Joan Cusack

Joan Cusack

Cusack in June 2010
Born (1962-10-11) October 11, 1962[1]
New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 1979–present
Spouse(s) Richard Burke (m. 1993)
Children 2
Family John Cusack (brother)
Ann Cusack (sister)

Joan Cusack (/ˈkjsæk/, born October 11, 1962)[2] is an American actress. She received Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in the romantic comedy-drama Working Girl (1988) and the romantic comedy In & Out (1997), as well as one Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the latter. She is also known as the voice of Jessie in the Toy Story franchise.

Cusack was a cast member on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1986. She starred on the Showtime hit drama/comedy Shameless as Sheila Gallagher (née Jackson), a role for which she has received five consecutive Emmy Award nominations, winning for the first time in 2015. She is the sister of actors Ann and John Cusack.

Early life

Cusack was born in New York City, New York on October 11, 1962 and raised in Evanston, Illinois.[3] Her mother, Ann Paula "Nancy" (née Carolan), is a former mathematics teacher and political activist.[4][5][6] Her late father, Dick Cusack, as well as her siblings Ann and John, have also been or are actors; her father was also a filmmaker. Her family is Irish American and Catholic.[7] Cusack is an alumna of the University of Wisconsin–Madison (1984).[8]

Career

Cusack has twice been nominated for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her work in Working Girl and In & Out. She appeared with her brother John in the movies Sixteen Candles, Grandview, U.S.A., Class, High Fidelity, Grosse Pointe Blank, Say Anything..., Cradle Will Rock, Martian Child, and most recently, War, Inc. In the film Addams Family Values she played serial divorcee and murderer 'Debbie Jellinsky'. She also starred in the short-lived ABC sitcom What About Joan? in 2001–02 and the hit film Arlington Road. For many years, Cusack was also the commercial spokeswoman for U.S. Cellular. One of Cusack's most well known roles was the head-teacher of Horace Green Elementary School, Rosalie 'Roz' Mullins, in School of Rock. She also voiced Jessie in Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3, and played Dr. Burton, the therapist of Charlie (Logan Lerman), in the teen film The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012).

Cusack was a cast member on the NBC sketch show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1986. Her recurring characters on Saturday Night Live included "Salena," a socially inept girl who tries to ask out her boyfriend, "Biff" (played by Jon Lovitz), who is also socially inept. In addition, she did celebrity impersonations of Brooke Shields, Jane Fonda and Queen Elizabeth II.

She has been nominated four times for the American Comedy Award in the category of "Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture" and has won three times, for Runaway Bride (1999), In & Out (1997) and Working Girl (1988). She has also won the New York Film Critics Circle Award and the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for "Best Supporting Actress" for In & Out.

In 2003, both Joan and her brother John signed the "Not in My Name" resolution (along with people such as Noam Chomsky and Susan Sarandon) opposing the invasion of Iraq.

Cusack narrates the public TV animated series Peep and the Big Wide World. In September 2010, Cusack guest-starred on NBC's Law & Order: SVU.[9]

Shameless

In 2010, Cusack joined the Showtime drama/comedy Shameless as Sheila Gallagher (née Jackson) the mother of Karen Jackson (Laura Slade Wiggins). The first season premiered on January 9, 2011, and had its first finale March 27, 2011. Cusack replaced actress Allison Janney, who originally portrayed the role in the first edit of the pilot episode but was forced to drop out of the part owing to her series regular commitment on the ABC comedy Mr. Sunshine. Janney took the role with the understanding the character would be less prominent on the show, but when producers decided to increase the character's screen presence, she was forced to pull out of the part. Cusack has received critical acclaim for her performance, receiving Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series nominations in 2011, 2012, and 2013 as well as a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014 and 2015, winning in the later year.

Personal life

She is the sister of actor John Cusack. They have appeared together in 10 productions: Class (1983), Sixteen Candles (1984), Grandview, U.S.A. (1984), Broadcast News (1987), Say Anything... (1989), Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), Cradle Will Rock (1999), High Fidelity (2000), Martian Child (2007) and War, Inc. (2008).

She is married to attorney Richard Burke, President and CEO of VISANOW Global Immigration, since 1993. They have two sons: Dylan John (b. 1997) and Miles (b. 2000). Cusack owns a home in Three Oaks Township, Michigan, and lives in Chicago, Illinois.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1980 Cutting Loose
1980 My Bodyguard Shelley
1983 Class Julia
1984 Sixteen Candles Geek Girl #1
1984 Grandview, U.S.A. Mary Maine
1987 Allnighter, TheThe Allnighter Gina
1987 Broadcast News Blair Litton
1988 Stars and Bars Irene Stein Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress
1988 Married to the Mob Rose Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress
1988 Working Girl Cyn American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
1989 Say Anything... Constance Dobler
1990 Men Don't Leave Jody
1990 My Blue Heaven Hannah Stubs
1991 The Cabinet of Dr. Ramirez Cathy
1992 Accidental Hero Evelyn Laplante
1992 Toys Alzatia Zevo
1993 Addams Family Values Debbie Jellinsky Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
1994 Corrina, Corrina Jonesy
1995 Nine Months Gail Dwyer Nominated—American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
1995 Two Much Gloria
1996 Mr. Wrong Inga Gunther
1997 Grosse Pointe Blank Marcella Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
1997 Smile Like Yours, AA Smile Like Yours Nancy Tellen
1997 In & Out Emily Montgomery American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress (2nd place)
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
Society of Texas Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress – Comedy
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
1999 Arlington Road Cheryl Lang Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
1999 Cradle Will Rock Hazel Huffman
1999 Runaway Bride Peggy Flemming American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actress – Comedy/Romance
1999 Toy Story 2 Jessie Voice
Annie Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Feature Production
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Film – Choice Hissy Fit
2000 High Fidelity Liz
2000 Where the Heart Is Ruth Meyers
2002 It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie Rachel Bitterman
2003 School of Rock Rosalie Mullins
2003 Looney Tunes: Back in Action Mother
2004 Raising Helen Jenny Portman
2004 Last Shot, TheThe Last Shot Fanny Nash
2005 Ice Princess Joan Carlyle
2005 Chicken Little Abby Mallard Voice
2006 Friends with Money Franny
2007 Martian Child Liz
2008 War, Inc. Marsha Dillon
2008 Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Miss Lucinda Bond
2009 Confessions of a Shopaholic Jane Bloomwood
2009 My Sister's Keeper Judge De Salvo
2009 Acceptance Nina
2010 Toy Story 3 Jessie Voice
2011 Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil Verushka Voice
2011 Mars Needs Moms Milo's Mom Performance capture
2011 Hawaiian Vacation Jessie Voice
Short film
2011 Small Fry Jessie Voice
Short film
2011 Arthur Christmas Mission Control Elf Voice
2012 Partysaurus Rex Jessie Voice
Short film
2012 The Perks of Being a Wallflower Dr. Burton
2014 Welcome to Me Dawn Hurley
2015 The End of the Tour Patty
2015 Freaks of Nature Peg Parker
2016 Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping Tilly
2017 Unicorn Store Filming

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1985–1986 Saturday Night Live Various Characters
2001–2002 What About Joan? Joan Gallagher
2004- Peep and the Big Wide World Narrator Nominated—Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program
2011 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Pamela Burton Episode: "Locum"
2011–2015 Shameless Sheila Gallagher (née Jackson) Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (2015)
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (2011–2013)
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (2014)
2013 The Office Erin's Biological Mother Episode: "Finale"
2013 Toy Story of Terror! Jessie Voice
2014 Toy Story That Time Forgot Jessie Voice
2017 A Series of Unfortunate Events Justice Strauss

Video games

Year Title Role Notes
2005 Chicken Little Abby Mallard Voice
2006 Chicken Little: Ace in Action Abby Mallard Voice
2010 Toy Story 3: The Video Game Jessie Voice
2011 Kinect Disneyland Adventures Jessie Voice
2012 Kinect Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure Jessie Voice

References

  1. "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly (1228/1229). Time Inc. Oct 12–19, 2012. p. 23.
  2. Joan Cusack Biography. Tribute.ca
  3. Allan Johnson (January 3, 2001). "Cusack Puts Chicago on the Laugh Track". Archived from the original on January 6, 2009.
  4. "Cusack, Richard J.". Chicago Tribune. June 3, 2003. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  5. "Miss Carolan, Newton Centre, Is Bride of Richard Cusack". Daily Boston Globe. February 14, 1960. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013.
  6. "Newton Girl Plans February Wedding". Daily Boston Globe. December 6, 1959. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013.
  7. http://www.amc.com/talk/2011/03/qa-mars-needs
  8. http://www.wisc.edu/about/facts/prominent-alumni.php
  9. "Exclusive: Joan Cusack Signs on to Law & Order: SVU". TVGuide.com.
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