Meet Geraldine Leer — a Montclair resident with an impressive acting career. Known in Montclair as Jeri, she was born in New York City, raised in Texas, and went back and forth between New York and California before moving to Essex County in You may know her from movies and TV shows like Manifest, Law & Order, and Inventing Anna — and we had the chance to talk with Geraldine about her career. Read on to learn more about this actress and why she chose Montclair as a place to raise a family.
^ Inventing Anna (Photo credit: Inventing Anna/Netflix)
Geraldine Leer: I’ve been an actress professionally for 40 years, with a year hiatus while raising two kids in Montclair. My first film role was Lorna in Mystic Pizza.
GL: I’m not sure it was a decision — I just kept getting parts in school plays and then jobs after I signed with an agent while in college. After I almost flunked out of Finance, I realized that it might be more fun, anyway, to play a CEO than be a CEO.
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GL: The most notable is probably Karen Stone on Manifest/Netflix. Recently I’ve also worked on Law & Order, Inventing Anna, FBI: Most Wanted, The Other Two, and a few Christmas movies for Hallmark and Lifetime.
^ Manifest (Photo credit: Manifest/Netflix)
GL: Probably Karen Stone on Manifest, as she fits me like a glove. My daughter Madeline commented, “Where’s the acting?”
GL: The ones who seem like quality people when nobody’s watching. Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep.
GL: Since After a short stint in Mill Valley, California, we moved from NYC with two toddlers. My children’s dad convinced me that Montclair was as close to Mill Valley, California, as we could get on the east coast, and he was right. We loved it the minute we got here.
(Photo credit: Thomas Brunot)
GL: No, I was born in NYC, and raised in Texas. I had been in NYC or Los Angeles since and was hesitant to move with my kids to NJ, but Montclair quickly changed my mind.
GL: Ha! I had NEVER gotten a job in New Jersey until the pandemic. I booked a Trelegy commercial and couldn’t believe it when they said it was being shot in Montclair. I ended up with a 2-minute commute to Watchung Plaza. I drove back and forth along Watchung Avenue in front of the Montclair High School field hockey field for the “riding down the road” shots. I’d spent many hours in those field hockey stands as a mom, so I made the camera crew shout “Go, Montclair!” as we rode by.
GL: Not a lot, but I always enjoy it when I do. I’d really like to work in L.A., where both my kids, Jack and Madeline Biebel (MHS &#;13 and &#;15), now live and work. My son Jack has a deli there with two other childhood Montclair pals, Noah Holton-Raphael and Max Bahramipour. They were so frustrated that they couldn’t find a good deli sandwich like they grew up on at Belgiovines and The Watchung Deli in L.A., so they opened Ggiata. Madeline films TikToks for them. I love going there and seeing all of them in action. It’s like a little bit of Montclair in L.A.
^ Law & Order (Photo credit: Law & Order/NBC)
GL: Barcelona, Rome, Toronto. My favorite location of late was during the pandemic, shooting One Royal Holiday for the Hallmark Channel in Woodstock, Connecticut. They call that the “quiet corner” of CT, and it was just what the doctor ordered, after quarantining at home for a year in Montclair. It was just country roads, dairy cows, and the historical inn where we quarantined and then shot the film. I’ll always be grateful for that month away during such a scary time.
GL: New York Magazine’s cover story on Montclair called “The Upper West Side of Suburbia”. I’ll never forget passing Northeast School on the way into town and thinking “I want my kids to go to Beaver Cleaver’s school”.
GL: The small town feel with the big city perks, and the great friends I made while raising my kids. I love all the artistic energy here: Vanguard Theater Company, the Montclair Film Festival, and the Montclair Jazz Festival. There are so many opportunities for kids that want to pursue the arts right here in town. Some of the shows I’ve seen at Montclair High School are amazing.
GL:
Food: I’m kind of “old school” and not fancy. I like Bluestone Coffee Company, Egan&#;s, Dai Kichi. But I also love Mercado, and the “House Special Salad” at Green Chop’s in Watchung Plaza is addictive. When friends come to visit, a glass of wine and the view at Alto bar is lovely, then a walk down Bloomfield Avenue for dinner at Le Salbuen. Yum!
Clothes: I love shopping at Barbara Eclectic. It’s like a tiny Nordstrom women’s department right here on Valley Road.
Hair Salon: I think Carol Murray at Salon is simply the best. I’ve had models in NYC stop me in the subway to ask who does my hair.
Outdoors: I love the NJ Audubon Society’s hawk-watch platform, walking around Brookdale Park or in Mills Reservation. Sometimes after it has snowed, I’ll drive up Bellevue Avenue, and I’m struck at how beautiful our little town is at the foot of the Watchung Mountain ridge.
Entertainment: I love going to The Montclair Film Festival every year. Live music at Ruthie’s on Fridays is pretty darn great.
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GL: I’ve started moving into Miranda Priestly (Devil Wears Prada) type roles, which are so much fun. I’d love a series regular role — one of those CEOs that would eat their young. How fun to be utterly evil all week and then sing in the choir at PCUM (The Presbyterian Church of Upper Montclair) on Sundays.
I’d love to book a TV comedy role off of the fun I’m having on TikTok. My daughter Madeline is a social media strategist in L.A., and when she was home sick with Covid over Christmas, she got me to do a few TikToks. One got million views, so we’ve kept going. It’s a big role reversal, and she says “Just do it, mom” a lot. I guess turnabout is fair play.
I used to have a vegetable garden in my backyard. When I went back to acting, I just didn’t have time. I’d love to have that garden back up and running, with all my food waste composted into that garden. I think it’s so cool that Queens is going to have the largest composting program in the U.S. this Fall. Why not Montclair next?
(Photo credit: Thomas Brunot)
GL: That tired, harried mom you saw waiting outside Union Cong pre-school has recovered nicely, thanks.
Porchfest is known across the United States, Canada, and beyond as a way for the community to celebrate local talent. Now, Porchfest will officially make its debut in Montclair this year. The Montclair Porchfest organizers shared with The Montclair Girl back in October that the team was aiming for the event to take place in spring — and now, we know that Porchfest will make its debut in Montclair on May 17th. Read on for what we know so far about the first-ever Montclair Porchfest happening this May — including how local artists and homeowners can get involved.
The first-ever Montclair Porchfest will take place on Saturday, May 17th, The Montclair Porchfest Instagram account announced the official date back in December
A few of the musicians participating in the event have also been announced via Instagram — including Vintage , Camino Sound, BREAKTIME, Jacqueline Ellis, and Jason Didner.
Montclair is the st city to host its own Porchfest, with cities across the United States, Canada, and Australia participating as of this writing.
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So, how does Montclair Porchfest work? Every house in every ward in town has the opportunity to volunteer their porch to host a band. There are no exclusions. "This will be the largest festival to come to town," the organizers told MG.
The Montclair Porchfest time slots will be held between 12PM and 7PM, and the organizers will have a map of bands/artists and locations for locals to plan their day. After the bands finish at 7PM, there will be a main stage with a final act on Bloomfield Avenue from 7PMPM (the exact location has yet to be announced). The main stage event will also include food + retail vendors as well as local businesses.
Montclair homeowners who are interested in volunteering their porches can register for the event here. Local artists who are interested in participating in the event can send their information to [email&#;protected]. Keep up with future updates on the event on the Montclair Porchfest website and Instagram.
Porchfest first originated in Ithaca, New York in , and has since spread to host events in towns across the United States and Canada. The event has rapidly expanded in recent years, and is a way for the community to come together and celebrate local artists. Other New Jersey towns including Maplewood, Caldwell, Newark, Princeton, Cranford, Asbury Park, Red Bank, Belmar, Ventor City, Collingswood, Trenton, Bordentown, and Moorestown also host Porchfest events each year. The full list of cities that have Porchfest events can be found here.
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We'll keep you updated as more details come out surrounding the event. For now, follow @themontclairgirl on Instagram and TikTok, sign up for our newsletter that shares the top stories in your inbox here, and check out our events calendar.