This page uses content from the Jane Kaczmarek biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

Jane Kaczmarek (born December 21, 1955 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American actress, probably best known for playing the character Lois in Malcolm in the Middle.

Career

Kaczmarek, a Polish American, majored in theater at the University of Wisconsin 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. Eventually she has had several Broadway hits, including Lost In Yonkers and Raised In Capativity, where she won an LA Drama Critics Award.

Kaczmarek television work included being series regulars on Equal Justice, Hometown, Big Wave Dave’s and The Paper Chase: The Second Year. Her additional credits include recurring roles on Felicity, Party of Five, Frasier, The Practice, Cybill and Hill Street Blues.

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

In the year 2000, Kaczmarek was cast to play Lois, in the FOX mid-season replacement Malcolm in the Middle. This proved to be a wise career choice for her, as the show was a hit and made Lois a household name. TV guide dubbed her “true breakout; a female Homer Simpson,” and critics hailed her for her comic talents.http://www.fox.com/malcolm/uncut/jane.htm Later, Kaczmarek would credit the show for bringing out the comedic side of her, claiming "[Before Malcolm] I couldn't even get auditions for comedies. I played very unfunny people."http://www.tv.com/tracking/viewer.html&tid=85616&ref_id=248&ref_type=101

Kaczmarek is the most decorated cast member on the show, earning 3 Golden Globe Nominations for Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy, 1 Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, and 7 Emmy Nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series (one for each year Malcolm aired).http://emmys.org/awards/primetimeawards.php However, she did not win any of them.

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. Starting in fall 2006, she plays a role in the ABC sitcom Help Me Help You, starring Ted Danson (Cheers).

Personal life

Kaczmarek is married to West Wing actor Bradley Whitford and lives in Los Angeles with their three children, Frances (born January 1998), George (December 23, 1999), and Mary Louisa (November 25, 2002). Both are very active with charity, and are seen attending many major award 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, the result of a longstading case of arthritis.[1] She recovered quickly, though, and even 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 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.

Jane is 5 feet 9 inches (175 cm) tall. She used to baby sit for a family in Greendale, Wisconsin.

Salary

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

References and Notes

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External links

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