Becky Ann Baker (née Gelke; born February 17, 1953) is an American actress who is known for her portrayal of Jean Weir on NBC's Emmy Award-winning Freaks and Geeks and for her role as Loreen Horvath on HBO's Emmy Award-winning Girls, for which she received a Primetime Emmy nomination.
Baker was born Becky Gelke in Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Baker's film credits include Blue Steel, Jacob's Ladder, Lorenzo's Oil, Unstrung Heroes, Sabrina, Ridley Scott's White Squall, Men in Black, In & Out, Woody Allen's Celebrity, Sam Raimi's A Simple Plan (for which she received a Blockbuster Entertainment Award nomination), Two Weeks Notice, Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds, Stay, The Night Listener, Death of a President, and Spider-Man 3.
In addition to Freaks and Geeks, her television credits include Stephen King's Storm of the Century and guest spots on L.A. Law, Frasier, Star Trek: Voyager, Sex & the City, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Oz and All My Children.
An accomplished stage performer, Baker made her Broadway debut in the 1981 production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and received a Drama-Logue Award in 1994 for her work in Night and Her Stars. She is a founding member of New York-based theatre company The Drama Dept.
In 2009, she appeared in the NBC series Kings, playing the minor role of Jessie Shepherd, mother of protagonist David Shepherd. Her real-life husband, Dylan Baker, played antagonist William Cross in the series.
Baker used her birth name, Becky Gelke, as her professional name until she married actor Dylan Baker in 1990.