Born: October 11, 1968, Parsippany, New Jersey, USA
Early days. She is of Polish lineage. Her father, Ed, is an engineer, while her mother, Barbara, was a school teacher; both parents had active roles in the Montville, NJ community theater. Jane began taking dancing lessons when she turned 3. At age 13, she enrolled in New York City's prestigious Professional Children's School. Other alumni of the school include Uma Thurman, Sarah Jessica Parker and Christina Ricci. Krakowski attended Parsippany High School.
Television. In her first major television role, Krakowski joined the soap opera Search for Tomorrow in 1984, playing the role of Theresa Rebecca Kendall, a role she played until the show ended in 1986. She was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for the role in 1987. She also appeared in made-for-TV movies like When We Were Young (1989) and Women & Men 2 (1991), and in the TV miniseries Queen (1993). In 1996, Jane starred opposite Brendan Fraser in Mrs. Winterbourne and with Sarah Jessica Parker in the unsuccessful Broadway musical, Once Upon A Mattress. The following year, her career finally took off when she landed one of the coveted female roles on TV's smash hit, Ally McBeal, as nosy secretary Elaine Vassal, for five seasons until 2002. Jane also lent her vocal talents to the Ally McBeal Christmas CD. This role
earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1999. In 2006, Krakowski joined the cast of the new NBC sitcom 30 Rock, where she plays Jenna Maroney, a cast member of the fictional late night sketch show TGS.
Film. Krakowski appeared in 1983 National Lampoon's Vacation, 1987 Fatal Attraction (alongside Glenn Close and Michael Douglas), 2000 The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, Starlight Express, 2002 she did voice work for the animated film Ice Age, 2003 Marci X (with Lisa Kudrow), 2004 Alfie (alongside Jude Law), 1999 Go, 1998 Dance With Me, 2005 Pretty Persuasion and will appear in the upcoming movie Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Mystery. Her next major film project, titled Simply Halston (2005), will showcase her acting and singing talents; she will portray theater icon Liza Minnelli alongside Alec Baldwin.
Stage. Krakowski 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. 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 January of 2002, Windham Hill Records released a Jim Brickman album titled Love Songs & Lullabies featuring Jane as a vocalist for the song "You", which became a hit on adult contemporary radio stations. Brickman and Krakowski also recorded an alternative Christmas version of "You". In 2003, she starred in the Broadway revival of Nine (with Antonio Banderas)for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress. In 2005, she starred as Miss Adelaide alongside Ewan McGregor in the new production of Guys and Dolls in London (Piccadilly Theatre) for which she won the 2006 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Krakowski played "Wanda" in the video for the Dixie Chicks' song Goodbye Earl in 2000.
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