Jeffrey was born the fourth child to Wally & Kate Weissman on October 2nd, 1958. Wally is a retired psychotherapist and counselor and recently found his singing muse: he goes Karakoe-ing regularly. Kate, now retired, worked as a counselor to the elderly, after a career as a working mother and home maker.

Wally says: "Jeff was an unusual child...unusual because he was very outgoing and adventurous, while at the same time he had great compassion for others, which he has demonstrated throughout his life. While in school, one of the actors in a play fell ill, and Jeff accepted an invitation to take his place. That did it -- Jeff was so "turned on" that he then knew what path he would take for the rest of his life. He has never wavered from this labor of love in a most difficult profession. Perhaps at this point he sensed the importance that humor and drama play in people's lives. Jeff has entertained and enriched the lives of tens of thousands of people while traveling around the world, and he has certainly enriched the lives of his family -- especially his Mom & Dad! Being a part of his journey was a gift that perhaps few parents experience."

At a very early age Jeffrey got the performance bug -- noticing that his babysitter was enraptured by the silver screen, he decided that he wanted to be an actor. Growing up in Los Angeles he would often meet actors shooting on location, and would ask them questions about their craft. In 1971 he started performing in earnest and was soon regularly appearing in productions staged by his school, the Parks & Rec Department, and various children's and community theaters. In the mid-1970's he helped fledgling film directors in his high school class make the films One For The Horizon, There's A Spy In My Soup, A Walk to Inspiration Point, and Lost For Words.

1977 saw Jeffrey beginning to get steady work as an extra, appearing in such films as The Rose, Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, FM, and others. However, ultimately unfulfilled with his role as a background player, he sought the advice of an industry professional, who counseled him to seek professional training to bolster his resume.

Jeffrey set his sights on the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco. At the age of 17, after his first audition for ACT, director Allen Fletcher told him that if he didn't make it into the conservatory, it wasn't due to a lack of talent and that he should keep trying...which he did, and finally in 1981 Jeffrey attended the rigorous Summer Training Congress. With his mentor John Pasqualetti's guarantee of a place in the Advanced Training MFA program, Jeffrey could fulfill his quest. But the unexpected call of providence found Jeffrey at an "open call" for a major motion picture where he was singled out for a screen test by director Martin Brest and casting director Wally Nicita for the lead role in The Genius -- later renamed War Games. When Martin told Hollywood agent Paula Ceder that Jeffrey was his favorite out of the many actors testing for the role -- a roster which included Dana Carvey, Eric Stoltz, Brian Backer, John Crawford, and Sean Penn! -- she pursued Jeffrey to get him as a client. Jeffrey agreed to let Paula represent him and moved back to Los Angeles, where he started landing bigger parts in many Hollywood projects.

1986 proved a tumultuous year, with Jeffrey suffering within a two week period the double loss of both his best friend Patrick and his older brother Michael, who succumbed to pneumonia while weakened from treatments for a brain tumor. On December 28th his wife Kim Ray gave birth to a son, Nicholas Michael. Two years later his second son Spencer Maxfield joined the family.

In 1995, Jeffrey reunited with the love of his life, Kimbell Jackson, whom he had dated in 1972 and 73 when they worked in Children's Theater and Junior High School in Santa Monica). Ten years later they married, and have been a team supporting each others' endeavors in work and play. Kim works in the wine trade in Sonoma County.

Jeffrey has been a card-carrying member of the Fool's Guild community since 1984. He was elected King of Fools (King Ding-a-Ling) in 1997. Jeffrey learned to trust his singing abilities when he became a member of James Hendricks's (2005 Fool's Guild ex-rex "King Salty") choir The Briton Ensemble, which performs madrigal concerts.

Unsurprisingly, Jeffrey is an avid Joker collector...yes, the harlequin featured on the 53rd playing card. Here are some Joker collectors' site links:
•Heidie's Jokers
•Jokersite
•http://members.home.nl/huubwolters/links.htm
(an international joker site index)