Jennifer Gareis (born August 1, 1970[1]) is an American actress and beauty pageant titleholder. She is best known for her roles as Grace Turner on The Young and the Restless (1997–2000, 2002, 2004, 2014) and as Donna Logan on The Bold and the Beautiful (2006–).
Gareis was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and graduated from J. P. McCaskey High School in 1988.[2][3] She graduated from Franklin and Marshall College in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting, then earned a Master's of Business Administration degree from Pepperdine University.[1][3]
She is of part Italian descent.[4] Her great-grandmother Sebastiana Tringali came from Militello in Val di Catania, and the city gave her the honorary citizenship.[5]
Gareis competed in her first beauty pageant in 1992 when she placed second runner-up at Miss Pennsylvania USA. She later competed in New York, winning the Miss New York USA 1994 title, and representing New York in the Miss USA 1994 pageant held in South Padre Island, Texas on February 11, 1994. Gareis placed in the top six of the nationally televised pageant, which was won by Lu Parker of South Carolina.[6]
Gareis later began an acting career and landed the role of Grace Turner on CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, which she played from 1997 to 2000 and again in 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2014. She is best known for her current role as Donna Logan on The Bold and the Beautiful, a role she has played intermittently since July 2006. She was ranked #90 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2002. [citation needed]
In 2024, she was shortlisted for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Donna.[7]
Gareis married Bobby Ghassemieh on March 7, 2010. On June 11, 2010, Gareis gave birth to a son.[8][2] Her daughter was born June 29, 2012.[9]
The Bold and the Beautiful actress, 39,....