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Jennifer Michelle "Ginnifer" Goodwin (born May 22, 1978) is an American television and film actress. She is best known for her role as Margene Heffman on Big Love, and for her roles in films like Mona Lisa Smile and He's Just Not That into You. She currently has a lead role in the ABC series Once Upon a Time. Goodwin was born Jennifer Michelle Goodwin in Memphis, Tennessee, to Tim Goodwin, who formerly owned and operated a recording studio, and his wife, Linda, a former educator. She changed her name from "Jennifer" to "Ginnifer" to distinguish her name, and to assist in pronunciation of... MORE

Jennifer Michelle "Ginnifer" Goodwin (born May 22, 1978) is an American television and film actress. She is best known for her role as Margene Heffman on Big Love, and for her roles in films like Mona Lisa Smile and He's Just Not That into You. She currently has a lead role in the ABC series Once Upon a Time. Goodwin was born Jennifer Michelle Goodwin in Memphis, Tennessee, to Tim Goodwin, who formerly owned and operated a recording studio, and his wife, Linda, a former educator. She changed her name from "Jennifer" to "Ginnifer" to distinguish her name, and to assist in pronunciation of her name in her regional dialect. Her younger sister, Melissa Goodwin, is a stop motion animator on shows such as the Emmy Award-winning Robot Chicken, on which Ginnifer has also appeared as voice talent. In her youth, Goodwin was affiliated with the North American Federation of Temple Youth and was active in BBYO at the Jewish Community Center in Memphis; she had a bat mitzvah. After graduating from Lausanne Collegiate School in 1996, Goodwin attended Hanover College (majoring in Theatre) for one year before moving on to Boston University's College of Fine Arts, where she received a Bachelor of LESS