Mary Jo Keenen is a former American actress who was quite famous for her roles in notable movies before the year 2000. Keenen was born in Westfield, New Jersey, USA, and started her acting career in 1986. However, she was active for only over a decade in the entertainment industry.
Mary Jo is married to a famous name in the American movie world as well. She got married to Mitchell Hurwitz who is widely known as a writer, producer, and actor.
However, as an actress, Mary Jo is widely recognized for being part of the filming cast of movies such as Nurses, City, and My Wildest Dreams.
Did You Know These Facts about Mary Jo Keenen?
1. Let’s Talk about Her Marriage to Mitchell
Mary Jo Keenen got married to her husband in 1999 and has lived a happy marriage with him. The couple who have been married for over decades now does not seem so eager to share details about their relationship with the media.
Emphasis on how private their relationship is has stemmed from the fact that they kept even their marriage private. The ceremony was said to have been an intimate one with very few people in attendance. Of course, the media was left out of the glitz and beautiful sights.
There were speculations that the former actress ditched acting to start her family following the wedding. Her last public appearance was on a movie premiere which she escorted her husband to in 2013.
2. Mary Jo Keenan Has Two Children
Daughter @phoebehitomi and dog Waffle (no account) standing up to the machine. pic.twitter.com/mrY95fG2qf
— Mitchell Hurwitz (@MitchHurwitz) September 8, 2015
The private couple has been blessed with two children through their 23 years of marriage. Their first child is a girl named May Asami and she was born in 2000, a year after their wedding.
The Hurwitz welcomed their second daughter named Phoebe Hitomi in 2002. The girls have grown up so much they are adults now.
3. Her First Daughter Runs an Online Bookclub
Asami also known as Maisie Hurwitz together with her friend Margaret Rose, launched a book club. The club is run through their Instagram page where they encourage followers to buy and read recommended books.
4. Who is Her Husband?
Mitchelle Hurwitz is an American television writer, producer, and actor. He is widely recognized and credited for the sitcom Arrested Development. Hurwitz is the creator of the series and has also to his list of credits The Ellen Show.
He became active in the movie industry in 1989 and has since continued to produce hit series and TV shows.
5. Her Most Notable Role was in the Movie Nurses
Mary Jo Keenen is mostly recognized for her role as the ‘dim-witted’ Nurse Julie Milbury in the 1991 TV series Nurses. However, she has also been credited for being in movies and series such as The Best Defense, Seinfeld, My Wildest Dreams, and Kaleidoscope.
In addition to being an actress, Mary Jo Keenen has also guest-starred a couple of TV shows.
6. Her Last Movie Was in 1999
The actress whose stint began in 1986 disappeared from the entertainment scene after a decade. As of 1999, she had stopped acting and went off the radar. Her last known movie feature was in the series Everybody Loves Raymond. However, the movie Thumbtanic which was released in the year 2000 saw her voice the part of (Old) Geranium.
7. Her Daughters Names Inspired the Name of a Movie Character
Mary Jo’s two daughters were credited for being the inspiration behind the name ‘Maeby’ Funke in Arrested Development. The name was coined from the first names of the girls. It is worthy to note that neither of the girls had a hand in the writing nor production of the series.
8. Here are Some of Her Husband’s Awards and Titles
Mitchelle Hurwitz has been awarded 3 Primetime Emmy Awards out of 6 nominations. The awards were for ‘Outstanding Comedy Series’ and ‘Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series’. The series that won him these awards from 2004 to 2006 is the highly acclaimed Arrested Development series.
In addition to this, Keenen’s husband also won the 2009 16th Annual Austin Film Festival Award for ‘Outstanding Television Writer’.
It was said that the series was initially planned to be a largely improvised show. This means that the cast was chosen specifically and had the skills to improvise. Nonetheless, the cast also used scripts as they believed it was an amazing script.
READ ALSO: Marguerite Belafonte: Life And Death Of The Actress, Marriage To Harry Belafonte, Other Facts
9. How Much is Mary Jo Keenen Worth?
It is not known how much the former actress makes on her own seeing that she left the entertainment industry a long time ago. However, her producer husband is worth $15 million. He has acquired such amount of money through his career as a TV producer, actor, and writer.
10. She Came Up with the Name ‘Bluth’ as the Family Name for Her Husband’s Series
Mary Keenen was given credit for being the one to name the ‘Bluth’ family in her husband’s series. It is said that she is the one who suggested the name and it was accepted and adopted by the crew.
