ALLISON JANNEY
Name: Allison Janney
Born: 19 November 1959 Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Allison Brooks Janney (born November 19, 1959) is an Emmy-winning American
actress, perhaps best known for her portrayal of C. J. Cregg on the American
television series The West Wing.
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. She has two older brothers, Jay and Hal. She attended
The Miami Valley School in Dayton, where she was named a distinguished alum 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.
The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for
Wikipedia.
Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to
writing better articles for suggestions.(December 2007)
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. His on-screen
resignation at the episode's end came in part as a result of his having to
coerce testimony from Janney's character, with fatal consequences for her.
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 had
carried notable roles in the movies, Margaret and Over the Hedge, an animated
comedy. Also, she took the role of Prudy Pingleton in the 2007 film Hairspray as
well as that of Brenda MacGuff in Juno, for which she won Best Supporting
Actress in the Austin Film Critics Association Awards 2007.
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 has 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 in 2003 and 2006 for the Best Actress. She is one of six cast members
from The West Wing to have won an Emmy for their work, the others being Richard
Schiff, Bradley Whitford, John Spencer, Stockard Channing and Alan Alda -
however, Janney is the only one who has won more than once.
Janney was honorably nominated, in 2002, for American Film Institute's Actor of
the Year. A nomination of Actor/Actress of the Year from the AFI is regarded as
a very high honor in acting. Several weekend trips to Washington, D.C. were
frequent to Janney's schedule, and for the rest of the cast as well. 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/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 cancelled 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". 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 castmate and friend, John Spencer.
In July 2006, she was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress In A
Drama Series.
In 2006, she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her performance
in the film Our Very Own, which also stars Keith Carradine, Jason Ritter,
Hilarie Burton, Cheryl Hines, Autumn Reeser and Mary Badham (Scout from To Kill
A Mockingbird). The film was acquired by Miramax in December 2006 and is
currently running on the Starz Cinema channel. 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.
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 Nine to Five.
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.
In 2007, Janney appeared in the Academy Award nominated film, Juno playing the
part of Bren MacGuff, Juno's step mother.
Name: Allison Janney
Born: 19 November 1959 Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Allison Brooks Janney (born November 19, 1959) is an Emmy-winning American
actress, perhaps best known for her portrayal of C. J. Cregg on the American
television series The West Wing.
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. She has two older brothers, Jay and Hal. She attended
The Miami Valley School in Dayton, where she was named a distinguished alum 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.
The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for
Wikipedia.
Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to
writing better articles for suggestions.(December 2007)
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. His on-screen
resignation at the episode's end came in part as a result of his having to
coerce testimony from Janney's character, with fatal consequences for her.
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 had
carried notable roles in the movies, Margaret and Over the Hedge, an animated
comedy. Also, she took the role of Prudy Pingleton in the 2007 film Hairspray as
well as that of Brenda MacGuff in Juno, for which she won Best Supporting
Actress in the Austin Film Critics Association Awards 2007.
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 has 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 in 2003 and 2006 for the Best Actress. She is one of six cast members
from The West Wing to have won an Emmy for their work, the others being Richard
Schiff, Bradley Whitford, John Spencer, Stockard Channing and Alan Alda -
however, Janney is the only one who has won more than once.
Janney was honorably nominated, in 2002, for American Film Institute's Actor of
the Year. A nomination of Actor/Actress of the Year from the AFI is regarded as
a very high honor in acting. Several weekend trips to Washington, D.C. were
frequent to Janney's schedule, and for the rest of the cast as well. 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/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 cancelled 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". 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 castmate and friend, John Spencer.
In July 2006, she was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress In A
Drama Series.
In 2006, she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her performance
in the film Our Very Own, which also stars Keith Carradine, Jason Ritter,
Hilarie Burton, Cheryl Hines, Autumn Reeser and Mary Badham (Scout from To Kill
A Mockingbird). The film was acquired by Miramax in December 2006 and is
currently running on the Starz Cinema channel. 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.
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 Nine to Five.
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.
In 2007, Janney appeared in the Academy Award nominated film, Juno playing the
part of Bren MacGuff, Juno's step mother.