Allison Janney

American actress and singerTemplate:SHORTDESC:American actress and singer[[Category:**Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Pagetype/config' not found.**s with short description]]

Template:Use mdy dates
Template:Use American English

**Allison Brooks Janney** (born November 19, 1959) is an American actress. A highly prolific character actress, Janney is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, seven Primetime Emmy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and seven Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in Dayton, Ohio Janney won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in the summer of 1984, following her graduation from Kenyon College. After years of minor and uncredited film and television appearances, Janney's breakthrough came with the role of C. J. Cregg in the NBC political drama *The West Wing* (1999–2006), for which she received four Primetime Emmy Awards. The character was widely popular during the airing of the series and was later recognized as one of the greatest female characters on American television. In 2014, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Margaret Scully on the Showtime period drama *Masters of Sex*. Since 2013, she has starred as a cynical recovering addict in the CBS sitcom *Mom*. Her performance on the show has gained her five consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won her two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Janney made her professional stage debut with the Off-Broadway production *Ladies* and followed with numerous bit parts in various similar productions, before making her Broadway debut in the 1996 revival of *Present Laughter*. She won Drama Desk Awards and received Tony Award nominations for her performances in the 1997 Broadway revival of *A View from the Bridge*, and the 2009 original Broadway production of the musical *9 to 5*.

Her film roles include *Private Parts* (1997), *Primary Colors* (1998), *10 Things I Hate About You* (1999), *Drop Dead Gorgeous* (1999), *American Beauty* (1999), *Nurse Betty* (2000), *The Hours* (2002), *Finding Nemo* (2003), *Over the Hedge* (2006), *Hairspray* (2007), *Juno* (2007), *The Help* (2011), *The Way, Way Back* (2013), *Tammy* (2014), *Minions* (2015), *Spy* (2015), *Tallulah* (2016), and *The Girl on the Train* (2016), *Bad Education* (2019), *The Addams Family* (2019), and *Bombshell* (2019). In 2017, for her portrayal of LaVona Golden in the black comedy film *I, Tonya*, Janney won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

## Early life and education

Janney was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in Dayton, Ohio. She is the daughter of Macy Brooks Janney (née Putnam), a former actress, and Jervis Spencer Janney, Jr., a real estate developer and jazz musician. She has two brothers, Hal and Jay. Janney attended the Miami Valley School in Dayton, where she was named a distinguished alumna in 2005, and the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, where she was named Alumna of the Year in 2016. She then attended Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. She was directed in a play as the inaugural event of the school's newly dedicated Bolton Theater. Paul Newman and his wife, Joanne Woodward, encouraged Janney to continue acting. She then went on to train at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York and did summer programs at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She attended The Neighborhood Playhouse the same years as actor Dylan McDermott. She completed two years at the Neighborhood Playhouse along with Steven Rogers.

## Career

### Television

Template:BLP sources section

 File:Allison Janney Deauville 2011.jpg
Janney's first role on television was in the short-lived black-and-white faux-1940s comedy *Morton & Hayes*; she appeared in two episodes of the 1991 CBS series as Eddie Hayes' wife. She then moved on to soap operas; she first played Vi Kaminski for a short time on *As the World Turns*, following up with a two-year role as Ginger, one of the Spaulding maids, on *Guiding Light*. In the spring of 1994, she appeared in the season-four finale of *Law & Order*, entitled "Old Friends", as a reluctant witness against a member of the Russian mob. She was also a cast member on the radio show *A Prairie Home Companion*.

In 1999, she was cast in the role of presidential press secretary C. J. Cregg on the political drama *The West Wing*, for which she eventually won four Primetime Emmy Awards. Two of them were for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2000 and 2001, and the other two were for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2002 and 2004. She received two more nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2003 and 2006. Janney also won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series in 2001 and 2002, while the cast of *The West Wing* won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series the same two years, as well. Additional nominations for Janney's work in *The West Wing* include four Golden Globe Award nominations (2001–2004) and the AFI Award for Actor of the Year – Female – TV Series (2001). In 2001, she won the Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama. She also guest starred on the hit television show *Frasier* in a 2002 episode *Three Blind Dates*.

Janney appeared in the short-lived *Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip* in a guest appearance as herself in the episode "The Disaster Show". In late 2009, she was chosen to play the role of Sheila Jackson in the pilot episode of *Shameless*, but when Showtime picked up the series, she was replaced after the pilot by Joan Cusack. In 2010, Janney appeared as Allison Pearson in *In Plain Sight*. In May 2010, she appeared in the antepenultimate episode of the ABC television series *Lost* as the adoptive mother of the show's two mythological opponents, Jacob and The Man in Black. She starred in the ABC network comedy *Mr. Sunshine*. The series, which was created by Matthew Perry, was a mid-season replacement for the 2010–11 television season.

For her role in the sitcom *Mom*, opposite Anna Faris, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014 and 2015. She was nominated for the Emmy Award, Supporting Actress for *Mom* in 2016 to 2018. In 2014, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her recurring role in the period drama *Masters of Sex*.

On the Disney Channel animated show *Phineas and Ferb*, Janney voiced Charlene.

Janney appears as herself, playing an Oscar-winning actress, in an episode of the second season of the Netflix series *The Kominsky Method*.

### Film

 File:AllisonJanneyTIFFSept2011.jpg
Janney has appeared in numerous films, including the 1990s films *American Beauty*, *The Object of My Affection*, *Big Night*, *The Impostors*, *Drop Dead Gorgeous*, *The Ice Storm*, *Primary Colors*, *10 Things I Hate About You*, and *Private Parts*, and the early 2000s films *Nurse Betty*, *The Hours*, *The Chumscrubber*, *How to Deal*, *Winter Solstice*, and a considerable voice role in the animated movie *Finding Nemo*, voicing Peach, the starfish.

In 2006, she had roles in the feature films *Margaret* and *Over the Hedge*. That same year, Janney was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female for her performance in the film *Our Very Own*. In 2007, she appeared in *Juno*, playing the part of Bren MacGuff, the title character's stepmother, for which she won the Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress. In the same year, Janney appeared in the Golden Globe Award-nominated film *Hairspray* as Prudy Pingleton, Penny's (Amanda Bynes) strict and religious mother. She appeared in such films as *The Help* (2011), *Struck by Lightning* (2012), and *Liberal Arts* (2012). Janney appeared in the 2015 films *Spy* and *The DUFF*. She then co-starred in the fantasy film *Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children*, and portrayed a homicide detective in the mystery thriller *The Girl on the Train.*

In 2017, Janney starred in the biographical black comedy *I, Tonya*, portraying LaVona Golden, volatile mother of the titular Tonya Harding. Her performance received wide critical acclaim, with various critics and publications citing her performance as the film's highlight and one of the best of her career. Janney received various accolades for her performance including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress, Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, and BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

Following the success of *I, Tonya*, Janney was cast in *Troop Zero*, *Ma*, *Bad Education*, *The Addams Family*, and *Bombshell*, all of which premiered in 2019. Additionally, Janney will film lead roles in *Breaking News in Yuba County*, as well as in *Lou*.

### Theater

Janney has remained active in theater. Her first Broadway role was in the 1996 revival of *Present Laughter*, opposite Frank Langella. In 1998, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in Arthur Miller's *A View from the Bridge*. In 2007, she participated in a workshop for a new musical of the film *9 to 5*. In late 2008, Janney joined Broadway stars Stephanie J. Block, Megan Hilty, and Marc Kudisch in *9 to 5*. Based on the film of the same name, Janney starred as Violet Newstead, the super-efficient office manager, played by Lily Tomlin in the original film. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for the role. In 2017, Janney returned to Broadway to play the leading role of Ouisa Kittredge in John Guare's *Six Degrees of Separation*.

### Other interests

 File:Allison Janney Oct 2014 (cropped).jpg
In 2004, she began lending her voice to television and radio spots created by Kaiser Permanente in the health maintenance organization's broad "Thrive" media campaign, and in a radio campaign for the American Institute of Architects. In September 2010, it was announced that Janney would be the voice of the Aly San San spokesdroid in the Disney attraction Star Tours – The Adventures Continue. The attraction later opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disneyland. In October 2016, Janney became the first woman to receive the Alumni Award of The Hotchkiss School and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her work in the television industry, located at 6100 Hollywood Boulevard.

## Personal life

In interviews related to her role on *Mom,* Janney discussed her brother, Hal, who fought AIDS for years before committing suicide. On March 4, 2018, Janney dedicated her Academy Award win to him during her acceptance speech.

## Awards and nominations

*Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Allison Janney*
## See also

* List of RADA alumni
* List of Kenyon College people
* List of Primetime Emmy Award winners
* List of stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
* List of actors with Academy Award nominations
* List of actors with Hollywood Walk of Fame motion picture stars

## References

1. ↑ https://www.hotchkiss.org/post-page/~board/alumni-news/post/hotchkiss-honors-award-winning-actress-allison-brooks-janney-77-with-the-2016-alumni-award
2. ↑ "Allison Janney On Sex, Sorkin And Being The Tallest Woman In The Room : NPR". *NPR*. August 4, 2014. https://www.npr.org/2014/08/04/337371399/allison-janney-on-sex-sorkin-and-being-the-tallest-woman-in-the-room. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
3. ↑ "Allison Janney Biography (1959–)". Biography.com. https://www.biography.com/actor/allison-janney. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Janney in "A Life in Pictures: Allison Janney". BAFTA. December 14, 2017. Archived from the original on September 9, 2019. https://archive.today/20190909151335/http://www.bafta.org/media-centre/transcripts/bafta-a-life-in-pictures-allison-janney. Retrieved September 9, 2019. "I was born in Boston, Massachusetts and grew up in Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, with two brothers and a lot of animals."  Note: Sources including Biography.com, TVGuide.com, and The Broadway League's Internet Broadway Database list birthplace as Dayton, Ohio.
5. ↑ Allison Janney profile at filmreference.com; accessed February 25, 2014.
6. ↑ "Macy B. Putnam Engaged to Wed; Bennett Alumna Is Fiancee of Jervis S. Janney Jr., a Graduate of Princeton", *The New York Times* (December 15, 1956).  Photo caption: "Miss Macy Brooks Putnam". Template:Subscription
7. ↑ https://www.dayton.com/lifestyles/what-macy-janney-has-say-about-her-famous-daughter-big-oscar-night/AMVeklpAdoJTFZplLn5Y7K/
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Allison Janney Biography". *TV Guide*. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20160730083524/https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/allison-janney/bio/139219/. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 "The Miami Valley School - Awards & Honors - Distinguished Alumni Award". *The Miami Valley School*. https://www.mvschool.com/alumni/awards-honors. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
10. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-05-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20130511113648/http://americantheatrewing.org/downstagecenter/detail/allison\_janney. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Allison Janney Emmy" emmys.com, retrieved May 9, 2019
12. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (January 12, 2010). "Matthew Perry project a go at ABC", *The Hollywood Reporter*. Retrieved on April 25, 2010. Archived from the original on January 15, 2010.
13. ↑ Hibberd, James (May 18, 2010). "ABC's new fall schedule", *The Hollywood Reporter*. Retrieved on May 18, 2010.
14. ↑ https://www.tvmaze.com/episodes/1744736/the-kominsky-method-2x08-chapter-16-a-thetan-arrives
15. ↑ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10021218/?ref\_=nm\_flmg\_act\_2
16. ↑ "Allison Janney Heads to Therapy in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children". *Dread Central*. https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/92192/allison-janney-heads-therapy-miss-peregrines-home-peculiar-children/.
17. ↑ "Allison Janney Boards 'Girl on the Train' (EXCLUSIVE)", *Variety* (October 28, 2015). Retrieved on January 16, 2017.
18. ↑ "Allison Janney to Play Tonya Harding's Mother in 'I, Tonya' (EXCLUSIVE)", *Variety* (December 15, 2016). Retrieved on January 16, 2017.
19. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (April 24, 2018). "Allison Janney & Jim Gaffigan To Co-Star In Amazon's 'Troupe Zero'". https://deadline.com/2018/04/allison-janney-jim-gaffigan-amazon-film-troupe-zero-1202372890/. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
20. ↑ 'Addams Family' Movie Scares Up Charlize Theron, Bette Midler, Allison Janney & More For Voice Cast
21. ↑ McNary, Dave (June 15, 2018). "Film News Roundup: Allison Janney Joins Hugh Jackman in 'Bad Education'". https://variety.com/2018/film/news/allison-janney-hugh-jackman-bad-education-1202848672/. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
22. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (September 20, 2018). "Allison Janney To Play Attorney Susan Estrich In Annapurna's Movie About The Roger Ailes Fox News Harassment Scandal". https://deadline.com/2018/09/allison-janney-susan-estrich-fox-news-roger-ailes-movie-1202468190/. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
23. ↑ Allison Janney, Laura Dern to Star in Dark Comedy Directed by Tate Taylor
24. ↑ Allison Janney to Star in Bad Robot Thriller 'Lou' (Exclusive)
25. ↑ "Allison Janney: Biography". *TV Guide*. https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/allison-janney/bio/139219. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
26. ↑ Jones, Kenneth (August 29, 2007). "Dolly Parton Says 9 to 5 Will Play Broadway in 2009", Playbill. Retrieved on January 21, 2008. Archived from the original on January 25, 2008.
27. ↑ Doug George. "Theater Loop - Chicago Tribune". *Chicago Tribune*. http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/the\_theater\_loop/2009/05/aaron-tveit-alice-ripley-j-and-robert-spencer-in-next-to-normal-at-broadways-booth-theatre--hghgg.html.
28. ↑ Billy Elliot Leads Winners of 2009 Drama Desk Awards, theatermania.com; accessed November 18, 2014.
29. ↑ "Allison Janney and John Benjamin Hickey Return to Broadway as Six Degrees of Separation Begins". https://www.broadway.com/buzz/188078/allison-janney-and-john-benjamin-hickey-return-to-broadway-as-six-degrees-of-separation-begins/.
30. ↑ "A Breath of Fresh Air for Health Care", opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com; December 13, 2009.
31. ↑ "Allison Janney Joining New Star Tours plus AC-38 Droid to Pilot Starspeeder 1000 in 2011". September 24, 2010. Archived from the original on September 28, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100928105524/http://www.mouseinfo.com/forums/disney-parks-scoop/92758-allison-janney-joining-new-star-tours-plus-ac-38-droid-pilot-starspeeder-1000-next-year.html. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
32. ↑ "Alumni Award". The Hotchkiss School. http://www.hotchkiss.org/alumni/notable-alumni-and-awards/alumni-award/~post/2016-alumni-award. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
33. ↑ "Allison Janney | Hollywood Walk of Fame". http://www.walkoffame.com/allison-janney. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
34. ↑ "'Mom' actress Allison Janney receives star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame". https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-allison-janney-walk-of-fame-20161017-snap-story.html. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
35. ↑ Fussman, Calt (January 4, 2012). "Alison Janney: What I've Learned". *Esquire*. http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/interviews/a12261/allison-janney-quotes-0112/. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
36. ↑ McBride, Jessica (March 4, 2018). "Allison Janney's Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". https://heavy.com/entertainment/2018/03/allison-janney-family-parents-husband-married/.
37. ↑ Perkins, Dennis (June 11, 2017). "F Is For Family knows that all family debts come due sometime". *The A.V. Club*. https://www.avclub.com/tvclub/f-family-knows-all-family-debts-come-due-sometime-256621. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
38. ↑ Nicole Evatt (10 October 2016). "Allison Janney clowns around in Rachael Yamagata's new video". *The Salt Lake Tribune*. http://www.sltrib.com/home/4403446-155/allison-janney-clowns-around-in-rachael. Retrieved 2016-10-12.

## External links

Template:Commons category

* Allison Janney
* Template:IMDb name
* Template:Tcmdb name
* Template:IBDB name
* Allison Janney at Internet Off-Broadway Database
* Template:EmmyTVLegends name
* "Allison Janney", *The Guardian* (London, UK) (January 28, 2008).  The Guardian

Template:Navboxes

Template:Authority control