Allison Janney

Allison Brooks Janney (born November 19, 1959) is an American actress. A highly prolific character actress and revered for her versatility, Janney has received acclaim for her work on screen, stage and television which has brought her numerous accolades including an Academy Award, seven Primetime Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, seven Screen Actors Guild Awards, six Critics' Choice Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, and an Independent Spirit Award.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in Dayton, Ohio, Janney won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in the summer of 1984, following her graduation from Kenyon College. After years of minor and uncredited film and television appearances, Janney's breakthrough occurred with her portrayal of White House Press Secretary (and later White House Chief of Staff) C. J. Cregg on the NBC political drama The West Wing (1999–2006), for which she received four Primetime Emmy Awards. The character was widely popular during the airing of the series and was later recognized as one of the greatest female characters on American television, as well as being hailed as a feminist role model. In 2014, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Margaret Scully on the Showtime period drama Masters of Sex. In 2014 and 2015, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Bonnie Plunkett on the CBS sitcom Mom (2013–present).

Janney made her professional stage debut with the Off-Broadway production Ladies and followed with numerous bit parts in various similar productions, before making her Broadway debut in the 1996 revival of Present Laughter. She won Drama Desk Awards and received Tony Award nominations for her performances in the 1997 Broadway revival of A View from the Bridge, and the 2009 original Broadway production of the musical 9 to 5.

Her film roles include Private Parts (1997), Primary Colors (1998), 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), American Beauty (1999), The Hours (2002), Hairspray (2007), Juno (2007), The Help(2011), The Way, Way Back (2013), Tammy (2014), Spy (2015), Tallulah (2016), and The Girl on the Train (2016). In 2017, her performance as LaVona Golden in I, Tonya garnered widespread acclaim and earned her theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress, in addition to the Golden Globe, SAG, Critics' Choice, Independent Spirit, and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress.