Gertz grew up in Glenview, Illinois, where her father sold siding.
But since the early 2000s, Gertz has somewhat faded out of the spotlight.
So, what has Gertz been up to since her early days in ’80s and ’90s Hollywood?
“Everyone thinks I married a rich guy,” she said.
“I paid for our first house.
I paid for our first vacation.
I married him because I fell in love with him.”
Raising four children certainly changed things for the couple.
“And I barely saw them for about four months.”
The experience led Gertz to rethink her career as she found herself craving more time with her children.
“And I think this question: Can you have it all as a woman?
I think you’re free to’t have it all gracefully.
Pieces suffer at different times.”
So we held our breath for 24 hours until she passed."
She added, “It just wasn’t the right time.
I’ve never looked back.”
At the time, she was mother to her eldest son, Oliver.
“Friends” ran for ten seasons and remains one of the most popular shows ever.
It’s safe to say that Gertz’s career would have looked very different had she accepted the part.
At its height in Season 1, the show drew in over 14 million viewers.
“I’m very proud of that show,” she said toAV Clubin 2012.
“We were not a media darling by any stretch of the imagination.
But we entertained people and made people laugh.”
She added, “It was just a blast.
I loved every moment of that show.”
“So I decided to put money into a project of my own.”
She launched the company Lime Orchard Productions and backed the film “A Better Life.”
Gertz didn’t act in the project.
In 2024, Gertz returned to producing, working on “Magic City: An American Fantasy.”
The actor played Debbie Weaver, a dedicated mother and the wife of Lenny Venito’s Martin.
“So it was kind of the old-fashioned way, which does really feel wonderful.”
“I don’t necessarily agree.
The truth is, what’s funny to one person is not funny to another.”
However, despite her faith in the show, it was canceled after just two seasons in 2014.
Soon, her parties became a top priority.
She ended up inviting Thomas to the event, who was shocked by how elaborate it was.
“She was just so stunned to come into this home,” Gertz said.
“She knew me as this actress playing her daughter.
She had no idea I had this whole other side to my life.”
“I venture to exercise,” she said.
“I’m a SoulCycle devotee, because it’s now come to L.A..
But I’ll go, like, every other day.
I don’t know if it’s good to do every day.”
She confessed that while she didn’t do her own cooking she did make her own coffee.
In fact, a glimpse at her CV shows that she was pretty busy bouncing from set to set.
Transitioning from series lead to guest star wasn’t always easy for Gertz.
He made the deal from a desk in his closet.
I’m like, ‘I don’t know.
I’m so scared.’
And he’s like, ‘It would be so much fun!’
And then we were jumping and screaming, ‘Oh my God we just bought a basketball team!'"
Gertz had already started to become a fan of the sport.
Over the years, the couple had begun to imagine what buying a team might be like.
“At some point, it became a reality,” said Nick.
Although, it should be noted that buying the team set Ressler back a staggering $850 million.
“I’m very active on the business and player personnel decision-making.
Ressler then recalled how Gertz would sometimes give tours to new employees.
“She’s great at that.
And I am not,” he said.
In 2016, she guest starred on the popular NBC show “This Is Us” alongside Mandy Moore.
Gertz played Marin Rosenthal, the boss of Chrissy Metz’s Kate.
Plus, she and her family had actually moved to Atlanta to stay close to their team.
“Jami tops the list of charitable celebrities with her overall donations exceeding USD 10 million.
She embodies everything possible when two powerful and wealthy people combine forces for the greater good.”
In 2020, the couple gave $5 million to support Black-owned businesses.
In 2024, they donated $150,000 to support research of prostate cancer.
As people revisited the ’90s film, many viewers found themselves perplexed by Gertz’ role.
In the film, Gertz had played Melissa, the fiancee of Bill Paxton’s storm-hunting Bill Harding.
“Like, “Why are you doing this?
Why are you getting so close to tornados?
Why are you chasing tornados to begin with?”
In hindsight, a lot of viewers realized that her character was done dirty by the film.
