Gillian McLaren Jacobs (/ˈɡɪlɪən/; born October 19, 1982) is an American actress. She is known for portraying Britta Perry on the NBC comedy series Community. She also has appeared in the television shows Fringe, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and The Good Wife, as well as in films such as Gardens of the Night (2008), The Box (2009), Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012), and Bad Milo! (2013). Jacobs was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her mother, Martina Magenau Jacobs, was a Carnegie Mellon University director of alumni relations at the Heinz College. Her father, William F. Jacobs Jr., was an investment banker. She was raised in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. She is of French, German, Irish, and Scottish descent. Her family owned the Jackson Koehler Eagle Brewery, established in 1847 in Erie, Pennsylvania, where her grandfather, John Martin Magenau Jr., served as President and CEO until its closure in 1978. Jacobs began studying acting at the age of eight, and attended...