Jane Adams (actress)
| Jane Adams | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 1, 1965 Washington, D.C., US |
| Alma mater |
University of Washington, Seattle Cornish College of the Arts Juilliard School |
| Years active | 1985–present |
Jane Adams (born April 1, 1965) is an American actress. She made her Broadway debut in the original production of I Hate Hamlet in 1991, and won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for the 1994 revival of An Inspector Calls. Her film roles include Happiness (1998), Wonder Boys (2000), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), and Little Children (2006). She also had a recurring role on the NBC sitcom Frasier (1999–2000), and was nominated for the 2010 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television for the HBO series Hung (2009–11).
Early life
Jane Adams was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of Janice, an administrative assistant, and William Adams, an engineer.[1][2] She has a younger brother, Jonathan, and was raised in Wheaton, Illinois, and Bellevue, Washington. Adams attended the University of Washington, where she studied political science, and the Cornish College of the Arts, where she took theater. She attended the Juilliard School's Drama Division (1985 - 1989, Group 18)[3] where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1989.[4]
Career
Adams performed theatre at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. She turned down the chance to work in Sister Act with Whoopi Goldberg for the opportunity to work with Arthur Miller onstage.
She worked with Steve Martin and Diane Keaton in Father of the Bride Part II. She went back to the stage and won the 1994 Tony Award for best performance by a featured actress in a play for the Broadway revival of An Inspector Calls. She also won the Outer Critics Circle Award for best featured actress in a play in the Broadway production of Paul Rudnick's I Hate Hamlet.
In 1998, she starred in Happiness with Philip Seymour Hoffman, playing the role of Joy, a sensitive single woman who is struggling with life. She and the cast won many ensemble awards. The next year, Adams got a recurring role on the hit comedy series Frasier from 1999 to 2000. She played Dr. Mel Karnofsky, who became Niles Crane's second wife. She also had a role in the film Mumford.
In 2001, she was in the independent film titled Songcatcher, with Janet McTeer. She and the cast won a Sundance Special Jury Prize.
In 2007, she appeared in The Sensation of Sight and The Brave One. In the latter film, she appeared opposite Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Mary Steenburgen and Naveen Andrews.
From 2009-2011, Adams co-starred in the HBO series Hung opposite Thomas Jane. She starred in and co-wrote the movie All the Light in the Sky.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Bombs Away | Greeting Girl | |
| 1990 | Vital Signs | Suzanne Maloney | |
| 1990 | Rising Son | Meg Bradley | Television film |
| 1992 | Light Sleeper | Randi Jost | |
| 1994 | I Love Trouble | Evans | |
| 1994 | Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle | Ruth Hale | |
| 1995 | Father of the Bride Part II | Dr. Megan Eisenberg | |
| 1996 | Kansas City | Nettie Bolt | |
| 1998 | Music from Another Room | Irene | |
| 1998 | Happiness | Joy Jordan | National Board of Review Award for Best Cast |
| 1998 | Day at the Beach | Marie | |
| 1998 | You've Got Mail | Sydney Anne | Uncredited |
| 1999 | Fish in the Bathtub, AA Fish in the Bathtub | Ruthie | |
| 1999 | Texas Funeral, AA Texas Funeral | Mary Joan | |
| 1999 | Mumford | Dr. Phyllis Sheeler | |
| 2000 | Songcatcher | Eleanor 'Elna' Penleric | Sundance Film Festival: Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Cast |
| 2000 | Wonder Boys | Oola | |
| 2001 | Anniversary Party, TheThe Anniversary Party | Clair Forsyth | |
| 2002 | Orange County | Mona | |
| 2004 | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | Carrie | |
| 2004 | Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events | White Faced Woman | |
| 2005 | Stone Cold | Brianna Lincoln | Television film |
| 2006 | Last Holiday | Rochelle | |
| 2006 | Little Children | Sheila | |
| 2006 | Sensation of Sight, TheThe Sensation of Sight | Alice | |
| 2007 | Brave One, TheThe Brave One | Nicole | |
| 2008 | Wackness, TheThe Wackness | Eleanor | |
| 2008 | Lifelines | Nancy Bernstein | |
| 2009 | Alexander the Last | Director | |
| 2009 | Calvin Marshall | June Marshall | |
| 2011 | The Lie | Dr. Bentel | |
| 2011 | Silver Bullets | June | |
| 2011 | Restless | Mabel | |
| 2012 | All the Light in the Sky | Marie | Also writer Bridgestone Grand Jury Prize for Best Actress in Narrative Feature |
| 2015 | Digging for Fire | Woman on beach | |
| 2015 | Poltergeist | Dr. Claire Powell | |
| 2016 | Always Shine | Summer |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Tales from the Darkside | Charlotte Rose Cantrell | Episode: "Deliver Us from Goodness" |
| 1987, 1989 | Family Ties | First Love / Marty Brodie | 3 episodes |
| 1989, 1995 | ABC Afterschool Special | Elly Robinson / Michelle | 2 episodes |
| 1993 | Lifestories: Families in Crisis | Beth | Episode: "Dead Drunk: The Kevin Tunell Story" |
| 1996 | Relativity | Karen Lukens | 7 episodes |
| 1997 | Liberty! | Sara Scott | 6 episodes |
| 1999 | Outer Limits, TheThe Outer Limits | Mona Bailey | Episode: "What Will The Neighbors Think" |
| 1999–2000 | Frasier | Dr. Mel Karnofsky | 11 episodes |
| 2000 | Citizen Baines | Reeva Eidenberg | 9 episodes |
| 2000 | From Where I Sit | Ruth | Pilot |
| 2001 | Night Visions | Amanda | Episode: "The Doghouse" |
| 2003 | Carnivàle | Mother of Dead Baby | Uncredited Episode: "Milfay" |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Sylvia Campbell | Episode: "The Gift" |
| 2007 | House | Bonnie | Episode: "House Training" |
| 2008 | In Plain Sight | Ruth Ferguson / Ruth Fraser | Episode: "Don of the Dead" |
| 2009–2011 | Hung | Tanya Skagle | 30 episodes Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy |
| 2012 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Joanne Parsons | Episode: "Learning Curve" |
| 2013 | Axe Cop | Red Headed Women | Voice Episode: "Super Axe" |
| 2014 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Belinda Goff | Episode: "Rubbery Homicide" |
| 2016 | Easy | Annabelle Jones | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Atlanta | Janice | Episode: "Nobody Beats the Biebs" |
| 2017 | Twin Peaks |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | I Hate Hamlet | Deirdre McDavey | Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Debut Performance |
| 1992 | Crucible, TheThe Crucible | Mary Warren | |
| 1994 | Inspector Calls, AnAn Inspector Calls | Sheila Birling | Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play |
| 2003 | Enchanted April | Rose Arnott | Replacement |
| 2004 | Match | Lisa | |
| 2006 | Resurrection Blues | Emily Shapiro |
References
- ↑ "Jane Adams Biography (1965-)". www.filmreference.com. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
- ↑ http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/seattletimes/obituary.aspx?n=janice-adams&pid=153063091
- ↑ "Alumni News". The Juilliard School. March 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11.
- ↑ "Jane Adams biography". All Movie Guide. The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
External links
- Jane Adams at AllMovie
- Jane Adams at the Internet Broadway Database
- Jane Adams at the Internet Movie Database