Mary Lynn Rajskub (; born June 22, 1971) is an American actress and comedian who is best known for portraying

Chloe O'Brian Chloe O'Brian is a fictional character played by actress Mary Lynn Rajskub on the US television series '' 24''. An analyst at CTU Los Angeles (and later New York), she is Jack Bauer's most trusted colleague, often doing unconventional and unaut ...

in the action thriller series '' 24'', and the character Gail the Snail in ''

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and developed by McElhenney and Glenn Howerton that premiered on August 4, 2005 on FX and later FXX beginning with the ninth season in 2013. It stars Char ...

''. Rajskub was a regular cast member on HBO's ''

Mr. Show with Bob and David ''Mr. Show with Bob and David'', also known as ''Mr. Show'', is an American sketch comedy series starring and hosted by Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. It aired on HBO from November 3, 1995, to December 28, 1998. Cross and Odenkirk introduced mos ...

'', and she has appeared in such films as ''

Dude, Where's My Car? ''Dude, Where's My Car?'' is a 2000 American stoner comedy film directed by Danny Leiner. The film stars Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott as two best friends who find themselves unable to remember where they parked their vehicle after a nigh ...

'', ''

Sweet Home Alabama "Sweet Home Alabama" is a song by American southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released on the band's second album ''Second Helping'' (1974). It was written in response to Neil Young's 1970 song "Southern Man", which the band felt blamed the e ...

'', ''

Punch-Drunk Love ''Punch-Drunk Love'' is a 2002 American absurdist romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, and starring Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Luis Guzmán, and Mary Lynn Rajskub. It follows an entr ...

'', '' Mysterious Skin'', ''

Little Miss Sunshine ''Little Miss Sunshine'' is a 2006 American tragicomedy road film and the feature film directorial debut of the husband–wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. The screenplay was written by first-time writer Michael Arndt. The film s ...

'', ''

Sunshine Cleaning ''Sunshine Cleaning'' is a 2008 comedy-drama film written by Megan Holley and directed by Christine Jeffs. It stars Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, and Alan Arkin. The story revolves around two sisters who start a crime scene cleanup business and the var ...

'', '' Safety Not Guaranteed'', and ''

The Kings of Summer ''The Kings of Summer'' is a 2013 American independent coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts and starring Nick Robinson, Moisés Arias, Gabriel Basso, and Nick Offerman. The film premiered under its original title ''Toy' ...

'', among others.

Early life

Rajskub was raised in

Trenton, Michigan Trenton is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, United States. At the 2010 census, the city population was 18,853. A Shawnee village was built in the area by war chief Blue Jacket after the 1795 Treaty of Greenville. The area later became the site ...

, having moved there from

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

. She is the daughter of Betty and Tony Rajskub and has two older sisters. Rajskub played the clarinet in a school band and portrayed Frenchie in the musical '' Grease''. One of her childhood inspirations was the television series ''

Moonlighting Moonlighting may refer to: * Side job, a job taken in addition to one's primary employment Entertainment * ''Moonlighting'' (film), a 1982 drama film by Jerzy Skolimowski * ''Moonlighting'' (TV series), 1985–1989 American television series, s ...

''.

During the early nineties, she often performed at various open mics in San Francisco. She later moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

working as a waitress in a

Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and r ...

and a ticket-taker at the Beverly Center movie theater.

Career

Rajskub's first part was as an

Oompa-Loompa This is a list of characters in the 1964 Roald Dahl book ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'', his 1972 sequel ''Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator'', and the former's film adaptations, ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' (1971) and '' ...

in a community theater production of ''

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1971 American musical fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. It is an adaptation of the 1964 novel '' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' by Roald Dahl. The fi ...

'', and her first starring role was

Raggedy Ann Raggedy Ann is a character created by American writer Johnny Gruelle (1880–1938) that appeared in a series of books he wrote and illustrated for young children. Raggedy Ann is a rag doll with red yarn for hair and a triangle nose. Gruelle r ...

. In 1996 she appeared in music videos for the songs " The Good Life" by

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing ...

and " The New Pollution" by

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental and lo-fi style, and became known for creating musical colla ...

. Rajskub was one of the original cast members of ''

''. From 1996–1998, she had a recurring role on the HBO series ''

The Larry Sanders Show ''The Larry Sanders Show'' is an American television sitcom set in the office and studio of a fictional late-night talk show. The series was created by Garry Shandling and Dennis Klein and aired from August 15, 1992, to May 31, 1998, on the HBO ...

'' as booking assistant Mary Lou Collins. Her most notable role is CTU

systems analyst A systems analyst, also known as business technology analyst, is an information technology (IT) professional who specializes in analyzing, designing and implementing information systems. Systems analysts assess the suitability of information syst ...

on '' 24'', which she joined in 2003 at the start of the show's third season. Her character was a hit with viewers and critics and was one of the few cast members to return in the show's fourth season. After being a regular guest star for two seasons, Rajskub became a main cast member in the show's fifth season. By the end of the series, she was the lead female, with top billing second only to

Kiefer Sutherland Kiefer William Sutherland (born 21 December 1966) is a British-Canadian actor and musician. He is best known for his starring role as Jack Bauer in the Fox drama series ''24 (TV series), 24'' (2001–2010, 2014), for which he won an Emmy Award ...

. Her character also had the honor of saying the final words of the series in the season 8 series finale. Rajskub and Sutherland appeared briefly as their ''24'' characters in a 2007 episode, "

24 Minutes "24 Minutes" is the twenty-first episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 20, 2007 as part of the one-hour season finale, alon ...

", of the Fox animated series ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...

''. In August 2013, it was announced that she would reprise her Chloe O'Brian role in the 2014 limited series '' 24: Live Another Day''. Rajskub appeared in

Kelsey Grammer Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained notoriety and acclaim for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1984-1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993-2004), ...

's '' The Sketch Show'' on

Fox Television The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations and ...

, ''

The King of Queens ''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, a total of nine seasons and 207 episodes. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who also served as the show ...

'' as a character named Priscilla, and in numerous films including '' Mysterious Skin'', ''

Legally Blonde 2 ''Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde'' (also referred to simply as ''Legally Blonde 2'') is a 2003 American comedy film directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld and written by Kate Kondell. It is a sequel to the 2001 film ''Legally Blonde'' and th ...

'', ''

'', '' Man on the Moon'', ''

'', ''

The Anniversary Party ''The Anniversary Party'' is a 2001 American comedy-drama film co-written, co-directed, co-produced by, and co-starring Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming, both making their respective feature directorial debuts. It is Phoebe Cates's final film ...

'', ''

Firewall Firewall may refer to: * Firewall (computing), a technological barrier designed to prevent unauthorized or unwanted communications between computer networks or hosts * Firewall (construction), a barrier inside a building, designed to limit the spre ...

'', ''

'', music videos for

and

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three ...

, as well as portraying a blind woman in the film ''

Road Trip A road trip, sometimes spelled roadtrip, is a long-distance journey on the road. Typically, road trips are long distances travelled by automobile. History First road trips by automobile The world's first recorded long-distance road trip by ...

''.

Rajskub was part of a comic duo (with

Karen Kilgariff Karen Kilgariff (born May 11, 1970 in Petaluma, California) is an American writer, comedian, singer, author, actress, television producer, and podcast host. She began her career as a stand up comedian in the early 1990s and later became a televis ...

) called Girls Guitar Club. In 2006, she made a cameo appearance in "Partings", the 6th season finale of ''

Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel ( Rory Gilmore). The show debuted on October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flag ...

'', where she played a

trobairitz The ''trobairitz'' () were Occitan female troubadours of the 12th and 13th centuries, active from around 1170 to approximately 1260. ''Trobairitz'' is both singular and plural. The word ''trobairitz'' is first attested in the 13th-century ro ...

looking for her big break. (Rajskub had previously appeared on ''Gilmore Girls'' as the female lead in ''A Film by Kirk'', a

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

made by the character

Kirk Gleason This is a list of characters for the comedy-drama television series ''Gilmore Girls''. Main characters Lorelai Gilmore Lorelai Gilmore, played by Lauren Graham, is the only daughter of Richard and Emily Gilmore. She is the mother of Lorel ...

.) She has volunteered as an actress with the Young Storytellers Program. She has an educational background as a painter, having attended the

San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) was a private college of contemporary art in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1871, SFAI was one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. Approximately ...

. Rajskub has been nominated twice for a

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

; once in 2005, and again in 2007 for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. She guest-starred on '' Flight of the Conchords'' episode "

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

" as Karen, an Art Garfunkel fanatic. She guest-starred as "Gail the Snail" in an episode of ''

'' titled "The Gang Gives Frank an Intervention", and reprised the role in the ninth-season finale, "The Gang Squashes Their Beefs," and season thirteen's "The Gang Beats Boggs: Ladies Reboot." In 2009, she also appeared in the film ''

Julie & Julia ''Julie & Julia'' is a 2009 American biographical comedy-drama film written and directed by Nora Ephron starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, and Chris Messina. The film contrasts the life of chef Julia Child in the early years of her ...

'' as Sarah, one of Julie Powell's close friends. In 2010, Rajskub performed stand-up on ''

John Oliver's New York Stand Up Show ''John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show'' is a stand-up comedy television series that aired on Comedy Central in the United States. Hosted by British-American comedian John Oliver John William Oliver (born 23 April 1977) is a British-America ...

''. In June 2010, she appeared in the "Lovesick" episode during the second season of the USA series '' Royal Pains''. From July through October 2010, she performed in her solo show, ''Mary Lynn Spreads Her Legs'', at the

Steve Allen Theater The Steve Allen Theater at the Center for Inquiry in Hollywood, California, was a 99-seat theater which was developed by founding artistic director Amit Itelman. Moved to The Carl Sagan & Ann Druyan Theater. The Center for Inquiry is a nonprofit ...

in Los Angeles. Reviewer F. Kathleen Foley of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' wrote "that cheerfully vulgar title sums up the overall tone, which is often breezily obscene". The show, written by Rajskub with help from director/developer Amit Itelman, was inspired by Rajskub's experiences with pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood. In January 2011, Rajskub guest-starred in the episode " Our Children, Ourselves" on the second season of ABC's ''

Modern Family ''Modern Family'' is an American family sitcom television series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan for the American Broadcasting Company. It ran for 11 seasons, from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. It follows the lives of th ...

''. In the fall of 2011, Rajskub appeared in the short-lived sitcom ''

How to Be a Gentleman How may refer to: * How (greeting), a word used in some misrepresentations of Native American/First Nations speech * How, an interrogative word in English grammar Art and entertainment Literature * ''How'' (book), a 2007 book by Dov Seidma ...

.'' Also in 2011, Rajskub's web series, ''Dicki'', began airing on My Damn Channel. ''Dicki'' is based on a number of people that Rajskub grew up with in and around Michigan. The title character is a 40-year-old woman who lives at home with her parents, makes crafts, and takes her art seriously. ''Dicki'' has been one of My Damn Channel's most successful web series to date. The first season concluded in November 2011, but a second season is currently in development. Rajskub performed in the June 2012 edition of '' Don't Tell My Mother! (Live Storytelling)'', a monthly showcase in which celebrities share true stories they would never want their mothers to know. In 2012 she began hosting a podcast on the Nerdist Network called ''Kickin' it Mary Lynn Style''. In 2013, Rajskub appeared in the fourth season of ''

Arrested Development The term "arrested development" has had multiple meanings for over 200 years. In the field of medicine, the term "arrested development" was first used, ''circa'' 1835–1836, to mean a stoppage of physical development; the term continues to be use ...

'' in a silent yet well-received role as Heartfire, a character Rajskub has said "speak from the heart, but do s't use any words." In the same year Rajskub also appeared in the web series ''All Growz Up with Melinda Hill''. Rajskub appeared on Ken Reid's ''TV Guidance Counselor'' podcast on March 27, 2015. In August 2016, Rajskub appeared at the

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

in 24 Hours With Mary Lynn Rajskub and it was well-received by fans and critics. In 2017, Rajskub appeared in the first season of the Adult Swim series ''

Dream Corp LLC ''Dream Corp LLC'' is an American black comedy television series created by Daniel Stessen for Adult Swim. Dream Corp LLC is an absurdist workplace comedy set in a run-down dream therapy facility located in a dilapidated strip mall. In each ep ...

'', playing Patient 46 in the episode "Are You Down With OCD?". In 2018, Rajskub appeared in ''

Night School A night school is an adult learning school that holds classes in the evening or at night to accommodate people who work during the day. A community college or university may hold night school classes that admit undergraduates. Italy The Scuola ...

''. In 2021, Rajskub released a 49-minute comedy special called ''Mary Lynn Rajskub: Live from the Pandemic''.

Personal life

Rajskub dated

David Cross David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and writer known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series ''Mr. Show'' (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/ Netflix sitco ...

, who introduced her to ''

Mr. Show ''Mr. Show with Bob and David'', also known as ''Mr. Show'', is an American sketch comedy series starring and hosted by Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. It aired on HBO from November 3, 1995, to December 28, 1998. Cross and Odenkirk introduced mos ...

'' and left the show when they broke up after the end of the second season. Afterwards, she dated music producer

Jon Brion Jon Brion is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and composer. He performed with the Excerpts, the Bats, 'Til Tuesday and the Grays before becoming an established producer and film score composer. Brion has ...

for five years until they broke up in the fall of 2002. Rajskub later dated comedian

Duncan Trussell Charles Duncan Trussell (born April 20, 1974) is an American actor and stand-up comic, known for his podcast '' The Duncan Trussell Family Hour''. He appears on the Netflix series ''The Midnight Gospel'', and starred alongside Joe Rogan in the SY ...

. Rajskub met personal trainer Matthew Rolph when he approached her after one of her comedy sets. They began dating, and she became pregnant three months later. Their son was born in 2008. Rajskub married Rolph on August 1, 2009, in an impromptu wedding in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

. Rajskub filed for divorce in June 2019. Rajskub is bisexual and discussed her past relationships with women in an article for AfterEllen.com.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Mary Lynn Rajskub Interview on Fox News Radio

''Dicki''
a series of wepisodes written by and starring Mary Lynn Rajskub {{DEFAULTSORT:Rajskub, Mary Lynn Actresses from Michigan American film actresses American sketch comedians American stand-up comedians American television actresses American television writers Living people People from Greater Los Angeles American women comedians People from Trenton, Michigan People from Detroit 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Bisexual actresses Comedians from Michigan Bisexual comedians LGBT people from Michigan 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians Screenwriters from Michigan American women television writers Place of birth missing (living people) 1971 births American bisexual actors