Jane Kaczmarek

Jane Kaczmarek
Guest Star Information
Gender	Female ♀
Status	Alive
Birth	December 21, 1955 (1955-12-21)
Nationality	USA
Claim to fame	Actress
Character	Constance Harm
First appearance	"The Parent Rap"

Jane Kaczmarek (born December 21, 1955, in Greendale, Wisconsin) is an Emmy Award nominated American actress best known for playing the character the harried, emotionally abusive, control freak mother, Lois, on the early 2000s FOX sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. She lives in San Marino, CA.

On The Simpsons, Kaczmarek provides the voice of Judge Constance Harm, a no-nonsense judge (heavily implied to be male-to-female transgender) who punishes Bart for joyriding in a police car and Homer for letting it happen ("The Parent Rap"), declares that Homer's marriage to Amber from Vegas was legal, even though nothing about the marriage would be considered legal in real life ("Brawl in the Family"), and grants Bart emancipation after hearing how bad of a father Homer is ("Barting Over").

Appearances

• Episode – "The Parent Rap"
• Episode – "Rome-Old and Julie-Eh"
• Episode – "Brawl in the Family"
• Episode – "Barting Over"
• Episode – "Brake My Wife, Please"
• Episode – "The Wandering Juvie"
• Episode – "On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister"
• Episode – "Chief of Hearts"
• Episode – "One Angry Lisa"

Career

Kaczmarek, a Polish American, majored in theater at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she met future actor Tony Shalhoub. She later enrolled in Yale University with Shalhoub for her graduate degree and was a part of its theater company. She has had several Broadway hits, including Lost In Yonkers and Raised In Captivity, where she won an LA Drama Critics’ Award.

Kaczmarek’s television work included being a series regular on various shows, including Linda Bauer in Equal Justice (1990-1991), Mary Newell Abbott in Hometown (1985), Karen Fisher in Big Wave Dave’s (1993), and Connie Lehman in The Paper Chase (1983-1984). Her additional credits include recurring roles of Carol Anderson in Felicity (1999), Helene Thompson in Party of Five (1995-1999), Maureen Cutler in Frasier (1996-1997), Pamela Boyd in The Practice (1997), The Simpsons (2001-2010), Holly in Cybill (1996-1997), and Officer Clara Pilksy in Hill Street Blues (1984).

She has also appeared in several movies, including the 1998 film Pleasantville, as Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon’s “real-world” mother.

Malcolm in the Middle

Kaczmarek was cast to play the mother, Lois (the harried, emotionally abusive, control freak mother married to whiny goofball, Hal, and the mother of five troublemaking sons), on the early 2000s FOX mid-season replacement, Malcolm in the Middle (2000-2006).

This role proved to be a wise career choice for Kaczmarek, as the show was a hit and made Lois a household name. TV Guide dubbed her a “true breakout; a female Homer Simpson”, and critics hailed her for her comic talents. Later, Kaczmarek would credit the show for bringing out her comedic side, claiming, “[Before Malcolm] I couldn’t even get auditions for comedies. I played very unfunny people.”

Kaczmarek was nominated seven times for an Emmy for her performance on the show, one for every year. She also earned three Golden Globe nominations and two Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, was honored with a Television Critics Association Award in 2000 and 2001, plus an American Comedy Award and a Family Television Award in 2001.

The show aired its series finale in May 2006. Kaczmarek, however, still guest stars on another FOX Show, The Simpsons, providing the voice of Judge Constance Harm (parody of Judge Judy). She also played the role of Anne Hoffman in the short-lived ABC sitcom Help Me Help You (2006-2007), starring Ted Danson.

Personal life

Kaczmarek married West Wing actor Bradley Whitford on August 15, 1992. They live in Los Angeles with their three children: Frances (born in 1997), George (born December 23, 1999), and Mary Louisa (born November 25, 2002). Both are very active with charity and are seen attending many major awards shows together. She is the founder of “Clothes Off Our Back,” which auctions celebrity clothing for children’s charities.

Kaczmarek underwent a hip replacement in April 2004, due to chronic arthritis.[1] She recovered quickly, and used an X-ray of her new hip for her Emmy campaign the following summer, advertising herself as "the only Emmy nominee with an artificial hip (except for Anthony LaPaglia)."[2]

In 2006, Kaczmarek and Malcolm in the Middle co-star Erik Per Sullivan contributed the afterword for the children’s book, Together, that shows the importance of livestock in the world, and was inspired by the mission of the nonprofit charitable organization, Heifer International.

Salary

• Malcolm in the Middle (2000): $100,000 per episode 2002-2003

Awards & Nominations

Golden Globe Awards:

• • 2001 - Best Actress TV Series Comedy - Malcolm In The Middle (nominated)
  • 2002 - Best Actress TV Series Comedy - Malcolm In The Middle (nominated)
  • 2003 - Best Actress TV Series Comedy - Malcolm In The Middle (nominated)

Emmy Awards:

• • 2000 - Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - Malcolm In The Middle (nominated)
  • 2001 - Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - Malcolm In The Middle (nominated)
  • 2002 - Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - Malcolm In The Middle (nominated)
  • 2003 - Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - Malcolm In The Middle (nominated)
  • 2004 - Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - Malcolm In The Middle (nominated)
  • 2005 - Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - Malcolm In The Middle (nominated)
  • 2006 - Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - Malcolm In The Middle (nominated)

Screen Actors Guild Awards:

• • 2001 - Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Comedy Series - Malcolm In The Middle (nominated)
  • 2003 - Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Comedy Series - Malcolm In The Middle (nominated)

Satellite Awards:

• • 2002 - Best Performance By An Actress In A Series Comedy Or Musical - Malcolm In The Middle (nominated)
  • 2004 - Best Performance By An Actress In A Series Comedy Or Musical - Malcolm In The Middle (WIN)

External links

• Jane Kaczmarek at Wikipedia
• Jane Kaczmarek at the Internet Movie Database