ACTOR · BORN 1959
Allison Janney
- Born
- 19 November 1959, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Known for
- American Beauty (1999), Finding Nemo (2003), Bad Words (2013), Tammy (2014)
19 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
Allison Janney (born 19 November 1959) is an actor best known for American Beauty, Finding Nemo and Bad Words.
19 Interesting Facts About Allison Janney
Interesting Facts (6)
- #001
In her lean early years, getting by on small stage roles, Janney would tell people who asked what she did that she was a National Geographic photographer, a white lie that let her laugh off the hardships and the way people looked at struggling actors.
- #002
When Janney went up to accept the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series award at the 2015 Emmys, she noticed that she and Mariska Hargitay were wearing the same green dress, so she invited Hargitay up and then called the other nominees too, though they all declined, a warm gesture that showed how well liked she is among her peers.
- #003
Janney lives right across the street from her The West Wing co-star Janel Moloney, and the two have stayed neighbors and close friends since the show ended.
- #004
In a 2005 Guardian piece titled 'Those We Loved in 2005,' writer Laura Barton said she owed Janney 'a big thank you,' saying of her West Wing character C.J. that 'even her presence is a cause for gratitude.'
- #005
Allison Janney finished high school at the Hotchkiss School, a prestigious boarding school in Connecticut.
- #006
Allison Janney's mother, Macy Brooks Janney, was roommates as a young woman with actress Eileen Brennan, known for 'Private Benjamin' and 'The Sting.'
Behind the Scenes (2)
- #007
Janney's connection to Alan Alda is not limited to the screen. She played Alda's wife in the film The Object of My Affection (1998); in the early 1990s she studied at Kenyon College alongside Alda's daughter Elizabeth. They later appeared together on The West Wing during the 2005-06 season, though they never played opposite each other in any scene.
- #008
For her role as Violet Newstead in the musical adaptation of the film 9 to 5, Janney was named Outstanding Actress in a Musical at the Drama Desk Awards. She was also nominated for a Tony Award for the same role, but the award went to Alice Ripley for 'Next to Normal'.
Characters & Cast (1)
- #009
C.J. Cregg, Allison Janney's character on The West Wing, came from Dayton, Ohio, just like Janney, who brought something of her own background to the White House press secretary, one of the show's strongest female characters.
Career & Awards (3)
- #010
Allison Janney's big break came while she was in a production at Kenyon College in Ohio directed by Paul Newman, who, with his wife, Joanne Woodward, saw her talent and encouraged her to move to New York after graduation and train at the Neighborhood Playhouse, laying the foundation for her career.
- #011
- #012
For I, Tonya (2017), Janney won the Critics' Choice, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA and Oscar, one of 15 actresses to sweep all five for the same role, following names such as Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, Helen Mirren and Kate Winslet.
Life & Family (7)
- #013
Janney grew up in a musical family, her father a jazz musician and both her brothers following in his footsteps, and she dreamed of being an Olympic figure skater until she ran into a glass door and was badly hurt; the accident steered her toward acting, and she trained at Kenyon College in Ohio, the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.
- #014
Although Janney is known for playing mothers, she has never married or had children, and says she owes her success in those roles to her powers of observation and interest in human relationships.
- #015
Janney voiced the hostess Aly San San in the updated version of Disney's Star Tours attraction, which opened at Walt Disney World and Disneyland in May and June 2011.
- #016
Janney's close friend, screenwriter Steven Rogers, wrote LaVona Golden in I, Tonya (2017), Tonya Harding's harsh, cruel mother, specifically for her, a role that both flattered and surprised her.
- #017
Janney is a step-cousin of actor Michael Weatherly, best known as Anthony DiNozzo on NCIS.
- #018
Allison Janney's great-uncle Stuart Janney owned many horses, including Ruffian, one of the most legendary fillies in American racing history in the 1970s.
- #019
Allison Janney was born on November 19, 1959, the day The Bullwinkle Show first aired, and she later appeared in Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014), based on characters from that show.
Related pages
- Juno — Allison Janney comes up in the facts on that page
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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