- Mary Lynn Rajskub
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Mary Lynn Rajskub 
Rajskub at the 24 Season 7 finale screening, May 2009Born Mary Lynn Rajskub
June 22, 1971
Trenton, Michigan, U.S.Other names Marylynn Rajskub Occupation Actress/Comedian Years active 1995–present Spouse Matthew Rolph
(m. 2009-present; 1 child)Mary Lynn Rajskub (
/ˈraɪskəb/; born June 22, 1971) is an American actress and comedian, best known for her leading role as Chloe O'Brian on the Fox action-thriller 24.Contents
Early life
Rajskub was born in Trenton, Michigan and raised in Dearborn, Michigan. Her father is a pipefitter of Czech descent[citation needed] and her mother worked as a pharmacist's assistant.[1] Rajskub played the clarinet in the school band, and played Frenchie in the musical Grease. Rajskub speaks English, Portuguese, French and Russian. One of her childhood inspirations was Moonlighting with Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd. Her first part was as an Oompa-Loompa in a community theater production of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and her first starring role was Raggedy Ann.[2] Rajskub moved to Los Angeles where she worked as a waitress in a Hard Rock Cafe and as a ticket-taker at the Beverly Center movie theater before becoming an actress.
Career
Rajskub's most notable role is CTU Systems analyst Chloe O'Brian on 24, which she joined in 2003 at the start of the show's third season. Her character was a hit with viewers and critics and was one of the few cast members to return in the show's fourth season. After being a regular guest star for two seasons, Rajskub became a main cast member in the show's fifth season. By the end of the series she was lead female, with top billing second only to Kiefer Sutherland. Rajskub and Sutherland appeared briefly as their 24 characters in a 2007 episode, "24 Minutes", of the FOX TV animated series The Simpsons. She also recently appeared in the film Julie & Julia as one of Julie Powell's close friends.
She was one of the original cast members of Mr. Show, and also had roles on The Larry Sanders Show, Home Movies, Veronica's Closet, the US version of The Sketch Show, NewsRadio, and 24.
She appeared in Kelsey Grammer's The Sketch Show on Fox Television, King of Queens as a character named "Priscilla", a waitress at a pirate-themed kiddie restaurant in an episode of Newsradio ("The Secret of Management"), and in numerous films including Mysterious Skin, Legally Blonde 2, Sweet Home Alabama, Dude, Where's My Car?, Man on the Moon, Punch-Drunk Love, The Anniversary Party, Firewall, Little Miss Sunshine, music videos for Beck, Weezer and Sheryl Crow, as well as portraying a blind girl in the film Road Trip.
She is also a skilled guitar player and was part of a comic duo (with Karen Kilgariff) called Girls Guitar Club. In 2006, she made a cameo appearance in "Partings", the 6th season finale of Gilmore Girls, where she played a troubadour looking for her big break. (Rajskub had previously appeared on Gilmore Girls as the female lead in A Film by Kirk, a short film made by the character Kirk Gleason.)
Rajskub has volunteered as an actress with the Young Storytellers Program. She has an educational background as a painter, having attended the San Francisco Art Institute.
She has been nominated twice for a Screen Actors Guild Award; once in 2005, and again in 2007 for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
She guest starred on Flight of the Conchords episode "Prime Minister" as Karen, an Art Garfunkel fanatic.
Rajskub guest starred as "Gail the Snail" in an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia titled "The Gang Gives Frank an Intervention".
In 2010, Rajskub performed stand-up on John Oliver's New York Stand Up Show.
In June 2010, Rajskub appeared in the "Lovesick" episode during the second season of the USA series Royal Pains.
From July through October 2010, she performed in her solo show, Mary Lynn Spreads Her Legs, at the Steve Allen Theater in Los Angeles. Reviewer F. Kathleen Foley of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "That cheerfully vulgar title sums up the overall tone, which is often breezily obscene."[3] The show, written by Rajskub with help from director/developer Amit Itelman, was inspired by Rajskub’s experiences with pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood.
Rajskub in June 2011
In January 2011, Rajskub guest starred in the episode "Our Children, Ourselves" on the second season of ABC's Modern Family.
Personal life
Rajskub dated music producer Jon Brion for five years until they broke up in the fall of 2002. During her time on Mr. Show, she also dated David Cross, leaving the show when they broke up after the end of the second season.
Her son, Valentine Anthony,[4] was born on July 24, 2008, weighing 9 pounds, 5 ounces.[5] She married her boyfriend Matthew Rolph, a personal trainer, on August 1, 2009 in an impromptu wedding in Las Vegas.[6]
Filmography
Rajskub at The Heart Truth Fashion Show, February 1, 2008Film Year Film Role Other notes 1999 Magnolia Janet, Frank's Assistant Voice only Man on the Moon Friday's Mary 2000 Road Trip Blind Brenda Dude, Where's My Car? Zelmina, Cult Member Sunset Strip Eileen 2001 Storytelling Melinda ('Fiction') The Anniversary Party Mary-Lynn 2002 Punch-Drunk Love Elizabeth Sweet Home Alabama Dorothea Run Ronnie Run Herself 2003 Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde Reena Giuliani 2004 Mysterious Skin Avalyn Friesen 2006 Firewall Janet Stone Little Miss Sunshine Pageant Assistant Pam 2007 American Fork Peggy Orbison 2008 Sunshine Cleaning Lynn 2009 Julie & Julia Sarah Television Year Title Role Notes 1995 Mr. Show Various 10 episodes 1996-1998 The Larry Sanders Show Mary Lou Collins Main cast; 18 episodes 1998 NewsRadio Waitress 1 episode 1999-2000 Veronica's Closet Chloe 15 episodes 2001 Just Shoot Me Penny 1 episode 2002 The King of Queens Priscilla Stasna 1 episode 2003-2010 24 Chloe O'Brian Main cast; 125 episodes 2004 JAG CIA Administrative Assistant 1 episode 2005 The Sketch Show Various 2007 Human Giant Mindy 2 episodes 2009 Flight of the Conchords Karen 1 episode It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Gail the Snail 1 episode 2010 Royal Pains Blake 1 episode The Benson Interruption Herself 1 episode Stargate Universe Extra 1 episode 2011 Modern Family Tracy 1 episode Raising Hope Tanya 1 episode 2011 How to Be a Gentleman Janet Main cast References
- ^ "Mary Lynn Rajskub Biography (1971-)". Filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/0/Mary-Lynn-Rajskub.html. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
- ^ "25 Things You Don't Know About Me: Mary Lynn Rajskub". UsMagazine.com. 2010-01-21. http://www.usmagazine.com/moviestvmusic/news/mary-lynn-rajskub-25-things-you-dont-know-about-me-2010211. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
- ^ F. Kathleen Foley (2010-07-02). "Theater review: 'Mary Lynn Spreads Her Legs' at the Steve Allen Theater". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/07/mary-lynn-spreads-her-legs-at-the-steve-allen.html. Retrieved 2010-09-14.
- ^ http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_ktuyrxkrPh1qa7d79o1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=0RYTHV9YYQ4W5Q3HQMG2&Expires=1259814835&Signature=YTeOacCio8V%2BdqgoRT1tMocl%2Fzo%3D[dead link]
- ^ "Real Life Mirrors Stage Life for Mary Lynn Rajskub". Celebrity-babies.com. 2009-02-01. http://celebrity-babies.com/2009/02/01/real-life-mirrors-stage-life-for-mary-lynn-rajskub/. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
- ^ "'24's Mary Lynn Rajskub Married To Trainer Matthew Rolph". TV Shark. 2009-08-04. http://www.tvshark.com/read/?art=arc3872. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
External links
Categories:- 1971 births
- Actors from Michigan
- American comedians
- American film actors
- American stand-up comedians
- American television actors
- American television writers
- Living people
- People from the Greater Los Angeles Area
- Women comedians
- American people of Czech descent
- People from Trenton, Michigan
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