The Susan Lucci of prime time, this zany sitcom star was nominated for seven Emmys during her seven-season stint as a harried mother on
Malcolm in the Middle but failed to win the prize. Yet the dimpled actress never stopped smiling, probably due to her happy home life with Emmy-winner Bradley Whitford and their three children. Trained at Yale's celebrated school of drama, this comely actress honed her skills on stage before landing recurring roles on the dramas
St. Elsewhere and
Hill Street Blues. Yet comedy was where this small-screen actress made her mark, and she popped up in a slew of guest spots (
Cybill,
The Simpsons) before landing her signature part in
Malcolm.
Jane Kaczmarek Fast Facts:
- In 1990, she was introduced to future husband Bradley Whitford by actress Kate Burton, a friend and classmate at the Yale School of Drama. Whitford and Burton were appearing together in a Lincoln Center production of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure.
- Before daughter Mary Louisa was born in 2002, Malcolm in the Middle writers wrote Kaczmarek's pregnancy into the show rather than hiding it with props and clothes as they had when she was carrying son George in 1999.
- In 2002, she cofounded The Clothes Off Our Back Foundation with her husband, which auctions off celebrity apparel to benefit children's charities.
- Underwent hip-replacement surgery in April 2004.
- Jane Kaczmarek Relationships:
- Edward Kaczmarek - Father
- Evelyn Kaczmarek - Mother
- Frances Whitford - Daughter
- George Whitford - Son
- Jim Kaczmarek - Brother
- Mary Kaczmarek - Brother
- Mary Louisa Whitford - Daughter
- Bill Kaczmarek - Brother
- Bradley Whitford - Husband
- Jane Kaczmarek Awards:
- 2000 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2001 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2002 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2003 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2004 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2005 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2006 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2001 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
- 2002 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
- 2003 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
- College:
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI (BA in Theatre and Drama, 1979); Yale University, New Haven, CT (MFA, 1982)
