Jane Lynch

**Jane Lynch** (born July 14, 1960) is an American comedian and actress. Since 2009, she has played Sue Sylvester in the Fox musical-comedy series _Glee_ for which she has won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. She has also acted in comedy movies such as _Best in Show_, _The 40-Year-Old Virgin_ and _Role Models_, as well as television shows as lawyer Joyce Wischina in _The L Word_, Dr. Linda Freeman in _Two and a Half Men_ and Diana Reid on _Criminal Minds_. She has appeared on _iCarly_ as Sam's mother. She was also a regular on the comedy-drama series _Party Down_ as Constance Carmell; the role got good reviews.

## Early life

Lynch was born and raised in Dolton, Illinois, the daughter of a homemaker mother and a banker father. She was raised in an Irish Catholic family and went to Thornridge High School. She got her bachelor's degree in theatre from Illinois State University and her MFA in theatre from Cornell University.

## Career

Lynch spent fifteen years in Chicago, acting in the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and touring with The Second City comedy troupe. She played Carol Brady in _The Real Live Brady Bunch_. She also wrote and starred in the award-winning play _Oh Sister, My Sister_.

Her breakthrough movie role was as Christy Cummings, the butch lesbian personal dog handler to trophy wife Sheri Ann Cabot (Jennifer Coolidge) in director Christopher Guest's mockumentary _Best in Show_ (2000). She also appeared in Guest's _A Mighty Wind_ (2003) as porn actress-turned-folk singer Laurie Bohner and in _For Your Consideration_ (2006) as an entertainment reporter.

Lynch is also a television actress. She starred with John Hannah and William Fichtner in 2002's _MDs_, and has made guest appearances in many television shows, including _L.A. Law_, _Judging Amy_, _The West Wing_, _7th Heaven_, _Friends_, _Dawson's Creek_, _Felicity_, _Arrested Development_, _Lovespring International_, _Two and a Half Men_, _Weeds_, _Boston Legal_, _The L Word_, _Criminal Minds_, _Help Me Help You_, _Gilmore Girls_, _The New Adventures of Old Christine_, _Psych_, _Monk_ and _Party Down_, among others.

In 2005, Lynch was named as one of POWER UP's "10 Amazing Gay Women in Showbiz."

Audiences and critics took notice of Lynch for her oddball role in Judd Apatow's _The 40-Year-Old Virgin_. She told _Fresh Air_'s Terry Gross the role was originally intended for a man but, at the urging of Steve Carell's wife Nancy Walls, was offered to Lynch instead. Since then, she has starred in a series of movies including _Role Models_, _Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby_, _Alvin & the Chipmunks_, _Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story_, _Space Chimps_, _The Rocker_, _The Hammer_, _Another Cinderella Story_, _Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs_, and _Spring Breakdown_.

In _Julie and Julia_, she played the role of Dorothy McWilliams, Julia Child's sister. _Entertainment Weekly_ dedicated an article on their website toward the possibility of her performance receiving an Academy Award nomination.

Beginning 2009, Lynch appeared on the Fox show _Glee_. She won glowing reviews for her role as the aggressive cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester. Mary McNamara of the LA Times wrote, "Lynch alone makes Glee worth watching." Before her work with _Glee_, she was a series regular on the Starz comedy _Party Down_. Though the series was renewed for a second season, Lynch would not be returning because of her work on _Glee_. On December 15, 2009, Lynch received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Television movie for her role on _Glee_. She lost to Chloë Sevigny. The series itself also received nominations in three other categories. On August 29, 2010, Lynch won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Comedy Series.

Lynch hosted _Saturday Night Live_ on October 9, 2010; the news of her hosting was accidentally revealed to her by her _Glee_ boss, Ryan Murphy, by text message. Lynch also guest starred on the Nickelodeon show _iCarly_ as Pam Puckett, Sam Puckett's mother, in the episode _iSam's Mom_.

Lynch appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010.

In January 2011, Lynch was awarded the Golden Globe in The Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Television movie Catergory. She also started appearing in Comcast's XFinity ads that are shown on both the Internet and television in the United States, mainly with two different laptops and two different colored Persian cats.

## Personal life

Lynch, who is openly lesbian, married clinical psychologist Dr. Lara Embry on May 31, 2010 at the Blue Heron Restaurant in Sunderland, Massachusetts. On June 10, 2013, Lynch announced they were divorcing. Embry herself received publicity surrounding a custody battle over two children with her former partner.

## Awards and nominations

- _Color Me Gay_ (Executive / Do-Rag Lesbian)
    - Finalist at the 2nd PlanetOut.com Short Movie Awards
- _A Mighty Wind_ (Laurie Bohner)
    - Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast
    - Nominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
- _For Your Consideration_ (Cindy)
    - Nominated—Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast
- _I Do & I Don't_ (Nora Stelmack)
    - Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival Jury Award for Best Actress Comedy
- _Two and a Half Men_ (Dr. Linda Freeman)
    - Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress – Comedy Series
- _Glee_ (Sue Sylvester)
    - Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
    - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
    - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
    - Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (2010)
    - Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (2009)

## Discography

|Year|Title|class="unsortable"|Songs|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|2003|_A Mighty Wind_|||
|2008|_Another Cinderella Story_|"Hold 4 You"||
|2010|_Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna_|"Vogue"||
|2010|_Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers_|"Physical" (feat. Olivia Newton-John)||
|2010|Ohio (Glee Cast Version)|"Ohio" (feat. Carol Burnett)||

## Other websites

- PlanetOut interview
- AfterEllen.com interview with Jane Lynch

## Infobox (person)

- **image**: Jane Lynch.jpg
- **caption**: Lynch at the _Glee (TV series), Glee_ premiere party, May 11, 2009
- **birth place**: Evergreen Park, Illinois, USA
- **occupation**: Celebrity, Comedian, Singer
- **height**: 183 cm
- **years active**: 1988 - present