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 and of
Prudy Pingleton on the 2007 film adaption of the musical Hairspray.
Biography
Personal life
Janney was born in Dayton, Ohio to Macy (née Putnam), a former actress and homemaker, and Jervis Spencer Janney, Jr., a real estate developer and jazz musician.[1] She has two older brothers, Jay and Hal.[2] 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.
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. 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.
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. Some
critics consider The West Wing exaggerated, but some former West Wing staff workers consider it to be similar to the
actual West Wing.
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.
| “ |
One out of forty American men wears women's clothing. We've had more than forty
presidents. I'm just saying, one of these guys has been dancing around the Oval Office in a prom dress." — a famous quote of
Janney's on the West Wing |
” |
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".[3] 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 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.
References
External links
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