Jennifer Kent

Jennifer Kent
Jennifer Kent at Festival Paris Cinéma in July 2014
Born	Jennifer Kent Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter, actress
Years active	1992–present
Notable work	The Babadook

Jennifer Kent is an Australian actress, writer and director, best known for her horror film The Babadook (2014), which was her directorial debut.

Kent was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. She says that she put on her first play when she was seven and also wrote stories. In her late teens, she chose acting as she "wasn’t really aware at that stage that women could direct films". She graduated in 1991 from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) for performing arts. In a promotional interview for Kent's 2014 film, The Babadook, lead actress Essie Davis explained that Kent was in the year above her at NIDA and was "[an] eerily phenomenal actress ... the girl that was obviously the best girl at the whole school."

Kent began her career as an actress, working primarily in television. She was a main cast member of Murder Call, from creator Hal McElroy, playing Constable Dee Suzeraine in all 31 episodes of the series. She also appeared in several episodes of other Australian TV series such as All Saints, Police Rescue and Above the Law. Kent also had a small role in Babe: Pig in the City. She has also been an acting teacher for 13 years at major institutions such as NIDA and the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS).

After losing interest in acting, Kent was inspired after seeing Dancer in the Dark to pursue a career as a filmmaker. She wrote to director Lars von Trier, asking to study under him and explaining that she found the idea of film school repellent. In 2002 von Trier allowed her to assist him as part of a directing attachment on the set of his film Dogville starring Nicole Kidman.