Jessalyn Wanlim is a Canadian actress best known for playing Jenny Matthews on “Workin’ Moms” and Evie Cho on “Orphan Black.” She was born September 3, 1982, in Calgary, Alberta, and is now recognized for her role as Bituin on Netflix’s “Running Point.” Public records, IMDb, and her own interviews were cross-checked to build this profile. Some details about her personal life remain private by her own choice, and this article says so plainly rather than guessing.
Quick Answer
- Full name: Jessalyn Wanlim (some biography sites list “Jessalyn Corsino Wanlim,” though this hasn’t been confirmed in her own interviews)
- Born: September 3, 1982, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Nationality: Canadian, now based in Nashville, Tennessee
- Heritage: Filipino (mother’s side) and Chinese-Indonesian (father’s side), which she has discussed openly
- Known for: “Workin’ Moms,” “Orphan Black,” and Netflix’s “Running Point”
- Family: Has one son with her longtime partner; she has not named him publicly in the interviews reviewed for this article
Quick Facts Table
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jessalyn Wanlim |
| Date of birth | September 3, 1982 |
| Birthplace | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Heritage | Filipino and Chinese-Indonesian |
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm), as commonly listed across profile databases |
| Occupation | Actress, model, real estate agent |
| Years active | 2006–present (acting) |
| Known for | “Workin’ Moms,” “Orphan Black,” “Running Point” |
| Education | National Ballet School of Canada; studied dance at Juilliard |
| Current city | Nashville, Tennessee |
From Ballet to Acting
Wanlim grew up between Calgary and Toronto. She left home at age 12 to train at the National Ballet School of Canada. That single decision reshaped her teenage years around dance, not a normal high school schedule.
She later moved to New York to study dance at Juilliard. In a 2025 interview with Kollective Hustle, she said the move ended up pointing her toward acting instead. A mentor named Franz St. Louis brought her to her first auditions, and she started booking roles almost by accident.
Her body made the decision easier. She has said her hips were already worn down by her late teens, and the physical toll of ballet no longer felt sustainable.
Early Television Roles
Wanlim’s first major credit was Rachael, a recurring nanny role on “All My Children,” which she played from 2006 to 2009. During the same stretch, she appeared in three episodes of “Gossip Girl” as Pauletta Cho.
Through the early 2010s she picked up guest spots on shows including “Psych,” “Bones,” “CSI: NY,” and “Modern Family.” She had a regular role as Patty Hong on the ABC sitcom “Scoundrels” in 2010, and played Paramita Megawati in the 2012 Tyler Perry film “Alex Cross.”
From 2015 to 2016 she starred as Giselle Vickers on the Disney XD series “Lab Rats.”
Orphan Black and Workin’ Moms
In 2016, Wanlim joined the fourth season of “Orphan Black” as Evie Cho, a role that introduced her to a wider international fanbase. That season also saw star Tatiana Maslany win a Primetime Emmy, something Wanlim has called one of her most meaningful professional memories.
She began playing Jenny Matthews on the CBC comedy “Workin’ Moms” in 2017. According to Wikipedia’s cast records, her role was reduced to recurring status for season two, then returned as a lead for seasons three through seven, the show’s final season in 2023.
This part carried personal weight. Wanlim told Kollective Hustle that showrunner Catherine Reitman let her bring a miscarriage storyline to the character, drawing on a loss she experienced herself. She has said publicly that she wanted to help normalize a topic many women go through in silence.
Running Point and Her Filipino Heritage
In 2025, Wanlim joined the Netflix comedy “Running Point” as Bituin, a character created for the show and, as she explained to Kollective Hustle, loosely inspired by a real woman who married into the family behind the fictional basketball franchise. The series is based loosely on the Los Angeles Lakers organization and stars Kate Hudson.
Wanlim told the outlet she is half Filipino and drew on relatives, including her mother and two aunts, to shape Bituin’s humor. She said her mother grew up in Aliaga, a small farming town, and that she has visited the house where her mother was raised.
Per the Inquirer, “Running Point” held the No. 1 spot on Netflix’s charts shortly after its debut, and the show has since been renewed for additional seasons.
Real Estate and Life in Nashville
Wanlim now splits her time between acting and real estate. She has said that in 2016 she thought her acting career was finished and moved into real estate work instead. After “Workin’ Moms” ended, she stayed active in the Nashville real estate market, where she now also works on home design projects.
She currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee, a detail confirmed both in her own interview and on her Wikipedia page.
Family Life
Wanlim has one son. She has spoken about motherhood publicly, including the miscarriage that preceded his birth, but she has not disclosed his name or her partner’s identity in the interviews reviewed for this article.
Several entertainment biography sites report that her longtime partner is named Brett Howell and that the couple has been together since around 2010. These sources disagree with each other on whether the two are married, and none of them is a named, reputable outlet independently confirming the relationship. Because of that conflict, this detail is treated as reported but unconfirmed rather than fact.
Net Worth
No reliable, named source publishes a verified net worth figure for Jessalyn Wanlim. Estimates circulating online range widely, from roughly $400,000 to $2 million, all sourced to unsourced celebrity net-worth aggregator sites rather than financial records or her own statements. Famevora doesn’t publish a number it can’t verify, so none is listed here.
FAQs
How old is Jessalyn Wanlim?
She was born September 3, 1982, in Calgary, Alberta, making her 43 as of this writing in 2026.
What is Jessalyn Wanlim’s nationality?
She is Canadian, born and raised in Calgary and Toronto, and now lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
What is Jessalyn Wanlim’s ethnicity?
She has described herself as half Filipino, through her mother’s side, with Chinese-Indonesian heritage through her father, according to IMDb and her own interviews.
Is Jessalyn Wanlim married?
Public information doesn’t confirm this either way. She has referenced a longtime partner and a son without naming either publicly, and biography sites that name a partner disagree on the couple’s marital status.
Does Jessalyn Wanlim have children?
Yes. She has one son and has spoken openly about experiencing a miscarriage before his birth.
What shows is Jessalyn Wanlim known for?
“Workin’ Moms” (Jenny Matthews), “Orphan Black” (Evie Cho), and Netflix’s “Running Point” (Bituin) are her best-known roles.
What is Jessalyn Wanlim’s height?
She’s commonly listed at 5 feet 4 inches (163 cm) across profile and casting databases.
What does Jessalyn Wanlim do besides acting?
She works as a real estate agent and home designer in Nashville, a career she has said she leaned into during a break from acting.
Key Takeaways
- Jessalyn Wanlim was born September 3, 1982, in Calgary, Alberta, and is Canadian.
- She trained as a ballet dancer before moving into acting.
- Her best-known roles are on “Workin’ Moms,” “Orphan Black,” and “Running Point.”
- She has one son and has spoken publicly about miscarriage and motherhood.
- Her partner’s identity and marital status are not confirmed by reliable, named sources.
- She now works in real estate and home design in Nashville alongside acting.
- No verified net worth figure exists for her as of this writing.
Conclusion
Jessalyn Wanlim’s public record is fairly clear on her career: a ballet-trained actress who moved through soap operas, guest spots, and a run of recognizable TV roles into a genuine Netflix hit. Her personal life is thinner by design. She’s chosen to speak about motherhood and loss on her own terms while keeping her partner and son out of the spotlight, and this article reflects that instead of filling the gaps with guesswork
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Shahzad is the founder and editor of Famevora, covering celebrity stories, biographies, entertainment, and trending personalities. His goal is to provide engaging, accurate, and easy-to-understand content for readers.