Jane Lynch (born on July 14, 1960, in Dolton, Illinois) is an American writer, actress and comedian.
Raised in Illinois, she received her bachelor's degree in theater from Illinois State University and her MFA from Cornell University, also in theater. Her extensive theater background involved touring with The Second City comedy troupe and playing Carol Brady in The Real Live Brady Bunch. She also wrote and starred in the award-winning play Oh Sister, My Sister. Originally produced in 1998, the play kicked off the Lesbians in Theater program at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center in 2004.
Her breakthrough film role was as Christy Cummings, the masculine-lesbian personal dog handler to trophy wife Sheri Ann Cabot (Jennifer Coolidge) in the director Christopher Guest's 2000 mockumentary Best in Show (2000). She also appeared in Guest's A Mighty Wind (2003) as porn actress-turned-folk singer Laurie Bohner and in For Your Consideration (2006) as an entertainment reporter.
Lynch is also a seasoned television performer. She starred with John Hannah and William Fichtner in 2002's MDs, and has made guest appearances in numerous television series, including Married...With Children, Frasier, Judging Amy, The West Wing, Dawson's Creek, Gilmore Girls, 7th Heaven, The X-Files, Family Guy, Felicity, Monk, Friends, Veronica Mars, Arrested Development, Two and a Half Men, Boston Legal, Weeds, The L Word, King of Queens,Weeds, Criminal Minds and Help Me Help You.
