Jane Krakowski biography

Synopsis

Acting Debut

Actress Jane Krakowski was born on October 11, 1968, in Parsippany, New Jersey. A trained singer and dancer, Krakowski started studying ballet at the age of 3. This multitalented performer is best known for amusing audiences for five years as the vampish secretary and snoop Elaine on the hit television show, Ally McBeal.

Krakowski got her first film role as a teenager. Making her film debut in 1983, she played oversexed cousin Vicki in National Lampoon's Vacation. Krakowski then tried her hand at daytime television. She appeared on Search for Tomorrow from 1984 to 1986, which earned her two Daytime Emmy nominations.

In the late 1980s and the 1990s, Krakowski found success on the New York stage. Her first Broadway role was in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express in 1987. She later earned a Tony Award nomination for the musical Grand Hotel in 1990. She had several other roles on Broadway, including a part in Once Upon a Mattress with Sarah Jessica Parker in 1996.

'Ally McBeal'

Krakowski left New York City for Los Angeles in 1997 to join the cast of Ally McBeal. This comedy centered on the professional and personal life of its title character - a Boston lawyer played by Calista Flockhart. Krakowski's Elaine, a quirky vixen, was a perfect counterpart to Flockhart's imaginative and neurotic Ally. The show even made use of Krakowski's singing talents from time to time.

She earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for her role on the hit series in 1999, and she shared a Screen Actors Guild Award with the entire cast for best ensemble that same year. During the run of the program, she found time for other acting opportunities, including the role as Betty in The Flintstones film, Viva Rock Vegas (2000).

Mid-Career

After Ally McBeal ended in 2002, Krakowski worked on a variety of projects. She voiced the part of a female sloth in the animated hit Ice Age (2002) and landed a number of supporting roles in such films as Marci X (2003) and Alfie (2004). She also took time to return to perhaps her greatest love - singing and dancing. Critics and audiences alike were delighted with her performance in the Broadway revival of the musical Nine (2003). She won the 2003 Tony Award for an actress in a featured role in a musical.

In 2005, Krakowski starred in another musical revival. This time she took on one of the lead roles in the London production of Guys and Dolls opposite Ewan McGregor. For her performance as the ditzy nightclub singer Miss Adelaide, she received the 2006 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.