Meet Joya Tillem, Jon Favreau’s Wife

Joya Tillem is an American medical practitioner who gained fame as the wife of actor, producer, and director, Jon Favreau. The duo got married in 2000 after dating for five years. Their union is blessed with three children – a boy and two girls who are all following in their father’s footsteps to build their own careers as actors.

When was Joya Tillem born?

Joya Tillem was born on May 14, 1970, and the doctor is 54 years old. A Californian native, Tillem is a citizen of the United States of America but she is said to be of British-Irish descent.

She is the daughter of John and Susan Tillem who belonged to the Jewish sect known as Shir Shalon Congregation in Cotati. John and Suzan brought their daughter up in the Jewish religion and she has been following the faith to date. No mention has been made of any siblings for Tillem which has made fans conclude that she may be an only child. She has a prominent person in her lineage – attorney Leonard Tillem who is a famous KGO radio talk show host and is her uncle.

Growing up in Sonoma, Joya achieved her early academic pursuit in the locality. She has always been an ambitious lady from a young age and was an A-lister in academics. After she choose to join the medical profession, Joya proceeded to further her studies at Georgetown University’s School Of Medicine.

The Institution of higher learning is a private school and is listed among the oldest and most prestigious selective institutions in the US. It gained popularity for its stellar alumni and prestigious programs. The school takes the credit for churning out great minds in politics, business, medicine, and more.

After bagging her first degree from Georgetown University in 1996, Joya Tillem stayed back to earn honors in internal medicine.

She works as a doctor among other things

Though her main calling is medicine, Joya Tillem has dabbled in other fields like acting and philanthropy.

She is a specialist in internal medicine

After bagging honors in internal medicine from the University of Georgetown, Joya went to practice her craft in the health sector. The doctor started with a residency which she completed at the Los Angeles-based health facility named, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

The medical center is a non-profit hospital where Joya Tillem works in the General Internal Medicine Unit. It was at this same health facility that she had her last child, Brighton Rose Favreau. Joya is also associated with other medical facilities like the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

She has one acting credit

After getting married to an entertainer of Jon Favreau’s caliber, it came as no surprise that she recorded a gig in the industry. Joya’s sole role occurred on the set of the American situational comedy titled, My Name is Earl. Though she only recorded a guest appearance on set, the sitcom spanned four years on NBC from 2005 to 2009.

Apart from practicing medicine and acting, Tillem is also involved in a good number of philanthropic activities alongside her spouse, Favreau.

How did Joya Tillem and Jon Favreau meet?

When the movie and TV actor turned-director, Jon Favreau was shooting his role on the set of Friends in 1995, little did he know that he would meet the woman who would become his wife there. Jon was just a struggling actor trying to create a niche for himself in the industry when Joya Tillem visited the shooting location.

However, what business a medical doctor had on the set of a movie has never been disclosed but the visit triggered a relationship between Joya and Jon that has lasted for decades. Before they met, Jon has only appeared in a handful of cameos in productions like Batman and Rudy. His only remarkable role at that time was appearing as Eric the Clown in a single episode of Seinfeld. Joya on her own part was on the verge of completing her medical honors at Georgetown University.

Jon instantly took an interest in Joya Tillem and approached the doctor for a relationship. At this point, neither Jon nor Joya know what the future had in store for them. However, the actor cum director would later reflect that the used classic Cadillac DeVille sedan he acquired then helped him in clinching the deal. This came to light through an article in Los Angeles Magazine. According to Jon, Joya later told him that she was really impressed that her suitor came driving an old Cadillac and her mom was of the same mind.

It was because of Jon’s lack of fame during the onset of their relationship that they didn’t attract media attention but Joya Tillem’s support for the struggling actor was unwavering. Given little time, Jon started recording success as an actor, producer, and director, and it was his 2003 movie Elf that put him under the spotlight by grossing an astounding amount of money.

By this time, the duo was already married and the media spotlight didn’t miss capturing the beautiful woman by Jon Favreau’s side. The actor, producer, and director experienced exponential growth as time rolled by, churning out other box-office blockbusters and high-grossing projects like Iron Man, and Iron Man 2.

Joya Tillem and Jon Favreau wedded in 2000

Joya Tillem and her husband, Jon Favreau went on to date for five long years before taking the decision to move things a notch higher. Fans were not intimated with the details of the couple’s official engagement, but it is common knowledge that they exchanged wedding vows on the 24th of November, 2000.

Perhaps because John was still trying to find his feet in the entertainment industry at the time, the couple’s wedding ceremony was not well publicized, thus, we cannot say the type of ceremony they had. However, we were told that they went down to Joya’s hometown in Sonoma to tie the knot.

She is a mother of two

Joya shares two children with her husband and they are named – Max Favreau (b. July 25th, 2001), Madeleine Favreau (b. April 2003), and Brighton Rose Favreau (b. August 30th, 2006). All the Favreau kids are currently working in the entertainment industry with several roles to their credit.