I first met Jeff, in 1989 at Hugos, a hip, healthy restaurant in the heart of West Hollywood. I was surprised at what a sweet, caring, accessible person he was. He had recently completed the hit film, The Fly. We started talking about art while sipping our yerba mattes. By the end of lunch, I had invited him to come and support a play I was directing the following weekend, called Environmental Buster. I told him all the money was going to charity and it starred 12 children who had helped co-write it and did the production design with their parents (with a few professionals on hand). He agreed to come. I have to say, I was shocked when he actually did arrive, because many people (especially the celebrities) made promises to placate me, but then never showed. In spending time with Jeff, I learned three things he was very passionate about : charities for kids, the environment, and jazz.
Today, besides still acting brilliantly in films and teaching acting at Playhouse West, Jeff plays in an informal jazz band. I recently was invited and privileged to hear him play at as mall club in Beverly Hills. But you can find him playing in various clubs all over LA with Lincoln Adler, a jazz musician and fellow actor Peter Weller, who plays the horn.
