Allison Janney

Allison Janney

Allison Brooks Janney is an American actress. Her breakthrough came with the role of C. J. Cregg in the NBC political drama The West Wing. Since 2013, she has starred as a cynical recovering addict in the CBS sitcom Mom. In 2017, for her portrayal of LaVona Golden in the black comedy film I, Tonya, Janney won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

About Allison Janney in brief

Summary Allison JanneyAllison Brooks Janney is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, seven Primetime Emmy Awards, and seven Screen Actors Guild Awards. Janney’s breakthrough came with the role of C. J. Cregg in the NBC political drama The West Wing. Since 2013, she has starred as a cynical recovering addict in the CBS sitcom Mom. In 2017, for her portrayal of LaVona Golden in the black comedy film I, Tonya, Janney won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has also voiced roles in Finding Nemo, Over the Hedge, Minions and The Addams Family. The publication Vulture ranks her as the best character from all the television series created by Sorkin, Corkin and Myers at #2 and #2, respectively. She was named a distinguished alumna of the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, where she was named Alumne of the Year in 2016. 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, Primary Colors, 10 Things I Hate About You, Drop Dead Gorgeous, American Beauty, Nurse Betty, The Hours, Hairspray, Juno, The Help, The Way, Way Back, Tammy, Spy, Tallulah, The Girl on the Train, Bad Education and Bombshell. In the spring of 1994, she appeared in the season-four finale of Law & Order, titled \”Old Friends\”, as a reluctant witness against a member of the Russian mob.

She also played Vi Kaminski for a short time on As the World Turns, following up with a two-year role as Ginger, one of the Spaulding maids, on Guiding Light. She appeared in two episodes of the 1991 CBS series as Eddie Hayes’ wife. In the series Primary Colors, she played J. Dee Dee Myers, the press secretary during the Clinton administration, who succeeds Leo McGarry as White House Chief of Staff. Creator Aaron Sorkins called Janney to audition for the role after seeing her role in the film Primary Colors. She received a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts following her graduation from Kenyon College. She initially aspired to a career in figure skating, but her tall stature and a freak accident when she was a teenager put an end to that dream. She met actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward at a play for the inaugural event of the college’s newly built Bolton Theater, which Newman was directing. The couple encouraged her to continue acting and offered her guidance during the early days in her career. She attended the Miami Valley School in Dayton, Ohio, and has two brothers—Hal and Jay. She had a role on the short-lived black-and-white faux-1940s comedy Morton & Hayes.