Jennifer Echols (25 July 1954, Houston, Texas – 16 July 2018, Sherman Oaks, California) was an American character actress whose career spanned 1995 to 2014. She specialised in small supporting roles — nurses, receptionists, waitresses, secretaries, and similar everyday figures — across over 50 credited appearances in film and television. She is best remembered for Mama Jenny in My Name Is Khan (2010), the Waffle Hut Waitress in The Ladykillers (2004), and Nurse Selma in The Notebook (2004). Her filmography includes: Fathers' Day (1997) (Ed Harris, Laurie Metcalf); Friday After Next (2002) (Ice Cube, Chris Tucker); The Notebook (2004) (Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams); The Ladykillers (2004) (Tom Hanks, Ivan Reinhardt); Down in the Valley (2005) (Edward Norton, Evan Rachel Wood); 10 Items or Less (2006) (Paul Giamatti, Maria Bello); My Name Is Khan (2010) (Shah Rukh Khan, Katie Cassidy); Small Apartments (2012) (Matt Lucas, Sara Gilbert). TV: ER (2004), Dexter (2006), The Shield (2006), The Mentalist (2012), Southland (2012).
