# Jane Adams (actress, born 1965)

Jane Adams (born April 1, 1965) is an American actress and screenwriter. Known for her work in independent cinema, her acting credits include Light Sleeper (1992), Happiness (1998), Mumford (1999), Songcatcher (2000), The Anniversary Party (2001), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Little Children (2006), All the Light in the Sky (2012), and She Dies Tomorrow (2020).
On television, she appeared in the recurring role of Dr. Mel Karnofsky on the NBC sitcom Frasier (1999–2000) and co-starred as Nikki Katz on HBO's drama series The Idol (2023). For her roles as Tanya Skagl on HBO's Hung (2009–2011), and Nina Daniels on Hacks (2021) she received nominations for the Golden Globe Award, and two consecutive Primetime Emmy Award respectively.
Adams made her Broadway debut in the original production of Paul Rudnick's I Hate Hamlet in 1991 and won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Sheila Birling in the revival of J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls (1994).

## Early life

Jane Adams was born in Washington, D.C. and was raised in Wheaton, Illinois, and Bellevue, Washington. She is the daughter of Janice, an administrative assistant, and William Adams, an engineer. She has a younger brother named Jonathan.
Adams attended the University of Washington, where she studied political science, and the Cornish College of the Arts, where she took theater. She attended the Juilliard School's Drama Division (1985–1989, Group 18) where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1989.

## Career

Adams performed theatre at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. She turned down the chance to work in Sister Act with Whoopi Goldberg for the opportunity to work with Arthur Miller onstage.
She worked with Steve Martin and Diane Keaton in Father of the Bride Part II. She went back to the stage and won the 1994 Tony Award for best performance by a featured actress in a play for the Broadway revival of An Inspector Calls. She also won the Outer Critics Circle Award for best debut performance in a play in the Broadway production of Paul Rudnick's I Hate Hamlet.
In 1996, Adams portrayed Karen Lukens in the ABC-TV drama series Relativity.$^{:883-884}$
In 1998, she starred in the misanthropic dark comedy Happiness with Philip Seymour Hoffman, playing the role of Joy, a sensitive single woman who is struggling with life. She and the cast won many ensemble awards. The next year, Adams got a recurring role on the comedy series Frasier from 1999 to 2000. She played Dr. Mel Karnofsky, who became Niles Crane's second wife. She also had a role in the 1999 film Mumford.
In 2001, she was in the independent film titled Songcatcher, with Janet McTeer. She and the cast won a Sundance Special Jury Prize. She also portrayed Reeva Baines Eidenberg in the CBS drama series Citizen Baines. Adams has also appeared in mainstream films such as You've Got Mail (1998), Wonder Boys (2000), Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), and Last Holiday (2006). In 2007, she appeared in The Sensation of Sight and The Brave One. In the latter film, she appeared opposite Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Mary Steenburgen and Naveen Andrews.
From 2009 to 2011, Adams co-starred in the HBO series Hung opposite Thomas Jane.$^{:487}$ She starred in and co-wrote the 2012 film All the Light in the Sky with director Joe Swanberg for which she was named Best Actress at the Nashville Film Festival.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1985 | Bombs Away | Greeting Girl | |
| 1990 | Vital Signs | Suzanne Maloney | |
| 1992 | Light Sleeper | Randi Jost | |
| 1994 | I Love Trouble | Evans | |
| 1994 | Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle | Ruth Hale | |
| 1995 | Father of the Bride Part II | Dr. Megan Eisenberg | |
| 1996 | Kansas City | Nettie Bolt | |
| 1998 | Music from Another Room | Irene | |
| 1998 | Happiness | Joy Jordan | National Board of Review Award for Best Cast |
| 1998 | Day at the Beach | Marie | |
| 1998 | You've Got Mail | Sydney Anne | Uncredited |
| 1999 | A Fish in the Bathtub | Ruthie | |
| 1999 | A Texas Funeral | Mary Joan | |
| 1999 | Mumford | Dr. Phyllis Sheeler | |
| 2000 | Songcatcher | Eleanor 'Elna' Penleric | Sundance Film Festival: Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Cast |
| 2000 | Wonder Boys | Oola | |
| 2001 | The Anniversary Party | Clair Forsyth | |
| 2002 | Orange County | Mona | |
| 2004 | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | Carrie | |
| 2004 | Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events | White-Faced Woman | |
| 2006 | Last Holiday | Rochelle | |
| 2006 | Little Children | Sheila | |
| 2006 | The Sensation of Sight | Alice | |
| 2007 | The Brave One | Nicole | |
| 2008 | The Wackness | Eleanor | |
| 2008 | Lifelines | Nancy Bernstein | |
| 2009 | Alexander the Last | Director | |
| 2009 | Calvin Marshall | June Marshall | |
| 2011 | The Lie | Dr. Bentel | |
| 2011 | Silver Bullets | June | |
| 2011 | Restless | Mabel | |
| 2012 | All the Light in the Sky | Marie | Also writer Bridgestone Grand Jury Prize for Best Actress in Narrative Feature |
| 2015 | Digging for Fire | Woman on beach | |
| 2015 | Poltergeist | Dr. Brooke Powell | |
| 2016 | Always Shine | Summer | |
| 2017 | Brigsby Bear | April | |
| 2018 | Intervene | Gwendolyn | Short film |
| 2020 | She Dies Tomorrow | Jane | Nominated—Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 2020 | Build the Wall | Sarah | |
| 2022 | Dog | Tamara | |
| 2022 | Sick | Pamela | |
| 2023 | Year of the Fox | Paulene | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1986 | Tales from the Darkside | Charlotte Rose Cantrell | Episode: "Deliver Us from Goodness" |
| 1987, 1989 | Family Ties | First Love / Marty Brodie | 3 episodes |
| 1989, 1995 | ABC Afterschool Special | Elly Robinson / Michelle | 2 episodes |
| 1990 | Rising Son | Meg Bradley | Television film |
| 1993 | Lifestories: Families in Crisis | Beth | Episode: "Dead Drunk: The Kevin Tunell Story" |
| 1996 | Relativity | Karen Lukens | 7 episodes |
| 1997 | Liberty! | Sara Scott | 6 episodes |
| 1999 | The Outer Limits | Mona Bailey | Episode: "What Will The Neighbors Think" |
| 1999–2000 | Frasier | Dr. Mel Karnofsky | 11 episodes |
| 2000 | Citizen Baines | Reeva Eidenberg | 9 episodes |
| 2000 | From Where I Sit | Ruth | Pilot |
| 2001 | Night Visions | Amanda | Episode: "The Doghouse" |
| 2003 | Carnivàle | Mother of Dead Baby | Uncredited Episode: "Milfay" |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Sylvia Campbell | Episode: "The Gift" |
| 2005 | Stone Cold | Brianna Lincoln | Television film |
| 2007 | House | Bonnie | Episode: "House Training" |
| 2008 | In Plain Sight | Ruth Ferguson / Ruth Fraser | Episode: "Don of the Dead" |
| 2009–2011 | Hung | Tanya Skagle | 30 episodes Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy |
| 2012 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Joanne Parsons | Episode: "Learning Curve" |
| 2013 | Axe Cop | Red Headed Women | Voice Episode: "Super Axe" |
| 2014 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Belinda Goff | Episode: "Rubbery Homicide" |
| 2016–2019 | Easy | Annabelle Jones | 5 episodes |
| 2016 | Atlanta | Janice | Episode: "Nobody Beats the Biebs" |
| 2017 | Twin Peaks | Constance Talbot | 6 episodes |
| 2017 | Claws | Gladys Coleman Pirette | 4 episodes |
| 2018–2019 | Sneaky Pete | Maggie Murphy | 8 episodes |
| 2020 | Messiah | Miriam Keneally | 10 episodes |
| 2021–2024 | Hacks | Nina | 6 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series |
| 2023 | The Idol | Nikki Katz | 5 episodes |

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1991 | I Hate Hamlet | Deirdre McDavey | Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Debut Performance |
| 1992 | The Crucible | Mary Warren | |
| 1994 | An Inspector Calls | Sheila Birling | Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a PlayTony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play |
| 2003 | Enchanted April | Rose Arnott | Replacement |
| 2004 | Match | Lisa | |
| 2006 | Resurrection Blues | Emily Shapiro | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1991 | Clarence Derwent Awards | Best Supporting Female | | Won |
| 1998 | National Board of Review | National Board of Review Award for Best Cast | Happiness | Won |
| 2000 | Sundance Film Festival | Special Jury Prize | Songcatcher | Won |
| 2010 | 67th Golden Globe Awards | Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Hung | Nominated |
| 2010 | Women's Image Network Awards | Actress Comedy Series | Hung | Nominated |
| 2013 | Nashville Film Festival | Best Actress in a Narrative Feature | All the Light in the Sky | Won |
| 2020 | Florida Film Critics Circle | Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress | She Dies Tomorrow | Nominated |
| 2021 | 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Hacks | Nominated |
| 2022 | 74th Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Hacks | Nominated |