Jane Krakowski
Encyclopedia
Jane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal
, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award
, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney
on the NBC
sitcom 30 Rock
, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy Awards
. She also regularly performs on the stage and won a Tony Award
for her performance in the Broadway revival of Nine
and an Olivier Award for Guys and Dolls
in London's West End
.
, New Jersey
. Her mother, Barbara (née Benoit), is a college theater instructor and producing artistic director for the Women's Theater Company, and her father, Ed Krajkowski, is a chemical engineer. She has an older brother. Krakowski's father's family is entirely Polish and comes from Kraków
, and although she only knows a few words in Polish, her father and grandparents are fluent. Krakowski was a childhood classmate of astronaut Garrett Reisman
.
Krakowski grew up immersed in the local theater scene as a result of her parents' activities, saying in one interview, "Instead of hiring baby sitters, they brought me along with them." She took ballet
lessons from age four, but later stopped because she was the wrong body shape, instead moving more towards Broadway
dancing. She attended the Professional Children's School
in New York City.
She dropped the "j" from the family last name when she began working as an actress.
Search for Tomorrow
in 1984, playing the role of Theresa Rebecca (T.R.) Kendall, a role she played until the show ended in 1986. She was nominated for two consecutive Daytime Emmy Awards for the role in 1986 and 1987.
In 1996, she made an appearance on the television series Early Edition
as Dr. Handleman (season 1, episode 3 "Baby").
In 1997, she played office assistant Elaine Vassal on the television series Ally McBeal
for five seasons until 2002; her role earned her a Golden Globe Award
nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1999. In 2003, Krakowski guest-starred in the TV drama Everwood
as psychologist Dr Gretchen Trott, a love interest for Treat Williams
' Dr Andrew Brown. In 2004, she guest starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
as Emma Spevak, a serial killer
of elderly women. In 2006, Krakowski was cast in the NBC
sitcom 30 Rock
, where she plays Jenna Maroney
, a cast member of the fictional late night sketch
show TGS with Tracy Jordan. In 2009, 2010 and 2011, she received Emmy nominations for her role in 30 Rock.
; she has also appeared in Fatal Attraction
, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas
(where she played Betty Rubble
), Marci X
, Alfie
, Go
, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, Dance with Me
, Stepping Out
, Pretty Persuasion
, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
, and Mom at Sixteen. Krakowski was originally cast in the horror film
Sleepaway Camp
, but dropped out just before filming began because she felt her character's death scene with a curling iron was so violent. She appeared in When Zachary Beaver Came to Town
as a mother who wants to become a singer. In 2004, she starred in Alan Menken
's TV movie version of A Christmas Carol
, featured as The Ghost of Christmas Past.
_(cropped).jpg)
A trained singer, Krakowski has made numerous appearances on stage. At age 18 she originated the role of Dinah the Dining Car
in the 1987 Broadway
production of Starlight Express
. She appeared in the 1989 Broadway musical Grand Hotel
as the typist and would-be-film-star Flaemmchen, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. Her solo number "I Want to go to Hollywood" is included on the original cast recording. At the 2000 American Comedy Awards
, Krakowski won rave reviews when she performed a sexually-charged musical tribute and love letter to Microsoft
chairman, Bill Gates
.
In 1995, she played the ditzy flight attendant
April in The Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of Company
. In 1996, she starred alongside Sarah Jessica Parker
in the Broadway revival of Once Upon a Mattress
.
In January 2002, Windham Hill Records
released a Jim Brickman
album titled Love Songs & Lullabies featuring Krakowski as a vocalist for the song "You", which became a hit on adult contemporary radio stations. Brickman and Krakowski also recorded an alternate Christmas version of the song. She also appeared on the album Broadway Cares: Home For The Holidays, singing the song "Santa Baby
".
In 2003, she starred in the Broadway revival of Nine
playing Carla, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress. Krakowski is known for her famous anti-gravity stunt during the number "A Call From The Vatican". Krakowski and the director struggled finding a company that would let her do air stunts without a harness; Krakowski came up with the idea of using the method previously portrayed in Broadway Bares. Krakowski recalled that the material took a long time to arrive, and the second time she ever did it was on the first performance.
In 2005, she starred as Miss Adelaide alongside Ewan McGregor
in the new production of Guys and Dolls in London (Piccadilly Theatre) a role for which she won the 2006 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
In 2005, she performed a cabaret show called Better When It's Banned, which featured various songs deemed racy from the 1920s and '30s.
Krakowski performed in a January 2007 workshop production and backers' audition for a Broadway musical adaption of the 1980 film, Xanadu
, with music from the film's soundtrack and a book by Douglas Carter Beane
. Xanadu premiered on Broadway summer 2007, although Krakowski's role is played by Kerry Butler
.
In 2008, Krakowski starred as Lola in New York City Center
's production of Damn Yankees
opposite Sean Hayes
and Cheyenne Jackson
.
On July 30 and 31 of 2009, Krakowski played the title character in a reading of Mrs. Sharp, with music and lyrics by Ryan Scott Oliver
and book by Kirsten A. Guenther, at Playwrights Horizons.
, whom she met at a screening for Children of Men
in 2006. Before that, she dated Julian Ovenden
.
She married Robert Godley in 2010. On April 13, 2011, their son, Bennett Robert Godley, was born.
s called Laziest Gal in Town — on DRG Records.
Selected recordings include:
Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, played by Jane Krakowski.-Fictional biography:Jenna was born Ystrepa Grokovitz on February 24, 1969 and grew up in Bakersfield...
on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy Awards
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
. She also regularly performs on the stage and won a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for her performance in the Broadway revival of Nine
Nine (musical)
Nine is a musical with a book by Arthur Kopit, music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. The story is based on Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical film 8½...
and an Olivier Award for Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure", two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, most notably...
in London's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
.
Early life
Krakowski was born Jane Krajkowski in ParsippanyParsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey
Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, commonly called Parsippany, is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 50,649. The name Parsippany comes from the Lenape Native American word parsipanong, which means "the place where...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Her mother, Barbara (née Benoit), is a college theater instructor and producing artistic director for the Women's Theater Company, and her father, Ed Krajkowski, is a chemical engineer. She has an older brother. Krakowski's father's family is entirely Polish and comes from Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, and although she only knows a few words in Polish, her father and grandparents are fluent. Krakowski was a childhood classmate of astronaut Garrett Reisman
Garrett Reisman
Garrett Erin Reisman is an American engineer and former NASA astronaut. He was a backup crew member for Expedition 15 and joined Expedition 16 aboard the International Space Station for a short time before becoming a member of Expedition 17. He returned to Earth 14 June 2008 on board STS-124 on...
.
Krakowski grew up immersed in the local theater scene as a result of her parents' activities, saying in one interview, "Instead of hiring baby sitters, they brought me along with them." She took ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
lessons from age four, but later stopped because she was the wrong body shape, instead moving more towards Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
dancing. She attended the Professional Children's School
Professional Children's School
Professional Children's School is a not for profit, college preparatory school that was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an education to young people working on the New York stage, in Vaudeville, or "on the road."-History:...
in New York City.
She dropped the "j" from the family last name when she began working as an actress.
Television
In her first major television role, Krakowski joined the soap operaSoap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow is an American soap opera which premiered on September 3, 1951 on CBS. The show was moved from CBS to NBC on March 29, 1982. It continued on NBC until the final episode aired on December 26, 1986, a run of thirty-five years. At the time of its final broadcast it was the...
in 1984, playing the role of Theresa Rebecca (T.R.) Kendall, a role she played until the show ended in 1986. She was nominated for two consecutive Daytime Emmy Awards for the role in 1986 and 1987.
In 1996, she made an appearance on the television series Early Edition
Early Edition
Early Edition is an American television series that aired on CBS from September 28, 1996 to May 27, 2000. Set in the city of Chicago, Illinois, it follows the adventures of a man who mysteriously receives each Chicago Sun-Times newspaper the day before it is actually published, and who uses this...
as Dr. Handleman (season 1, episode 3 "Baby").
In 1997, she played office assistant Elaine Vassal on the television series Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
for five seasons until 2002; her role earned her a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1999. In 2003, Krakowski guest-starred in the TV drama Everwood
Everwood
Everwood is an American drama television series that initially aired in the United States on The WB. The series is set in the fictional small town of Everwood, Colorado, and was filmed in Ogden, South Salt Lake, and Draper, Utah, except the series pilot which was filmed in Canmore, Alberta,...
as psychologist Dr Gretchen Trott, a love interest for Treat Williams
Treat Williams
Richard Treat Williams is a Screen Actors Guild Award–nominated American actor and children's book author who has appeared on film, stage and television...
' Dr Andrew Brown. In 2004, she guest starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
as Emma Spevak, a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
of elderly women. In 2006, Krakowski was cast in the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, where she plays Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, played by Jane Krakowski.-Fictional biography:Jenna was born Ystrepa Grokovitz on February 24, 1969 and grew up in Bakersfield...
, a cast member of the fictional late night sketch
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
show TGS with Tracy Jordan. In 2009, 2010 and 2011, she received Emmy nominations for her role in 30 Rock.
Film
Krakowski made her film debut in National Lampoon's VacationNational Lampoon's Vacation
Vacation, sometimes referred as National Lampoon's Vacation, is a 1983 comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, Dana Barron and Anthony Michael Hall...
; she has also appeared in Fatal Attraction
Fatal Attraction
Fatal Attraction is a 1987 American thriller blended with horror, directed by Adrian Lyne and stars Michael Douglas, Glenn Close and Anne Archer. The film centers around a married man who has a weekend affair with a woman who refuses to allow it to end, resulting in emotional blackmail, stalking...
, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas is a 2000 comedy film and prequel to 1994's The Flintstones based on the hit cartoon series of the same name, produced by Amblin Entertainment and Hanna-Barbera and distributed by Universal Studios...
(where she played Betty Rubble
Betty Rubble
Elizabeth 'Betty' Jean Rubble is a fictional character in the television animated series The Flintstones and its spin-offs and live-action motion pictures. She is the black-haired wife of caveman Barney Rubble and the adoptive mother of Bamm-Bamm Rubble...
), Marci X
Marci X
Marci X is a 2003 romantic comedy film, directed by Richard Benjamin and written by Paul Rudnick. It stars Lisa Kudrow as Jewish-American Princess Marci Feld, who has to take control of a hip-hop record label, as well as the controversial rapper Dr S, played by Damon Wayans.The film also featured...
, Alfie
Alfie (2004 film)
Alfie is a 2004 British/American comedy-drama film based on the 1966 British film of the same name, starring Jude Law as the title character, originally played by Michael Caine. The film was written, directed and produced by Charles Shyer.-Plot:...
, Go
Go (1999 film)
Go is a 1999 comedy thriller film written by John August and directed by Doug Liman, with three intertwining plots that happen to involve one drug deal. The film stars William Fichtner, Katie Holmes, Jay Mohr, Sarah Polley and Scott Wolf and features Taye Diggs, Breckin Meyer, Timothy Olyphant,...
, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, Dance with Me
Dance with Me (film)
Dance with Me is a 1998 drama film on love and dance directed by Randa Haines and starring Vanessa L. Williams and Puerto Rican singer Chayanne.-Plot:...
, Stepping Out
Stepping Out (1991 film)
Stepping Out is a 1991 musical-comedy film directed by Lewis Gilbert, starring Liza Minnelli, written by Richard Harris and based on a play also written by Harris. Minnelli plays the role of a has-been Broadway performer who gives tap lesson to a group of misfits who, through their dance classes,...
, Pretty Persuasion
Pretty Persuasion
Pretty Persuasion is a 2005 American black comedy/satirical film about a 15-year-old schoolgirl who makes an allegation of sexual harassment against her drama teacher. The film's tagline is: "Revenge knows no mercy." It was written by Skander Halim and directed by Marcos Siega...
, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl is a 2008 American comedy-drama film directed by Patricia Rozema. The screenplay by Ann Peacock focuses on the American Girl character Kit Kittredge, who lives in Cincinnati, Ohio during the Great Depression...
, and Mom at Sixteen. Krakowski was originally cast in the horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
Sleepaway Camp
Sleepaway Camp
Sleepaway Camp is a 1983 cult classic slasher film written and directed by Robert Hiltzik—who also served as executive producer. The film is about teen campers getting killed at a summer camp...
, but dropped out just before filming began because she felt her character's death scene with a curling iron was so violent. She appeared in When Zachary Beaver Came to Town
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town is a 2003 children's movie starring Jonathan Lipnicki and Cody Linley, based on the children's book of the same name by Kimberly Willis Holt.-Plot:...
as a mother who wants to become a singer. In 2004, she starred in Alan Menken
Alan Menken
Alan Menken is an American musical theatre and film composer and pianist.Menken is best known for his numerous scores for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas have each won him two Academy Awards...
's TV movie version of A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol (2004 film)
A Christmas Carol, also known as A Christmas Carol: The Musical, is a 2004 television film based on a 1994 stage musical of the same name, with songs written by Alan Menken and Lynn Ahrens . The musical is based on Charles Dickens' famous 1843 novella of the same name, produced by Hallmark...
, featured as The Ghost of Christmas Past.
Stage
Dinah the Dining Car
Dinah is the sweet, Southern and lovable dining car from Starlight Express. She is hopelessly in love with Greaseball and her best friend is Pearl the observation car. She races with Greaseball during the 1st Heat but when she complains about his cheating afterwards, he uncouples her and races...
in the 1987 Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production of Starlight Express
Starlight Express
Starlight Express is a rock musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber , Richard Stilgoe and Arlene Phillips , with later revisions by Don Black and David Yazbek . The story follows a child's dream in which his toy train set comes to life; famously the actors perform wearing roller skates...
. She appeared in the 1989 Broadway musical Grand Hotel
Grand Hotel (musical)
Grand Hotel is a musical with a book by Luther Davis and music and lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest, with additional lyrics and music by Maury Yeston....
as the typist and would-be-film-star Flaemmchen, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. Her solo number "I Want to go to Hollywood" is included on the original cast recording. At the 2000 American Comedy Awards
American Comedy Awards
The American Comedy Awards were a group of awards presented annually in the United States from 1987 to 2001 recognizing performances and performers in the field of comedy, with an emphasis on television comedy and comedy films...
, Krakowski won rave reviews when she performed a sexually-charged musical tribute and love letter to Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
chairman, Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
.
In 1995, she played the ditzy flight attendant
Flight attendant
Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
April in The Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of Company
Company (musical)
Company is a musical with a book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The original production was nominated for a record-setting fourteen Tony Awards and won six....
. In 1996, she starred alongside Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker is an American film, television, and theater actress and producer.She is best known for her leading role as Carrie Bradshaw on the HBO television series Sex and the City , for which she won four Golden Globe Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Emmy Awards...
in the Broadway revival of Once Upon a Mattress
Once Upon a Mattress
Once Upon a Mattress is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway...
.
In January 2002, Windham Hill Records
Windham Hill Records
Windham Hill Records is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment specializing in Acoustic, New Age and Folk music. Originally founded in 1976 as an Independent record label by guitarist and carpenter William Ackerman and his then-wife Anne Robinson, Windham Hill was a successful and well-respected...
released a Jim Brickman
Jim Brickman
Jim Brickman is an American songwriter and pianist. He has been named the most charted male Adult Contemporary artist to date, with six of his albums receiving Gold and Platinum status. He is known for his solo piano compositions, pop-style instrumentals, and vocal collaborations with artists...
album titled Love Songs & Lullabies featuring Krakowski as a vocalist for the song "You", which became a hit on adult contemporary radio stations. Brickman and Krakowski also recorded an alternate Christmas version of the song. She also appeared on the album Broadway Cares: Home For The Holidays, singing the song "Santa Baby
Santa Baby
"Santa Baby" is a 1953 Christmas song written by Joan Javits and Philip Springer. Although Tony Springer is listed as co-writer, he was a legal fiction created for purposes of membership in the performing rights organization BMI.The song is a tongue-in-cheek look at a Christmas list sung by a...
".
In 2003, she starred in the Broadway revival of Nine
Nine (musical)
Nine is a musical with a book by Arthur Kopit, music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. The story is based on Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical film 8½...
playing Carla, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress. Krakowski is known for her famous anti-gravity stunt during the number "A Call From The Vatican". Krakowski and the director struggled finding a company that would let her do air stunts without a harness; Krakowski came up with the idea of using the method previously portrayed in Broadway Bares. Krakowski recalled that the material took a long time to arrive, and the second time she ever did it was on the first performance.
In 2005, she starred as Miss Adelaide alongside Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
in the new production of Guys and Dolls in London (Piccadilly Theatre) a role for which she won the 2006 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
In 2005, she performed a cabaret show called Better When It's Banned, which featured various songs deemed racy from the 1920s and '30s.
Krakowski performed in a January 2007 workshop production and backers' audition for a Broadway musical adaption of the 1980 film, Xanadu
Xanadu (film)
Xanadu is a 1980 romantic musical fantasy film written by Marc Reid Rubel and directed by Robert Greenwald. The title is a reference to the poem "Kubla Khan, or, A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which is quoted in the film. Xanadu is the name of the Chinese province...
, with music from the film's soundtrack and a book by Douglas Carter Beane
Douglas Carter Beane
Douglas Carter Beane is an American playwright and screenwriter. Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, Beane now lives in New York...
. Xanadu premiered on Broadway summer 2007, although Krakowski's role is played by Kerry Butler
Kerry Butler
Kerry Marie Butler is an American actress known primarily for her work in theatre.-Early life and career:...
.
In 2008, Krakowski starred as Lola in New York City Center
New York City Center
New York City Center is a 2,750-seat Moorish Revival theater located at 131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan, New York City. It is one block south of Carnegie Hall...
's production of Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees is a musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League...
opposite Sean Hayes
Sean Hayes (actor)
Sean Patrick Hayes is an American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his role as Jack McFarland in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, for which he won an Emmy Award, four SAG Awards, one American Comedy Award, and six Golden Globes nominations.He also portrayed comedian Jerry Lewis in the...
and Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson is an American actor and singer. He started in regional theater when he moved to Seattle, and after moving to New York City, made his 2002 Broadway theatre debut understudying both male leads in the Tony Award-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie...
.
On July 30 and 31 of 2009, Krakowski played the title character in a reading of Mrs. Sharp, with music and lyrics by Ryan Scott Oliver
Ryan Scott Oliver
Ryan Scott Oliver is a musical theatre composer and lyricist. He is the recipient of both the 2009 Jonathan Larson Grant and the 2008 Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater. He received his B.A. in Music Composition from UCLA and his M.F.A. in Musical Theatre Writing from the Tisch School of...
and book by Kirsten A. Guenther, at Playwrights Horizons.
Other works
- Krakowski played "Wanda" in the video for the Dixie ChicksDixie ChicksThe Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines...
' song "Goodbye EarlGoodbye Earl"Goodbye Earl", written by Dennis Linde, is a country music song. Initially recorded by the band Sons of the Desert for an unreleased album in the late 1990s, the song gained fame when it was recorded by the Dixie Chicks on their second studio album featuring Natalie Maines as lead vocalist on...
" in 2000, alongside Dennis FranzDennis FranzDennis Franz is an American actor best known for his role as Andy Sipowicz, a hard-boiled police detective in the television series NYPD Blue. He previously appeared as Lt...
and Lauren HollyLauren HollyLauren Michael Holly is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the TV series Picket Fences, as Mary Swanson in the 1994 film Dumb & Dumber, and as Jenny Shepard on the TV series NCIS. She was married to comic actor Jim Carrey from 1996 to... - Guest starred in an episode of Due SouthDue SouthDue South is a Canadian crime drama series with elements of comedy. The series was created by Paul Haggis, produced by Alliance Communications, and stars Paul Gross, David Marciano, and latterly Callum Keith Rennie...
opposite Paul GrossPaul GrossPaul Michael Gross is a Canadian actor, producer, director, singer and writer born in Calgary, Alberta. He is known for his lead role as Constable Benton Fraser in the television series Due South as well as his 2008 war film Passchendaele, which he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in...
.
Personal life
In 2007, it was reported that Krakowski was in a relationship with English documentarian Marc SingerMarc Singer (documentarian)
Marc Singer is an English documentary filmmaker. He was born and raised in London, England and moved to Florida, United States, when he was 16. After graduating high school, he moved to New York City....
, whom she met at a screening for Children of Men
Children of Men
Children of Men is a 2006 science fiction film loosely adapted from P. D. James's 1992 novel The Children of Men, directed by Alfonso Cuarón. In 2027, two decades of human infertility have left society on the brink of collapse. Illegal immigrants seek sanctuary in England, where the last...
in 2006. Before that, she dated Julian Ovenden
Julian Ovenden
Julian Ovenden is an English stage, television and film actor and singer. He is one of three children of Canon John Ovenden, chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II....
.
She married Robert Godley in 2010. On April 13, 2011, their son, Bennett Robert Godley, was born.
Recordings
Krakowski released her debut solo album on July 15, 2010 — an album of cover versionCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s called Laziest Gal in Town — on DRG Records.
Selected recordings include:
- 1992: Grand Hotel, Studio Cast Recording (Mostly Original Broadway Cast)
- 1995: Company, Broadway Revival Cast Recording
- 1997: Once Upon a Mattress, Broadway Revival Cast Recording
- 1997: Sondheim at the Movies (singing the Academy Award-winning song "Sooner or LaterSooner or Later (Madonna song)"Sooner or Later" is a song recorded by the American pop singer Madonna, and written by the American composer Stephen Sondheim, for the 1990 film, Dick Tracy...
" from Dick Tracy) - 1998: The Burt Bacharach Album
- 2002: A Broadway Valentine
- 2003: Nine, Broadway Revival Cast Recording
- 2004: A Christmas Carol, Television Cast Recording
- 2010: The Laziest Gal in Town, solo album
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | National Lampoon's Vacation National Lampoon's Vacation Vacation, sometimes referred as National Lampoon's Vacation, is a 1983 comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, Dana Barron and Anthony Michael Hall... |
Cousin Vicki | |
| 1987 | Fatal Attraction Fatal Attraction Fatal Attraction is a 1987 American thriller blended with horror, directed by Adrian Lyne and stars Michael Douglas, Glenn Close and Anne Archer. The film centers around a married man who has a weekend affair with a woman who refuses to allow it to end, resulting in emotional blackmail, stalking... |
Babysitter | |
| 1991 | Stepping Out Stepping Out (1991 film) Stepping Out is a 1991 musical-comedy film directed by Lewis Gilbert, starring Liza Minnelli, written by Richard Harris and based on a play also written by Harris. Minnelli plays the role of a has-been Broadway performer who gives tap lesson to a group of misfits who, through their dance classes,... |
Lynne | |
| 1996 | Mrs. Winterbourne Mrs. Winterbourne Mrs. Winterbourne is a 1996 romantic comedy/drama starring Shirley MacLaine, Ricki Lake, and Brendan Fraser. The film is loosely based on Cornell Woolrich's novel I Married a Dead Man, which has already been filmed in Hollywood as No Man of Her Own starring Barbara Stanwyck, and in Bollywood as... |
Christine | |
| 1998 | Dance With Me Dance with Me (film) Dance with Me is a 1998 drama film on love and dance directed by Randa Haines and starring Vanessa L. Williams and Puerto Rican singer Chayanne.-Plot:... |
Patricia | |
| 1999 | Go Go (1999 film) Go is a 1999 comedy thriller film written by John August and directed by Doug Liman, with three intertwining plots that happen to involve one drug deal. The film stars William Fichtner, Katie Holmes, Jay Mohr, Sarah Polley and Scott Wolf and features Taye Diggs, Breckin Meyer, Timothy Olyphant,... |
Irene | |
| 2000 | Betty O'Shale | ||
| 2002 | Ice Age Ice Age (film) Ice Age is a 2002 American computer-animated film created by Blue Sky Studios and released by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Carlos Saldanha and Chris Wedge from a story by Michael J. Wilson. The story follows three Paleolithical mammals attempting to return a lost human baby to its parents... |
Female Sloth | Voice |
| 2003 | Marci X Marci X Marci X is a 2003 romantic comedy film, directed by Richard Benjamin and written by Paul Rudnick. It stars Lisa Kudrow as Jewish-American Princess Marci Feld, who has to take control of a hip-hop record label, as well as the controversial rapper Dr S, played by Damon Wayans.The film also featured... |
Lauren Farb | |
| 2003 | When Zachary Beaver Came to Town When Zachary Beaver Came to Town When Zachary Beaver Came to Town is a 2003 children's movie starring Jonathan Lipnicki and Cody Linley, based on the children's book of the same name by Kimberly Willis Holt.-Plot:... |
Heather | |
| 2004 | Alfie Alfie (2004 film) Alfie is a 2004 British/American comedy-drama film based on the 1966 British film of the same name, starring Jude Law as the title character, originally played by Michael Caine. The film was written, directed and produced by Charles Shyer.-Plot:... |
Dorie | |
| 2004 | Ghost of Christmas Past | ||
| 2005 | Pretty Persuasion Pretty Persuasion Pretty Persuasion is a 2005 American black comedy/satirical film about a 15-year-old schoolgirl who makes an allegation of sexual harassment against her drama teacher. The film's tagline is: "Revenge knows no mercy." It was written by Skander Halim and directed by Marcos Siega... |
Emily Klein | |
| 2005 | Mom at Sixteen | Donna Cooper | |
| 2006 | Open Season Open Season (film) Open Season is a 2006 computer-animated comedy film, written by Steve Bencich and Ron J. Friedman and directed by Jill Culton, Roger Allers, and Anthony Stacchi, and production designed by Michael Humphries... |
Giselle | Voice |
| 2007 | Surf's Up Surf's Up (film) Surf's Up is a 2007 American computer-animated mockumentary family comedy film directed by Ash Brannon and Chris Buck. It stars the voices of Shia LaBeouf, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel and Jon Heder among others.... |
Sheila Limberfin | Deleted scenes |
| 2008 | Carol | ||
| 2008 | Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Kit Kittredge: An American Girl is a 2008 American comedy-drama film directed by Patricia Rozema. The screenplay by Ann Peacock focuses on the American Girl character Kit Kittredge, who lives in Cincinnati, Ohio during the Great Depression... |
Miss May Dooley | |
| 2008 | Open Season 2 Open Season 2 Open Season 2 is a direct-to-video sequel to the 2006 computer animated film Open Season, produced by Sony Pictures Animation, directed by Matthew O'Callaghan, co-directed by Todd Wilderman, and produced by Kirk Bodyfelt and Matthew O'Callaghan.... |
Giselle | Direct-to-video Direct-to-video Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television... Voice |
| 2009 | Bygone Days: An Ally McBeal Retrospective | Elaine | |
| 2009 | Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant | Corma Limbs |
Television work
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–Present | 30 Rock 30 Rock 30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live... |
Jenna Maroney Jenna Maroney Jenna Maroney is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, played by Jane Krakowski.-Fictional biography:Jenna was born Ystrepa Grokovitz on February 24, 1969 and grew up in Bakersfield... |
Series Regular |
| 2006 | Sex, Love, Power and Politics | Sloan | TV Movie |
| 2003 | Law and Order: Special Victims Unit | Emma Spevak | Episode: "Bound" |
| 1997–2002 | Ally McBeal Ally McBeal Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia... |
Elaine | Series Regular |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Title | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series | Search for Tomorrow | |
| 1987 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series | ||
| 1990 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Grand Hotel | |
| Tony Award | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | |||
| 1998 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Ally McBeal | |
| 1999 | Golden Globe Award | Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series, Mini Series or TV Movie | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | |||
| 2000 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | ||
| 2001 | Satellite Award | Best Actress in a TV Series: Comedy or Musical | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | |||
| 2003 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Nine | |
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | |||
| Tony Award | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | |||
| 2006 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best Leading Actress in a Musical | Guys and Dolls | |
| 2008 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | 30 Rock | |
| 2009 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | |||
| 2010 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | |||
| 2011 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | |||
| Critics Choice TV Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series |