Allison Janney
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| Born: |
Nov 19, 1959 |
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| Career: | 1992-2010 | ||
| Countries: |
USA |
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| Genre/Type: |
Drama Comedy Drama Comedy |
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Biography by Rebecca Flint Marx
One of the most talented -- and often underappreciated -- character actresses of the late 1990s, Allison Janney first began courting critical attention with roles in such acclaimed films as Big Night (1996) and American Beauty (1998). Able to play characters ranging from a name-dropping Manhattan socialite to a withdrawn, abused wife, the 6'0" Janney infuses all of her portrayals with equal parts poignancy and unforced gusto.
A product of Dayton, Ohio, where she was born November 19, 1959, Janney was raised as the daughter of a homemaker and the president of a real estate firm. She aspired to be a champion figure skater from a young age, but any hopes of pursuing a skating career were halted by a freak accident that badly damaged Janney's leg when she was in her mid-teens. As a student at Kenyon College, she became interested in acting, and got her first break when she successfully auditioned for a play being directed by Kenyon alum Paul Newman. After impressing Newman, a racing enthusiast, with both her acting skills and her love of fast cars, Janney went on to impress his wife, Joanne Woodward, who directed her in a number of off-off-Broadway plays during the early 1980s.
Although she enjoyed early stage success, Janney had difficulty starting her career, something that was hindered by her height: one disparaging casting agent went so far as to tell her that the only roles she was suitable for were lesbians and aliens. Thankfully, the actress pressed on in the face of such idiocy, waitressing and scooping ice cream to support herself during dry spells. Her luck began to change for the better in the late 1990s, when she started garnering luminous reviews for her work both on Broadway -- where she earned a Tony nomination for her role in 1998's A View from the Bridge -- and onscreen in such films as Big Night (1996) and Mike Nichols' Primary Colors (1998). In the former film, she appeared as the quiet, capable love interest of Tony Shalhoub's struggling Italian chef, while the latter featured the actress in the minor but poignant role of a painfully-awkward schoolteacher who is seduced by John Travolta's libidinous Presidential candidate.
Janney, who had been appearing on television and in films since the early '90s, went on to do reliably excellent work in a variety of films that ranged from The Object of My Affection (1998), in which she played the supercilious, name-dropping wife of a high-powered literary agent (Alan Alda); to Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), which featured her as a beehived, chain-smoking trailer park resident; to American Beauty (1999), in which she gave a quietly powerful portrayal of the abused wife of a tyrannical ex-Marine (Chris Cooper). Janney's talents have also been put on ample display on the small screen: in 1999, she joined the cast of the acclaimed NBC White House drama The West Wing, originating the role of tough press secretary C.J. Cregg.
A product of Dayton, Ohio, where she was born November 19, 1959, Janney was raised as the daughter of a homemaker and the president of a real estate firm. She aspired to be a champion figure skater from a young age, but any hopes of pursuing a skating career were halted by a freak accident that badly damaged Janney's leg when she was in her mid-teens. As a student at Kenyon College, she became interested in acting, and got her first break when she successfully auditioned for a play being directed by Kenyon alum Paul Newman. After impressing Newman, a racing enthusiast, with both her acting skills and her love of fast cars, Janney went on to impress his wife, Joanne Woodward, who directed her in a number of off-off-Broadway plays during the early 1980s.
Although she enjoyed early stage success, Janney had difficulty starting her career, something that was hindered by her height: one disparaging casting agent went so far as to tell her that the only roles she was suitable for were lesbians and aliens. Thankfully, the actress pressed on in the face of such idiocy, waitressing and scooping ice cream to support herself during dry spells. Her luck began to change for the better in the late 1990s, when she started garnering luminous reviews for her work both on Broadway -- where she earned a Tony nomination for her role in 1998's A View from the Bridge -- and onscreen in such films as Big Night (1996) and Mike Nichols' Primary Colors (1998). In the former film, she appeared as the quiet, capable love interest of Tony Shalhoub's struggling Italian chef, while the latter featured the actress in the minor but poignant role of a painfully-awkward schoolteacher who is seduced by John Travolta's libidinous Presidential candidate.
Janney, who had been appearing on television and in films since the early '90s, went on to do reliably excellent work in a variety of films that ranged from The Object of My Affection (1998), in which she played the supercilious, name-dropping wife of a high-powered literary agent (Alan Alda); to Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), which featured her as a beehived, chain-smoking trailer park resident; to American Beauty (1999), in which she gave a quietly powerful portrayal of the abused wife of a tyrannical ex-Marine (Chris Cooper). Janney's talents have also been put on ample display on the small screen: in 1999, she joined the cast of the acclaimed NBC White House drama The West Wing, originating the role of tough press secretary C.J. Cregg.
Filmography
| Movie/Film | Released | Rating | Role | Buy |
| A Thousand Words | 2010 | Actor [Starring] | ||
| Away We Go | 2009 |
  
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Actor [Starring] |
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| Life During Wartime | 2009 | Actor [Starring] | ||
| Pretty Ugly People | 2008 | Actor [Starring] |
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| Hairspray | 2007 |
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Actor [Starring] |
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| Juno | 2007 |
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Actor [Starring] |
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| Over the Hedge | 2006 |
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Voice [Starring] |
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| Our Very Own | 2005 |
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Actor [Starring] |
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| Piccadilly Jim | 2005 |
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Actor [Starring] | |
| Strangers With Candy | 2005 |
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Actor [Starring] |
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| The Chumscrubber | 2005 |
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Actor [Starring] |
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| Weeds: Lude Awakening | 2005 | Actor [Starring] | ||
| The West Wing: Season 06 | 2004 | Actor [Starring] | ||
| Winter Solstice | 2004 |
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Actor [Starring] |
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| Finding Nemo | 2003 |
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Voice [Starring] |
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| How to Deal | 2003 |
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Actor [Starring] |
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Videos of Allison Janney
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Allison Janney is an actress best known for her role as CJ Craig on the West Wing where she was press secretary and Chief of Staff
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Awards
| Year | Movie/Film | Role | |
| 2007 Austin Film Critics | Juno | Best Supporting Actress | (Won) |
| 2006 Academy of Television Arts and Sciences | The West Wing: Season 07 | Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series | (Nom) |
| 2005 Independent Spirit Awards | Our Very Own | Best Supporting Actress | (Nom) |
| 2003 Hollywood Foreign Press Association | The West Wing [TV Series] | Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama | (Nom) |
| 2002 Hollywood Foreign Press Association | The West Wing [TV Series] | Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy | (Nom) |
| 2002 Screen Actors Guild | The West Wing [TV Series] | Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama | (Nom) |
| 2001 Screen Actors Guild | The West Wing [TV Series] | Best Actress in a Drama Series | (Won) |
| 2001 American Film Institute | The West Wing [TV Series] | Best Female Actor in a Television Series | (Nom) |
| 2001 Hollywood Foreign Press Association | The West Wing [TV Series] | Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | (Nom) |
| 2000 Hollywood Foreign Press Association | The West Wing [TV Series] | Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | (Nom) |
| 2000 Screen Actors Guild | The West Wing [TV Series] | Best Actress in a Drama Series | (Won) |
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