Jane Adams (born April 1, 1965)[1][2][3] is an American actress and screenwriter. Known for her work in independent cinema, her acting credits include Light Sleeper (1992), Happiness (1998), Mumford (1999), Songcatcher (2000), The Anniversary Party (2001), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Little Children (2006), All the Light in the Sky (2012), and She Dies Tomorrow (2020).
Jane Adams | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 1, 1965 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Education | Juilliard School (BFA) |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, writer |
| Years active | 1985–present |
On television, she appeared in the recurring role of Dr. Mel Karnofsky on the NBC sitcom Frasier (1999–2000) and co-starred as Nikki Katz on HBO's drama series The Idol (2023). For her roles as Tanya Skagl on HBO's Hung (2009–2011), and Nina Daniels on Hacks (2021–2022) she received nominations for the Golden Globe Award, and two consecutive Primetime Emmy Award respectively.
Adams made her Broadway debut in the original production of Paul Rudnick's I Hate Hamlet in 1991 and won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Sheila Birling in the revival of J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls (1994).
Early life
editJane Adams was born in Washington, D.C. and was raised in Wheaton, Illinois, and Bellevue, Washington.[citation needed] She is the daughter of Janice, an administrative assistant, and William Adams, an engineer.[4] She has a younger brother named Jonathan.[citation needed]
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)[5] where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1989.[6][unreliable source?]
Career
editAdams 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 debut performance in a play in the Broadway production of Paul Rudnick's I Hate Hamlet.[7]
In 1996, Adams portrayed Karen Lukens in the ABC-TV drama series Relativity.[8]: 883-884
In 1998, she starred in the misanthropic dark comedy 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 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 1999 film Mumford.[9]
In 2001, she was in the independent film titled Songcatcher, with Janet McTeer. She and the cast won a Sundance Special Jury Prize.[citation needed] She also portrayed Reeva Baines Eidenberg in the CBS drama series Citizen Baines.[8] Adams has also appeared in mainstream films such as You've Got Mail (1998), Wonder Boys (2000), Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), and Last Holiday (2006). 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 to 2011, Adams co-starred in the HBO series Hung opposite Thomas Jane.[8]: 487 She starred in and co-wrote the 2012 film All the Light in the Sky with director Joe Swanberg for which she was named Best Actress at the Nashville Film Festival.[10]
Filmography
editFilm
editTelevision
edit| 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 |
| 1990 | Rising Son | Meg Bradley | Television film |
| 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 | The Outer Limits | Mona Bailey | Episode: "What Will The Neighbors Think" |
| 1999–2000 | Frasier[11] | 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" |
| 2005 | Stone Cold | Brianna Lincoln | Television film |
| 2007 | House | Bonnie | Episode: "House Training" |
| 2008 | In Plain Sight | Ruth Ferguson / Ruth Fraser | Episode: "Don of the Dead" |
| 2009–2011 | Hung | Tanya Skagle[11] | 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" |
| 2016–2019 | Easy | Annabelle Jones | 5 episodes |
| 2016 | Atlanta | Janice | Episode: "Nobody Beats the Biebs" |
| 2017 | Twin Peaks | Constance Talbot | 6 episodes |
| 2017 | Claws | Gladys Coleman Pirette | 4 episodes |
| 2018–2019 | Sneaky Pete | Maggie Murphy | 8 episodes |
| 2020 | Messiah | Miriam Keneally | 10 episodes |
| 2021–2022 | Hacks | Nina | 5 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series |
| 2023 | The Idol | Nikki Katz |
Theatre
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | I Hate Hamlet | Deirdre McDavey | Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Debut Performance |
| 1992 | The Crucible | Mary Warren | |
| 1994 | An Inspector Calls | Sheila Birling | |
| 2003 | Enchanted April | Rose Arnott | Replacement |
| 2004 | Match | Lisa | |
| 2006 | Resurrection Blues | Emily Shapiro |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Clarence Derwent Awards | Best Supporting Female | Won | |
| 1998 | National Board of Review | National Board of Review Award for Best Cast | Happiness | Won |
| 2000 | Sundance Film Festival | Special Jury Prize | Songcatcher | Won |
| 2010 | 67th Golden Globe Awards | Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Hung | Nominated |
| Women's Image Network Awards | Actress Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| 2013 | Nashville Film Festival | Best Actress in a Narrative Feature | All the Light in the Sky | Won |
| 2020 | Florida Film Critics Circle | Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress | She Dies Tomorrow | Nominated |
| 2021 | 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Hacks | Nominated |
| 2022 | 74th Primetime Emmy Awards | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ Jacobs, Jill (June 27, 2009). "All 'Hung' Up". New York Post. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
Adams, 44
- ^ Schneller, Johanna (September 29, 2016). "On Easy, the plight of the 'not really beautiful'". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
Jane Adams, 51
- ^ Boone, Ashley (August 30, 2020). "Jane Adams: 'This whole idea of stay safe – life's never been safe'". The Independent. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
Adams, 55, has reaffirmed her indie cred with She Dies Tomorrow.
- ^ "Janice Adams Obituary - Seattle, WA | The Seattle Times". Legacy.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved Sep 23, 2019.
- ^ "Alumni News". The Juilliard School. March 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11.
- ^ "Jane Adams biography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
- ^ "Awards for 1990-1991". Outer Critics Circle. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
- ^ a b c Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
- ^ "'Mumford' (R)". www.washingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on 2000-08-18. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
- ^ Arnold, Joel (2013-12-20). "For An Actress In Eclipse, 'All The Light' She Can Grasp". NPR. Archived from the original on 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
- ^ a b c d e Lee, Luaine (September 26, 2011). "'I got lucky,' says Jane Adams". The Evening Sun. Pennsylvania, Hanover. McClatchy-Tribune News Service. p. 9. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Kuchwara, Michael (13 June 1994). "AIDS play and 'Passion' win big Tonys". The Honolulu Advertiser. No. 48, 120 (Final ed.). Honolulu, Hawaii: Gannett Pacific. Associated Press. p. B3. Archived from the original on 4 January 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
edit- Jane Adams at IMDb
- Jane Adams at AllMovie
- Jane Adams at the Internet Broadway Database
