Allison Janney
Known for Acting · 167 credits
- Born
- 1959-11-19 (age 66)
- Place of birth
- Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Also known as
- Allison Brooks Janney
Biography
Allison Brooks Janney (born November 19, 1959) is an American actress. In a career spanning three decades, she is known for her performances across multiple genres of screen and stage. Janney has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and seven Primetime Emmy Awards, in addition to nominations for two Tony Awards.
Born in Boston and raised in Dayton, Ohio, Janney received a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art following her graduation from Kenyon College. After years of minor and uncredited film and television appearances, Janney's breakthrough came with the role of C. J. Cregg in the NBC political drama The West Wing (1999–2006), for which she received four Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2014, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Margaret Scully on the Showtime period drama Masters of Sex. For her portrayal of Bonnie Plunkett, a cynical recovering addict on the CBS sitcom Mom (2013–2021), Janney received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won twice for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Janney made her professional stage debut with the Off-Broadway production Ladies (1989), and followed with numerous bit parts in various similar productions, before making her Broadway debut with the 1996 revival of Present Laughter. She won two Drama Desk Awards and has been nominated for two Tony Awards: for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in the Broadway revival of A View from the Bridge (1997), and for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in the original Broadway production of the musical 9 to 5 (2009).
Her film roles include Private Parts (1997), Primary Colors (1998), 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), American Beauty (1999), Nurse Betty (2000), The Hours (2002), Hairspray (2007), Juno (2007), The Help (2011), The Way, Way Back (2013), Tammy (2014), The Rewrite (2014), Spy (2015), Tallulah (2016), The Girl on the Train (2016), Bad Education (2019) and Bombshell (2019). She voiced roles in Finding Nemo (2003), Over the Hedge (2006), Minions (2015), and The Addams Family (2019). For her performance in the black comedy I, Tonya (2017), Janney won an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe Award, all for Best Supporting Actress.
Known For
Law & Order
1990
as Nora / Ann Madsen
The Simpsons
1989
as Julia (voice)
Family Guy
1999
as Teen People Editor (voice) / Crystal Quagmire (voice) / Mistress Vita (voice)
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
as Self - Guest
The Daily Show
1996
as Self
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
as Self
TV Shows (61)
Law & Order
1990
as Nora / Ann Madsen
The Simpsons
1989
as Julia (voice)
Family Guy
1999
as Teen People Editor (voice) / Crystal Quagmire (voice) / Mistress Vita (voice)
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
as Self - Guest
The Daily Show
1996
as Self
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
as Self
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
as Self
American Dad!
2005
as Aunt Jesse (voice)
Two and a Half Men
2003
as Beverly
Lost
2004
as Mother
The Graham Norton Show
2007
as Self
Saturday Night Live
1975
as Self (uncredited)
Frasier
1993
as Susanna / Phyllis (voice)
Curb Your Enthusiasm
2000
as Cynthia
King of the Hill
1997
as Laura (voice)
The Late Late Show with James Corden
2015
as Self / Self - Guest
The West Wing
1999
as C.J. Cregg
The View
1997
as Self
Phineas and Ferb
2007
as Charlene Doofenshmirtz (voice)
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
1988
as Self - Guest
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Nominee
Mom
2013
as Bonnie Plunkett
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
as Self / Self - Guest
Weeds
2005
as Ms. Greenstein
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003
as Self
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993
as Self - Guest
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
2014
as Self
Veep
2012
as Janet Ryland
Masters of Sex
2013
as Margaret Scully
Tony Awards
1956
as Self - Nominee / Self - Presenter / Self - Nominee / Performer
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
2015
as Self
DuckTales
2017
as Goldie O'Gilt (voice)
The Soup
2004
as Self
Intimate Portrait
1993
as Self
New York Undercover
1994
as Vivian
The Diplomat
2023
as Vice President Grace Penn
Comedy Bang! Bang!
2012
as Self
The Oscars
1953
as Self
People's Choice Awards
1975
as Self - Host / Self - Presenter
In Plain Sight
2008
as Allison Pearson
Chelsea
2016
as Self
The Bonnie Hunt Show
2008
as Self
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
2006
as Self
Palm Royale
2024
as Evelyn Rollins
The Megan Mullally Show
2006
as Self - Guest
Web Therapy
2008
as Judith Frick
Hollywood Game Night
2013
as Self
Who Do You Think You Are?
2010
as Self
The Kominsky Method
2018
as Self
Celebrity IOU
2020
as Self
The Arsenio Hall Show
2013
as Self
Web Therapy
2011
as Judith Frick
Mr. Sunshine
2011
as Crystal Cohen
The Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA
1995
as Self
LateLine
1998
Human Discoveries
2019
as The Mighty Karen (voice)
Be My Guest with Ina Garten
2022
as Self - Guest
Aliens in the Family
1996
Celebrity Poker Showdown
2003
as Self
A Girl Thing
2001
as Kathy McCormack
Movies (106)
Finding Nemo
2003
as Peach (voice)
10 Things I Hate About You
1999
as Ms. Perky
American Beauty
1999
as Barbara Fitts
The Help
2011
as Charlotte Phelan
The Creator
2023
as Colonel Howell
Minions & Monsters
2026
as (voice)
Over the Hedge
2006
as Gladys (voice)
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
2016
as Dr. Golan
Minions
2015
as Madge Nelson (voice)
Finding Dory
2016
as Peach (voice)
Spy
2015
as Elaine Crocker
The Girl on the Train
2016
as Detective Sgt. Riley
Juno
2007
as Bren MacGuff
Miss You, Love You
2026
as Diane Patterson
Another Simple Favor
2025
as Aunt Linda McLanden
The Dog Stars
2026
The Addams Family
2019
as Margaux Needler (voice)
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
2014
as Ms. Grunion (voice)
I, Tonya
2017
as LaVona
Ma
2019
as Doctor Brooks
The Roses
2025
as Eleanor
Six Days Seven Nights
1998
as Marjorie
The Hours
2002
as Sally Lester
Minions & More 2
2022
as Madge Nelson (voice)
Hairspray
2007
as Prudy Pringleton
The Ice Storm
1997
as Dot Halford
Wolf
1994
as Party Guest
Bombshell
2019
as Susan Estrich
A Thousand Words
2012
as Samantha Davis
The DUFF
2015
as Dottie Piper
Bad Education
2019
as Pam Gluckin
Margaret
2011
as Monica Patterson
Primary Colors
1998
as Miss Walsh
Lou
2022
as Lou
Miracle on 34th Street
1994
as Woman in Christmas Shop
Tammy
2014
as Deb
The Object of My Affection
1998
as Constance Miller
Drop Dead Gorgeous
1999
as Loretta
Beyond Boundaries: The Harvey Weinstein Scandal
2018
as Self (archive footage)
Nurse Betty
2000
as Lyla
The Rewrite
2014
as Professor Weldon
The Way Way Back
2013
as Betty Thompson
Big Night
1996
as Ann
Celebrity
1998
as Evelyn Isaacs
Liberal Arts
2012
as Professor Judith Fairfield
Get On Up
2014
as Kathy
Breaking News in Yuba County
2021
as Sue Buttons
The Associate
1996
as Sandy
Love and Distrust
2010
as Grechen (segment "Auto Motives")
Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy
2013
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Bad Words
2013
as Dr. Bernice Deagan
Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love
2023
as Self - Guest
Piccadilly Jim
2004
as Eugenia Crocker
Private Parts
1997
as Dee Dee
Everything's Going to Be Great
2025
as Macy Smart
Trust Me
2013
as Meg
The Chumscrubber
2005
as Allie Stiffle
The Impostors
1998
as Maxine (Max)
The Oranges
2011
as Carol Ostroff
The People We Hate at the Wedding
2022
as Donna
A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote
2020
as C.J. Cregg
Away We Go
2009
as Lily
To Leslie
2022
as Nancy
How to Deal
2003
as Lydia Martin
The Cowboy Way
1994
as NYPD Computer Operator
Troop Zero
2019
as Miss Massey
A Happening of Monumental Proportions
2017
as Principal Nichols
Tallulah
2016
as Margo
Faithful
1996
as Saleslady
Blind Spot
1993
as Doreen
Sun Dogs
2017
as Rose Chipley
Touchy Feely
2013
as Bronwyn
Struck by Lightning
2013
as Sheryl Phillips
True Love: Making The Creator
2023
as Self
Lazy Susan
2020
as Velvet
Strangers with Candy
2006
as Alice
Path to Paradise: The Untold Story of the World Trade Center Bombing
1997
as Assistant D.A.
Life During Wartime
2010
as Trish Maplewood
Days and Nights
2014
as Elizabeth
Dead Funny
1994
as Jennifer
Binky Nelson Unpacified
2015
as Madge Nelson (voice)
Pretty Ugly People
2008
as Suzanna
Rescuing Desire
1996
as Betsy
Prop 8: The Musical
2008
as Prop 8 Leader's #1 Wife
...First Do No Harm
1997
as Dr. Melanie Abbasac
Julian Po
1997
as Lilah Leech
The Night Is Young
2018
as Wanda
Celia
2012
as Celia
The Debtors
1999
Winter Solstice
2004
as Molly Ripkin
Expedition Amelia
2019
as Narrator (voice)
Walking and Talking
1996
as Gum Puller
Still Working 9 to 5
2022
as Self
David and Lisa
1998
as Alix
Our Very Own
2005
as Joan Whitfield
Chicken Party
2003
as Barbara Strasser
Rooftop Kisses
2002
as Melissa
Brightest Star
2013
as The Astronomer
The Heart
Heading Home
1995
as Mary Polanski
Anita Liberty
1997
as Gynecologist
Who Shot Pat?
1989
as Miss Penny
Fonda
Auto Motives
2000
as Grechen
It's Still Me!
2009
as Narrator (voice)
Flux
1996
as Heather
About Allison Janney
Allison Brooks Janney (born November 19, 1959) is an American actress. In a career spanning three decades, she is known for her performances across multiple genres of screen and stage. Janney has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and seven Primetime Emmy Awards, in addition to nominations for two Tony Awards. Born in Boston and raised in Dayton, Ohio, Janney received a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art following her graduation from Kenyon College.… With 167 credits spanning from 1944 to 2026, Allison Janney has appeared in 106 films and 61 TV shows.
Fans searching for Allison Janney movies, Allison Janney filmography, or the latest projects starring Allison Janney can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Allison Janney Movies
- Finding Nemo (2003) — as Peach (voice)
- 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) — as Ms. Perky
- American Beauty (1999) — as Barbara Fitts
- The Help (2011) — as Charlotte Phelan
- The Creator (2023) — as Colonel Howell
Where to Watch Allison Janney Films
Most Allison Janney movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Allison Janney, check our movies catalogue and browse page.