Juergensen was born and raised in
Brooklyn, New York. She graduated from
Stuyvesant High School in 1987. Soon after, she began writing and performing for the stage in both New York and Los Angeles. Early on she was cast to co-star opposite
Frank Vincent in the independent film
The Afterlife of Grandpa, but turned it down to study
psychology at
McGill University. While at an acting and writing workshop sponsored by New York's Ensemble Studio Theater, she collaborated with
Jennifer Westfeldt in writing a series of scenes produced
Off-Broadway under the name "Lipschtick". The response to one of the scenes inspired them to write a film script about a bisexual woman and a straight woman who fall into a romantic relationship. The film was developed by a studio but not produced. They held script readings and sold shares to buy back the script rights and pay for the film's production. The result was the award-winning film
Kissing Jessica Stein. She has written screenplays/teleplays for
Miramax,
Warner Brothers,
ABC,
VH-1 and
CBS, among others. Her first foray into writing for herself as an actress was her 1996 one-woman show
Letters to Ben Stein, an imaginary tale of an
epistolary romance with the actor/economist. She contributed to the Tarcher/Penguin book
The May Queen, a collection of essays exploring issues and experiences relevant to women in their thirties. Juergensen's film work has been honored at the
Chicago International Film Festival, the
Miami International Film Festival, and the Indie Spirit Awards. Her acting credits include roles in
Red Roses and Petrol and
Haunted Mansion. She has directed, written, and starred in a short film called
The Suzy Prophecy. In addition, she is currently working on the script for a
sports comedy set in the world of girls' track and shot. She appeared in
The Hammer, a
boxing comedy starring
Adam Carolla, which Carolla and her husband co-wrote. •
The Suzy Prophecy (Short) - Suzy (2007) •
The Hammer - Lindsay Pratt (2007) •
Dr. Vegas (TV Series) - Heal thyself (2006) •
Cell Call (Short) - Nadine (2005) •
The Haunted Mansion - Mrs. Silverman (2003) •
Red Roses and Petrol - Medbh Doyle (2003) •
Kissing Jessica Stein - Helen Cooper (2001) •
The Afterlife of Grandpa (Short) - Kelly White (1989)
Personal life Juergensen lives in the
Hancock Park section of Los Angeles with her husband,
Fox Sports columnist and
comedy writer Kevin Hench, and their two dogs. ==References==