Allison Janney

Infobox Actor
name = Allison Janney

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caption = Janney at the Heart Truth Fashion Show, 2008
birthdate = birth date and age|1959|11|19
birthplace = Dayton, Ohio, USA
birthname =
spouse =
emmyawards = Outstanding Lead Actress - Drama Series
2002" The West Wing"
2004 "The West Wing"
Outstanding Supporting Actress - Drama Series
2000" The West Wing"
2001 "The West Wing"
sagawards = Outstanding Performance by a Cast - Motion Picture
1999 "American Beauty"
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor - Drama Series
2000" The West Wing"
2001" The West Wing"
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble - Drama Series
2000" The West Wing"
2001" The West Wing"

Allison Brooks Janney (born November 19, 1959) is an Emmy Award-winning American actress, best known for playing C. J. Cregg on "The West Wing".

Personal life

Janney was born in Dayton, Ohio, the daughter of Macy (née Putnam), a former actress and homemaker, and Jervis Spencer Janney, Jr., a real estate developer and jazz musician. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/99/Allison-Janney.html Allison Janney Biography (1960?-) ] ] She has two older brothers, Jay and Hal.cite news|last=Mistry|first=Elizabeth|coauthors=|title=‘I was told all I could play were lesbians and aliens’|pages=|publisher=Sunday Herald|date=2007-07-14|url=http://www.sundayherald.com/arts/arts/display.var.1546251.0.0.php|accessdate=2007-07-21] She attended The Miami Valley School in Dayton, where she was named a distinguished alumna in 2004, and the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. She then attended Kenyon College. At Kenyon, Janney studied under another Kenyon alum, Paul Newman. She went on to study drama at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. She attended The Neighborhood Playhouse the same years as actor Dylan McDermott.

Career

Janney's first roles on television were as comedic foils on soap operas: she first played Vi Kaminski for a short time on "As the World Turns", following up with a two-year stint as one of the Spaulding maids, Ginger on "Guiding Light". In the spring of 1994, she appeared in the season finale of "Law & Order", as a reluctant witness against a member of the Russian mob. This episode was also notable as Michael Moriarty's final episode in the series.

Janney has appeared in a number of films with roles of various sizes, 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 2000s films "Nurse Betty", "The Hours", "The Chumscrubber", "How to Deal", "Winter Solstice" and a considerable role in the animated movie, "Finding Nemo", voicing Peach, the starfish. In 2006, Janney carried notable roles in the movies, "Margaret" and "Over the Hedge", an animated comedy.

In 1999, she was cast in the role of presidential press secretary C.J. Cregg on the television drama "The West Wing", for which she eventually won four Emmy Awards. Two of the Emmys were for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Drama Series in 2000 and 2001, and two were for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress - Drama Series in the years 2002 and 2004. She was also nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in the 2003 and 2006 Primetime Emmys. She is one of six cast members from "The West Wing" to have won an Emmy for their work - however, Janney is the only one who has won more than once. Janney was nominated in 2002 for American Film Institute's Actor of the Year.

Weekend trips to Washington, D.C. were frequently a part of Janney's schedule, and for the rest of the cast as well, as many outdoor scenes on "The West Wing" were actually filmed in the nation's capital. Janney also met several times with former White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers who served in the Clinton Administration from 1993–1994. Janney met with Myers in New York City to help portray her character more authentically.

Janney's starting salary, according to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), was $70,000 per episode in 1999. Since that date, negotiations were made for increased salaries for all the critically acclaimed actors on "The West Wing". It is suggested that Janney's salary per episode for the later years of the show increased significantly.

"The West Wing" was canceled in January 2006, and the last episode aired in May of that year. Even though the latter seasons were plagued by declining ratings, the overall rating of Janney remained a relatively positive one, touted by "Entertainment Weekly" as "one to watch", "uncommonly beautiful and infinitely expressive". [ [http://www.nbc.com/The_West_Wing/bios/Allison_Janney.html NBC.com > Cast Biographies > Allison Janney ] ] In January 2006, "West Wing"'s cast was also nominated by the Screen Actors Guild for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast. Janney, Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford, Janel Moloney, and other members of the cast appeared at the SAG Awards to honor their late cast mate and friend, John Spencer.

In 2006, she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her performance in the film "Our Very Own". Many of Janney's long time friends were involved with "Our Very Own" including its producer Shannon McMahon Lichte and cast member Allison Mackie. All three were in the same class at the Neighborhood Playhouse. The writer/director Cameron Watson, also a longtime friend, wrote the role of Joan for her.

In 2007, Janney appeared in the Academy-Award-nominated film, "Juno" playing the part of Bren MacGuff, the title character's stepmother, for which she won Best Supporting Actress in the Austin Film Critics Association Awards 2007. In the same year, Janney appeared in the Golden-Globe-nominated film, "Hairspray", as Prudy Pingleton, Penny's (Amanda Bynes) strict and religious mom.

Janney has also appeared in another show created by Aaron Sorkin, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip", which also starred Bradley Whitford, a former cast mate of Janney's from "The West Wing". Janney made a guest appearance as herself in "The Disaster Show", as the guest host of the week's episode of Studio 60, though ironically she guest-starred in the only episode of the show not to include Whitford. However, many of the cast made references to her part in "The West Wing", showing that the show did exist even in the fictional world of Studio 60. A "Bartlet for America" poster can be seen in the background.

Janney has remained active in theater; in 1998, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in Arthur Miller's "A View from the Bridge". Her first Broadway role was in "Present Laughter" opposite Frank Langella. In 2007, she participated in a workshop for a new musical of the film "9 to 5". [cite news |url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/110626.html |title=Dolly Parton Says 9 to 5 Will Play Broadway in 2009 |publisher=Playbill |author=Jones, Kenneth |date=2007-08-29 |accessdate=2008-01-21] In late 2008, Janney will join Broadway stars Stephanie J. Block, Megan Hilty and Marc Kudisch in the new musical, "9 to 5". Based on the film of the same name, Janney will star as Violet Newstead, the super efficient office manager played by Lily Tomlin (a former cast mate from "The West Wing") in the original film.

In 2004, Janney 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.

Selected filmography

Upcoming

* "A Thousand Words" (2009) - TBA
* "Farlanders" (2009) - TBA
* "Pretty Ugly People" (2008) - Suzanna
* "Margaret" (2008) - TBA

Already released

* "Juno" (2007) as Brenda "Bren" MacGuff
* "Hairspray" (2007) as Prudy Pingleton
* "Two and a Half Men" as Beverly (1 episode, 2007)
* "The West Wing" as Claudia Jean 'C.J.' Cregg (155 episodes, 1999-2006)
* "Over the Hedge" (2006) (voice) as Gladys
* "Weeds" as Ms. Greenstein - Attorney (1 episode, 2005)
* "Our Very Own" (2005) as Joan Whitfield
* "The Chumscrubber" (2005) as Allie Stiffle
* "Strangers with Candy" (2005) as Alice
* "Winter Solstice" (2004/I) as Molly Ripkin
* "Piccadilly Jim" (2004) as Eugenia Crocker
* "How to Deal" (2003) as Lydia Martin
* "Finding Nemo" (2003) (voice) as Peach the Starfish
* "King of the Hill" as Laura (1 episode, 2003)
* "The Hours" (2002) as Sally Lester
* "Frasier" as Phyllis (2 episodes, 2001-2002)
* "Nurse Betty" (2000) as Lyla Branch
* "American Beauty" (1999) as Barbara Fitts
* "Drop Dead Gorgeous" (1999) as Loretta
* "10 Things I Hate About You" (1999) as Ms. Perky
* "LateLine" as Helen Marschant (1 episode, 1999)
* "David and Lisa" (1998) (TV) as Alix
* "Celebrity" (1998) as Evelyn Isaacs
* "Six Days Seven Nights" (1998) as Marjorie, Robin's Boss
* "The Impostors" (1998) as Maxine
* "The Object of My Affection" (1998) as Constance Miller
* "Primary Colors" (1998) as Miss Walsh
* "Julian Po" (1997) as Lilah Leech
* "The Ice Storm" (1997) as Dot Halford
* "Private Parts" (1997) as Dee Dee
* "The Associate" (1996) as Sandy
* "Cosby" as Pediatric Nurse (1 episode, 1996)
* "Aliens in the Family" as Principal Sherman (1 episode, 1996)
* "Faithful" (1996) as Saleslady
* "Big Night" (1996) as Ann
* "Walking and Talking" (1996) as Gum Puller
* "New York Undercover" as Vivian (1 episode, 1995)
* "The More You Know" (1989) as Herself

Janney has also appeared as herself on chat shows such as "The Ellen DeGeneres Show", "Saturday Night Live", "Jimmy Kimmel Live", "Late Show With David Letterman", and "Late Night With Conan O'Brien".

References

External links

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* [http://www.wireimage.com/GalleryListing.asp?navtyp=SRH&str=allison+janney&styp=&sfld=C&nbc1=1&sortval=4d&qckv=n Photos from Wireimage]
* [http://easylink.playstream.com/flyi/01_allison_janney_cl-65-1.wax Airline Safety Announcement for Independence Air] .wax format

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title=Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor - Drama Series
years=2000–2001
for "The West Wing"
before=Edie Falco
for "The Sopranos"
after=Edie Falco
for "The Sopranos"