Jenna Stern was born in Los Angeles, California, and is the daughter of British-born, Oscar-nominated actress Samantha Eggar and American producer Tom Stern. Her brother, Nicolas Stern, is a Producer for film and television. She graduated U.C. Berkeley in 1990 and then went to NYU's Graduate Acting program, graduating with an MFA in 1993. She married fellow actor Brennan Brown in 1998.