Jane Krakowski

**Jane Krakowski** (; born October 11, 1968) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her performance as Elaine Vassal on _Ally McBeal_, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her role as "Jenna Maroney" on the NBC sitcom _30 Rock_, for which she was been nominated for three Emmy Awards. She also regularly performs on the stage and won a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway revival of _Nine_ and an Olivier Award for _Guys and Dolls_ in London's West End.

## Early life

Krakowski was born **Jane Krajkowski** in Parsippany, New Jersey. Her mother, Barbara (née Benoit), is a college theater instructor and producing artistic director for the Women's Theater Company, and her father, Ed Krajkowski, is a chemical engineer. She has an older brother. Krakowski's father's family is entirely Polish and comes from Kraków, and although she only knows a few words in Polish, her father and grandparents are fluent. Krakowski was a childhood classmate of astronaut Garrett Reisman.

Krakowski grew up immersed in the local theater scene as a result of her parents' activities, saying in one interview, "Instead of hiring baby sitters, they brought me along with them." She took ballet lessons from age four, but later stopped because she was the wrong body shape, instead moving more towards Broadway dancing. She attended the Professional Children's School in New York City.

She dropped the "j" from the family last name when she began working as an actress.

### Television

In her first major television role, Krakowski joined the soap opera _Search for Tomorrow_ in 1984, playing the role of Theresa Rebecca (T.R.) Kendall, a role she played until the show ended in 1986. She was nominated for two consecutive Daytime Emmy Awards for the role in 1986 and 1987.

In 1996, she made an appearance on the television series _Early Edition_ as Dr. Handleman (season 1, episode 3 "Baby").

In 1997, she played office assistant Elaine Vassal on the television series _Ally McBeal_ for five seasons until 2002; her role earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1999. In 2003, Krakowski guest-starred in the TV drama _Everwood_ as psychologist Dr Gretchen Trott, a love interest for Treat Williams' Dr Andrew Brown. In 2003, she guest starred on _Law & Order: Special Victims Unit_ as Emma Spevak, a serial killer of elderly women. In 2006, Krakowski was cast in the NBC sitcom _30 Rock_, where she plays Jenna Maroney, a cast member of the fictional late night sketch show _TGS with Tracy Jordan_. In 2009, 2010 and 2011, she received Emmy nominations for her role in _30 Rock_.

### Movies

Krakowski made her movie debut in _National Lampoon's Vacation_; she has also appeared in _Fatal Attraction_, _The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas_ (where she played Betty Rubble), _Marci X_, _Alfie_, _Go_, _Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant_, _Dance with Me_, _Stepping Out_, _Pretty Persuasion_, _Kit Kittredge: An American Girl_, and _Mom at Sixteen_. Krakowski was originally cast in the horror movie _Sleepaway Camp_, but dropped out just before filming began because she felt her character's death scene with a curling iron was so violent. She appeared in _When Zachary Beaver Came to Town_ as a mother who wants to become a singer. In 2004, she starred in Alan Menken's TV movie version of _A Christmas Carol_, featured as _The Ghost of Christmas Past_.

### Stage

A trained singer, Krakowski has made numerous appearances on stage. At age 18 she originated the role of Dinah the Dining Car in the 1987 Broadway production of _Starlight Express_. She appeared in the 1989 Broadway musical _Grand Hotel_ as the typist and would-be-movie-star Flaemmchen, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. Her solo number "I Want to go to Hollywood" is included on the original cast recording. At the 2000 American Comedy Awards, Krakowski won rave reviews when she performed a sexually-charged musical tribute and love letter to Microsoft chairman, Bill Gates.

In 1995, she played the ditzy flight attendant April in The Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of _Company_. In 1996, she starred alongside Sarah Jessica Parker in the Broadway revival of _Once Upon a Mattress_.

In January 2002, Windham Hill Records released a Jim Brickman album titled _Love Songs & Lullabies_ featuring Krakowski as a vocalist for the song "You", which became a hit on adult contemporary radio stations. Brickman and Krakowski also recorded an alternate Christmas version of the song. She also appeared on the album _Broadway Cares: Home For The Holidays_, singing the song "Santa Baby".

In 2003, she starred in the Broadway revival of _Nine_ playing Carla, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress. Krakowski is known for her famous anti-gravity stunt during the number "A Call From The Vatican". Krakowski and the director struggled finding a company that would let her do air stunts without a harness; Krakowski came up with the idea of using the method previously portrayed in _Broadway Bares_. Krakowski recalled that the material took a long time to arrive, and the second time she ever did it was on the first performance.

In 2005, she starred as Miss Adelaide alongside Ewan McGregor in the new production of _Guys and Dolls_ in London (Piccadilly Theatre) a role for which she won the 2006 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

In 2005, she performed a cabaret show called _Better When It's Banned_, which featured various songs deemed racy from the 1920s and '30s.

Krakowski performed in a January 2007 workshop production and backers' audition for a Broadway musical adaption of the 1980 movie, _Xanadu_, with music from the movie's soundtrack and a book by Douglas Carter Beane. _Xanadu_ premiered on Broadway summer 2007, although Krakowski's role is played by Kerry Butler.

In 2008, Krakowski starred as Lola in New York City Center's production of _Damn Yankees_ opposite Sean Hayes and Cheyenne Jackson.

On July 30 and 31 of 2009, Krakowski played the title character in a reading of _Mrs. Sharp_, with music and lyrics by Ryan Scott Oliver and book by Kirsten A. Guenther, at Playwrights Horizons.

### Other works

- Krakowski played Wanda in the video for the Dixie Chicks' song "Goodbye Earl" in 2000, alongside Dennis Franz and Lauren Holly
- Guest starred in an episode of _Due South_ opposite Paul Gross.

## Personal life

In 2007, it was reported that Krakowski was in a relationship with English documentarian Marc Singer, whom she met at a screening for _Children of Men_ in 2006. Before that, she dated Julian Ovenden.

She married Robert Godley in 2010. On April 13, 2011, their son, Bennett Robert Godley, was born.

## Recordings

Krakowski released her debut solo album on July 15, 2010  an album of cover versions called _Laziest Gal in Town_  on DRG Records.

Selected recordings include:

- 1992: _Grand Hotel_, Studio Cast Recording (Mostly Original Broadway Cast)
- 1995: _Company_, Broadway Revival Cast Recording
- 1997: _Once Upon a Mattress_, Broadway Revival Cast Recording
- 1997: _Sondheim at the Movies_ (singing the Academy Award-winning song "Sooner or Later" from _Dick Tracy_)
- 1998: _The Burt Bacharach Album_
- 2002: _A Broadway Valentine_
- 2003: _Nine_, Broadway Revival Cast Recording
- 2004: _A Christmas Carol_, Television Cast Recording
- 2010: _The Laziest Gal in Town_, solo album

## Filmography

|Year|Title|Role|class="unsortable"|Notes|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1983|_National Lampoon's Vacation_|Cousin Vicki|||
|1987|_Fatal Attraction_|Babysitter|||
|1991|_Stepping Out_|Lynne|||
|1996|_Mrs. Winterbourne_|Christine|||
|1998|_Dance With Me_|Patricia|||
|1999|_Go_|Irene|||
|2000|__|Betty O'Shale|||
|2002|_Ice Age_|Female Sloth|Voice||
|2003|_Marci X_|Lauren Farb|||
|2003|_When Zachary Beaver Came to Town_|Heather|||
|2004|_Alfie_|Dorie|||
|2004|__|Ghost of Christmas Past|||
|2005|_Pretty Persuasion_|Emily Klein|||
|2005|_Mom at Sixteen_|Donna Cooper|||
|2006|_Open Season_|Giselle|Voice||
|2007|_Surf's Up_|Sheila Limberfin|Deleted scenes||
|2008|__|Carol|||
|2008|_Kit Kittredge: An American Girl_|Miss May Dooley|||
|2008|_Open Season 2_|Giselle|Direct-to-video Voice||
|2009|_Bygone Days: An Ally McBeal Retrospective_|Elaine|||
|2009|_Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant_|Corma Limbs|||

## Television work

|Year|Title|Role|class="unsortable"|Notes|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|2006–2013|_30 Rock_|Jenna Maroney|Series Regular||
|2006|_Sex, Love, Power and Politics_|Sloan|TV Movie||
|2003|_Law and Order: Special Victims Unit_|Emma Spevak|Episode: "Bound"||
|1997–2002|_Ally McBeal_|Elaine|Series Regular||

## Awards and nominations

|Year|Award|Title|Work|Result|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1986|Daytime Emmy Award|Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series|rowspan=2|_Search for Tomorrow_|||
|1987|Daytime Emmy Award|Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series|||||
|rowspan=2|1990|Drama Desk Award|Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical|rowspan=2|_Grand Hotel_||
|Tony Award|Best Featured Actress in a Musical||||||
|1998|Screen Actors Guild Award|Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series|rowspan=6|_Ally McBeal_|||
|rowspan=2|1999|Golden Globe Award|Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series, Mini Series or TV Movie||||
|Screen Actors Guild Award|Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series||||||
|2000|Screen Actors Guild Award|Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series|||||
|rowspan=2|2001|Satellite Award|Best Actress in a TV Series: Comedy or Musical||||
|Screen Actors Guild Award|Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series||||||
|rowspan=3|2003|Drama Desk Award|Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical|rowspan=3|_Nine_||
|Outer Critics Circle Award|Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical||||||
|Tony Award|Best Featured Actress in a Musical||||||
|2006|Laurence Olivier Award|Best Leading Actress in a Musical|_Guys and Dolls_||||
|2008|Screen Actors Guild Award|Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series|rowspan=9|_30 Rock_|||
|rowspan=2|2009|Primetime Emmy Award|Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series||||
|Screen Actors Guild Award|Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series||||||
|rowspan=2|2010|Primetime Emmy Award|Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series||||
|Screen Actors Guild Award|Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series||||||
|rowspan=3|2011|Primetime Emmy Award|Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series||||
|Screen Actors Guild Award|Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series||||||
|Critics Choice TV Award|Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series||||||
|2012|Screen Actors Guild Award|Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series|||||

## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Jane Krakowski
- **image**: Jane Krakowski at the 2008 Emmys red carpet.jpg
- **caption**: Krakowski at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards in September 2008
- **birth place**: Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey, Parsippany, New Jersey, U.S.
- **birth name**: Jane Krajkowski
- **occupation**: Actress/Singer
- **years active**: 1983–present