Jane Adams (born April 1, 1965)
is an American actress and screenwriter. Known for her work in
independent cinema, her acting credits include ''
Light Sleeper'' (1992), ''
Happiness
Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...
'' (1998), ''
Mumford'' (1999), ''
Songcatcher'' (2000), ''
The Anniversary Party'' (2001), ''
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
''Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' is a 2004 American surrealist science fiction romantic drama film directed by Michel Gondry and written by Charlie Kaufman from a story by Gondry, Kaufman, and Pierre Bismuth. Starring Jim Carrey a ...
'' (2004), ''
Little Children'' (2006), ''
All the Light in the Sky'' (2012), and ''
She Dies Tomorrow'' (2020).
On television, she appeared in the recurring role of Dr. Mel Karnofsky on the
NBC sitcom
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
''
Frasier
''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Casey, and David Lee (scr ...
'' (1999–2000) and co-starred as Nikki Katz on
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
's drama series ''
The Idol'' (2023). For her role as Tanya Skagl on HBO's ''
Hung'' (2009–2011) she received a nomination for the
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
. She was nominated for two
Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series – in 2021 and 2022 – for portraying Nina Daniels on the HBO series ''
Hacks'' (2021).
Adams made her
Broadway debut in the original production of
Paul Rudnick
Paul Rudnick (born December 29, 1957) is an American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and essayist. His plays have been produced on and off Broadway theatre, Broadway. He wrote the screenplays for ''Sister Act'', ''Addams Family Values'', Jef ...
's ''
I Hate Hamlet'' in 1991 and won a
Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play
The Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actresses for quality supporting roles in a Broadway theatre, ...
for her portrayal of Sheila Birling in the revival of
J. B. Priestley's ''
An Inspector Calls'' (1994).
Early life
Jane Adams is the daughter of Janice, an
administrative assistant, and William Adams, an engineer. She attended the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...
, where she studied
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
, and the
Cornish College of the Arts
Cornish College of the Arts (CCA) was a Private college, private art school, art college in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1914 by music teacher Nellie Cornish. The college's main campus is in the Denny Triangle, Seattle, Denny Triangle ...
, where she took theater. She attended the
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...
's Drama Division (1985–1989, Group 18) where she graduated with a
Bachelor of Fine Arts
A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students pursuing a professional education in the visual arts, Fine art, or performing arts. In some instances, it is also called a Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA).
Background ...
degree in 1989.
Career
Adams 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
Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...
onstage.
She worked with
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician. Known for Steve Martin filmography, his work in comedy films, television, and #Discography, recording, he has received List of awards a ...
and
Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton (née Hall; born January 5, 1946) is an American actress. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Diane Keaton, various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, including an Academy Award, a Bri ...
in ''
Father of the Bride Part II''. She went back to the stage and won the 1994
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
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
Paul Rudnick (born December 29, 1957) is an American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and essayist. His plays have been produced on and off Broadway theatre, Broadway. He wrote the screenplays for ''Sister Act'', ''Addams Family Values'', Jef ...
's ''I Hate Hamlet''.
In 1996, Adams portrayed Karen Lukens in the ABC-TV drama series ''
Relativity''.
In 1998, she starred in the
misanthropic dark comedy
Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
''
Happiness
Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...
'' 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
''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Casey, and David Lee (scr ...
'' 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''.
In 2001, she was in the independent film titled ''
Songcatcher'', with
Janet McTeer. She and the cast won a
Sundance Special Jury Prize. She also portrayed Reeva Baines Eidenberg in the CBS drama series ''Citizen Baines''.
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
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. Foster started her career as a child actor before establishing herself as leading actress in film. She has received List of awards and nominations re ...
,
Terrence Howard
Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor performing on film and television. He has received a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a Golden ...
,
Mary Steenburgen and
Naveen Andrews
Naveen William Sidney Andrews (born 17 January 1969) is a British-American actor. He is best known for his role as Sayid Jarrah in the television series '' Lost'' (2004–2010), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Primet ...
.
From 2009 to 2011, Adams co-starred in the
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
series ''
Hung'' opposite
Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane (born Thomas Elliott III; February 22, 1969) is an American actor. Born and raised in Maryland, Jane's film career started with the Telugu-language romantic comedy '' Padamati Sandhya Ragam'' (1987). His other early films included ...
. 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.
Filmography
Film
Television
Theatre
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Jane
1965 births
Living people
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from Washington, D.C.
American film actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
Cornish College of the Arts alumni
Juilliard School alumni
Actors from Wheaton, Illinois
University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences alumni
Theatre World Award winners
Tony Award winners
Drama Desk Award winners
Actresses from Washington (state)
People from Bellevue, Washington