove" and the horror flick "House of the Dead 2," and the following year landed a small part in the TV series "Bones."

Jennifer Holland in the movie Zombie Strippers

In 2008, Holland played one of the leads in the horror-comedy "Zombie Strippers," starring alongside Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund. Critics weren't impressed with the film, finding its black humor too crude.

Jennifer didn't let the negative reviews get her down and kept working hard: over the next three years, she appeared in small roles in episodes of "Cougar Town," "Partners," "Son of the Beach," and "Super Soldiers." In 2009, she had a part in the seventh installment of "American Pie."

Career Breakthrough

In 2012, Holland landed the role of Nurse Blackwell in season 2 of the hit series "American Horror Story." Her striking villainous character left a lasting impression on fans of the show.

Jennifer Holland in the series American Horror Story

A year later, Jennifer also appeared in the series "Premonition," and in 2016 she starred in the action series "Rush Hour." In 2017, Jennifer secured an important role in the musical series "Sun Records" about the 1950s American record label. She shared episodes with Chad Michael Murray and Margaret Ann Florence.

Jennifer Holland in the TV series Sun Records

2019 brought her another appearance in a horror film. This time Holland starred in David Yarovesky's "Brightburn." The horror featured Elizabeth Banks and David Denman in leading roles. The film about a married couple who find a small child who gradually turns their life into a nightmare made it onto the best films of 2019 lists.

Jennifer Holland in the movie Brightburn

But Holland's real breakthrough came with her role in the 2021 DC Comics action film "The Suicide Squad." Jennifer played Emilia Harcourt, a National Security Agency operative who at crucial moments sided with the main characters and helped protect humanity alongside the "bad guys."

Jennifer Holland in the movie The Suicide Squad

Her slightly comedic but tough and desperate character fit perfectly into the action film's ironic tone. On set, the actress worked alongside Idris Elba, Margot Robbie, and John Cena.

In 2022, the series "Peacemaker" hit screens, also directed by James Gunn. The project served as a spin-off of "The Suicide Squad." Holland returned to the role of Emilia Harcourt: this time her character, along with Agency colleagues, helped John Cena's character expose an alien conspiracy against humanity. "Peacemaker," with Gunn's signature humor, received rave reviews from viewers and critics and was renewed for a second season.

Jennifer Holland in the series Peacemaker

Jennifer soon reprised her fan-favorite character in another DC Universe film, "Black Adam." The action film's premiere, starring James Moyer and Dwayne Johnson in lead roles, was scheduled for July 2022.

In spring 2023, Jennifer appeared in "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," once again embodying Harcourt within the expanded DC cinematic universe. This cameo became her final appearance in the old version of the DC Extended Universe – the universe was preparing for a major reboot under her husband's leadership.

In 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery appointed Gunn and his longtime producer Peter Safran as co-chairmen and CEOs of DC Studios. Suddenly, Jennifer found herself not just an actress in the DC cinematic universe, but the wife of one of the chief architects of its future.

This situation sparked mixed reactions from fans. When Holland's cameo in "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" became public knowledge, some supporters accused Gunn of nepotism – claiming he was using his influence to push his wife into major projects. However, the actress's defenders rightfully pointed out that her career began long before she met the director, and she earned her roles through talent, not connections.

Professionally, 2024 meant a long wait for Jennifer. Production on "Peacemaker" season two was put on hold since Gunn was busy writing and directing the new "Superman" film, which became the launching point for the rebooted DC Universe. In March 2024, Gunn announced that "Peacemaker" season two would be the first thing he'd start filming after wrapping work on "Superman."

Filming for the highly anticipated second season of "Peacemaker" began in April 2024, running alongside "Superman" production. In November 2024, James Gunn announced that Jennifer Holland and John Cena had wrapped their filming, noting they were "wonderful" this season.

Jennifer didn't limit herself to just returning as Harcourt. In the 2025 "Superman" film, she landed a behind-the-scenes role – voicing one of the Superman robots in the Fortress of Solitude. Her name wasn't even listed in the credits. Gunn revealed he recorded her voice on his phone, telling her: "I need a robot who's uninterested in what Number 4 is saying."

Jennifer Holland's Personal Life

In 2015, Jennifer met director James Gunn, who had just made waves with "Guardians of the Galaxy." Their mutual friend Michael Rosenbaum, who played Lex Luthor in "Smallville," was dating Jennifer's friend at the time. He showed Gunn a photo of the actress, and the director was immediately interested. Rosenbaum set them up on a blind date.

Gunn was struck by Jennifer's charm from the very first moments of their meeting. I was presented with a flower unlike any I had ever seen before, the director recalled. Though Holland was flustered by the director's admiration, she appreciated his sparkling sense of humor and politeness. Even with the restaurant waiters, James spoke with pronounced intelligence – and that's exactly the quality the actress had always used to judge a person's soul. They found plenty in common, including their shared love of animals.

James Gunn & Jennifer Holland - premiere of The Suicide Squad

Very soon after their first date, the actress and director met again, and before long they were living together. Their age difference (Gunn is 21 years older than his girlfriend) didn't bother them.

Holland's long relationship with James Gunn reached a new milestone: in February 2022, the director proposed to his girlfriend. The filmmaker announced their engagement himself, posting a photo on social media of the actress wearing a ring with an impressive diamond on her ring finger.

In interviews, James Gunn recalled being captivated on their very first date by Jennifer's ability to hold any conversation. Holland talked effortlessly with him about marriage, children, inappropriate behavior from former partners, and even the death of loved ones. Gunn immediately understood that the actress was different from all the women he'd met before.

In October 2022, after seven years together, Jennifer and James Gunn got married. The ceremony took place at Dunbar Ranch in Aspen, Colorado. Among the guests were Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, John Cena, and the director's brother Sean Gunn. The most memorable moment was the unexpected appearance of a moose, who seemed to decide to witness the celebration by casually strolling past the altar during the ceremony.

Jennifer Holland and James Gunn in wedding attire against a backdrop of picturesque mountains — Jennifer Holland and James Gunn's wedding

In her free time away from filming, the actress does handicrafts and reads extensively – Jennifer especially loves comics and textbooks on astronomy and astrophysics.

Jennifer Holland Now

The second season of "Peacemaker" dropped in late August 2025 on Max (formerly HBO Max), marking the third project in the new DC Universe after the animated series "Creature Commandos" and the "Superman" film. Critics noted that despite the three-year gap between seasons, the series maintained its signature balance of humor, action, and surprisingly emotional depth.

Jennifer Holland in a blue suit posing outdoors, next to her photo smiling in a red dress. — Jennifer Holland in 2025

In the new season, Jennifer's character faces a professional crisis. Emilia Harcourt struggles to find a new career path after getting rejected by every intelligence agency following the government's exposure in "Project Butterfly."