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Allison Janney: New York
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Born in Dayton, Ohio, Allison Janney’s dreams of becoming an Olympic figure skater were shattered when she ran through a glass door and was badly injured. Her mother, who had studied acting at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC, encouraged Allison to pursue a career in acting instead. After graduating from the drama program at Kenyon College in Ohio, Janney went on to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. At 6 feet tall, her height proved an impediment as she often towered over her fellow actors, but eventually she began making her way into plays.
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Janney is ... no stranger to the theatre. While a freshman studying acting at Kenyon College in Ohio she auditioned for Paul Newman and got the part. Soon after, Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward suggested she study at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. She followed their advice and was later nominated for a Tony Award and won the Outer Critics Circle Award and the Drama Desk Award for Best Supporting Actress for her Broadway performance in Arthur Miller's "A View from the Bridge." In addition she has starred in the New York Public Theater's production of "Taming of the Shrew," which was part of the Shakespeare in the Park series.
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Even with her busy series� schedule, Janney finds time to work in films as well. She is currently in production on Kenneth Lonergan�s new film �Margaret,� opposite Matt Damon and Anna Paquin. In addition, she will soon be heard as the voice of �Gladys� in the upcoming animated comedy �Over the Hedge� from DreamWorks, slated for a May 2006 release. Other films for Janney this year include �Our Very Own,� which debuted in the Los Angeles Film Festival, �Winter Solstice,� �The Chumscrubber,� which received its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, and �Picadilly Jim,� which had its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.
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Janney was born in Dayton, Ohio and has two older brothers, Jay and Hal. She attended The Miami Valley School in Dayton, where she was named a distinguished alum in 2004 and the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. She then attended Kenyon College. She went on to study drama at the Neighbourhood Playhouse in New York and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.
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Janney has remained active in theater; in 1998, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge. Her first Broadway role was in Present Laughter opposite Frank Langella. In 2007, she participated in a workshop for a new musical of the film Nine to Five.[4]
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Janney was referring to her mother, who was a budding actress in New York, attended the Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and roomed with Eileen Brennan and Rue McClanahan. "She was a great one to research a role, and write a backstory for her character. She never believed in phoning it in," her proud daughter said.
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