Jennifer Maria Syme (December 7, 1972 – April 2, 2001) was an American actress, personal assistant, and record company executive. She appeared in the films Lost Highway (1997) and Ellie Parker (2005). The film Mulholland Drive (2001) was dedicated to her.
Syme was in a relationship with actor Keanu Reeves from 1998 until early 2000. Following the stillbirth of their daughter in December 1999, Syme struggled with depression. Syme died in an automobile collision at the age of 28 on April 2, 2001, shortly after she and Reeves had reunited.
Early life and career
Syme was born in Pico Rivera, California, and was raised in Laguna Beach. Her parents were Maria St. John and Charles Syme, a retired California highway patrol officer; She introduced Lynch to many of the musicians he used in his projects, and according to Coffey, she had a huge influence on the music in the film Lost Highway (1997).
Syme also did some acting, and Scott Coffey directed her in five independent short films. The last one, Ellie Parker, was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2001.
In 1997, Syme made her film debut in a small role credited as "junkie girl" in David Lynch's Lost Highway.
Syme had a small role credited as "casting chick" in Scott Coffey's film Ellie Parker, released in 2005, reprising the role she played in the 2001 short film of the same title.
At the time of her death in 2001, Syme had enrolled in a film-supervision course at UCLA, Syme's and Reeves's grief over the loss put a strain on their relationship, which ended several weeks later. They remained close friends after their breakup and were back together in 2001. She drove her Jeep Grand Cherokee into a row of parked cars on Cahuenga Boulevard in Los Angeles. She was partially ejected from the vehicle and died instantly. She was 28 years old.
While Syme and Reeves had broken up shortly after the stillbirth of their daughter, Reeves told investigators that they were back together. and for "instructing [Syme] to operate a motor vehicle in her incapacitated condition". Manson denied responsibility, stating that the lawsuit was "completely without merit".
Manson depicted Syme in a painting titled "A Daughter without a Mother and a Mother without a Daughter (in Memory of Jen)".
Filmography
Actress
- Lost Highway (1997) – Junkie Girl
- Ellie Parker (2001) – Casting Chick (short film)
- Ellie Parker (2005) – Casting Chick (posthumous credit, final film role)
Production assistant
- Hotel Room (1 episode, 1993)
- Lost Highway (1997)