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Jane Kaczmarek

Heralded as a true breakout... a female Homer Simpson by TV Guide, Jane Kaczmarek took the television world by storm with her hilarious portrayal of Lois, the no-nonsense mom on Malcolm in the Middle. Embraced by critics and viewers alike, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series six years in a row. She was also honored with an American Comedy Award and a Family Friendly Award for her role, received three Golden Globe nominations for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical, and subsequently garnered her second consecutive award for Individual Achievement in a Comedy by the Television Critics Association. She was also nominated for Best Actress, Quality Comedy, by the Viewers for Quality Television.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Kaczmarek is a familiar face in television and an industry veteran. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, she went on to receive a graduate degree in drama from Yale. She was a series regular on Equal Justice, Hometown, Big Wave Dave and Paper Chase: The Second Year. Additional credits include recurring roles on Felicity, Party of Five, Frasier, The Practice, Cybill and Hill Street Blues, and guest starring roles on such series as Touched By An Angel, Picket Fences, L.A. Law and Hollywood Division. In addition she starred in the made-for-television movies Jenifer, Apollo 11, Educating Mom, The Deception, Boys Will Be Boys, I'll Take Manhattan, Something About Amelia, The Christmas Story and The Three Kings.

Kaczmarek's feature film credits include Pleasantville, The Chamber, Vice Versa, Uncommon Valor, D.O.A., The Heavenly Kid and Falling in Love, as well as the independent films The Spittin' Image and Wildly Available.

On Broadway Kaczmarek appeared in Lost in Yonkers, and in Los Angeles she starred in Kindertransport, which received an LA Ovation Award, and in Raised in Captivity, which won an LA Drama Critics Award. Her other theatrical credits include Steve Martin's Wasp, Escape from Happiness, Eve's Diary, Pride and Prejudice, The Legends of Oedipus, Loose Ends, Ice Cream/Hot Fudge and Better Living, opposite Olympia Dukakis.

Kaczmarek resides in Los Angeles with her husband, actor Bradley Whitford (The West Wing), and their children, Frances, George and Mary Louisa.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2006.
Read earlier biographies on this page.

Jane Kaczmarek Facts

OccupationActress
BirthdayDecember 21, 1955 (68)
SignSagittarius
BirthplaceMilwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Selected Filmography

Falling in Love
Reviving Ophelia
Uncommon Valor
Tracey Ullman in The Trailer Tales
Part IV
Malcolm in the Middle
Malcolm in the Middle: Season 1
Family History
Altared Steele
The Chamber
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