Jessica Hecht

Jessica Hecht stars as Bessie Berger in Awake and Sing! on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre from December 2026.

Hecht is a Tony and Emmy Award-nominated actress best known for playing Gretchen Schwartz on Breaking Bad and Susan Bunch on Friends, as well as for numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway performances.

Born June 28, 1965, Jessica Hecht grew up in Connecticut and eventually attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, graduating with a B.F.A. in drama. After graduating, she found success in an Off-Broadway production of Othello and landed small roles on television shows like Seinfeld and Party of Five.

In 1994, she got her big break playing Susan Bunch, the new partner and later wife of Ross’s ex on the hit sitcom Friends. During the show’s 10-season run, Hecht would return to play Susan several times. This performance helped Hecht land other television roles, including main roles in the 1995 NBC sitcom The Single Guy and the 2001 ABC sitcom What About Joan?

Hecht's most notable roles also include Gretchen Schwartz in the hit drama Breaking Bad and Karen Hayes in the Netflix show Special, which earned her an Emmy nomination. She also had a multi-episode arc on the Amazon Prime show The Boys.

Hecht has had a steady film career as well, appearing in movies like Dan in Real Life, J. Edgar, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

In addition to her film and television work, Hecht has been a regular in Broadway and Off-Broadway productions. She received Tony Award nominations for her roles in A View from the Bridge, which she starred in alongside Scarlett Johansson and Liev Schreiber; Summer, 1976 opposite Laura Linney; and the Tony-winning comedy play Eureka Day.

Some of her other notable stage credits include Harvey (alongside Jim Parsons), The Price (alongside Mark Ruffalo), and Fiddler on the Roof, in which she played Golde.