
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.