Happy Birthday, Jane Krakowski!
By Spencer Coile
You’d be hard-pressed to deny the impact Jane Krakowski has made on stage and television. In recent years, no actress has been as deceptively successful as Krakowksi. Many still lament the fact that she never won her rightful Emmy for 30 Rock – and let’s face it, she was robbed. The countless memes and gifs her performance as Jenna Maroney has inspired in the past five years has been nothing short of astonishing.
That said, she has been working steadily for the past 30 years, and what a triple threat she has become. Garnering two Daytime Emmy nominations, a Golden Globe nomination, five Emmy nominations, two Tony nominations, one Tony win, and an Olivier Award in the span of her massive career, it’s safe to say that Krakowski’s talents know no limit.
Today she turns 50, so let’s celebrate all the fabulous work she has done since she began performing professionally in 1981. What are some of your favorite Jane Krakowski performances, moments, musical numbers? My go-to is always her rendition of “Call From the Vatican” from her Tony winning role in Nine.
Reader Comments (12)
Elevates every single project she does.
The fact that she never won an Emmy for her portrayal of Jeanna Maroney is a CRIME.
As was stated in a previous post, THANK GOD she has a Tony. It does somehow manage to take a bit of the sting out of the lack of Emmy's. It's shocking she didn't win at least two of the damn things, especially as popular as 30 Rock was. I guess it's all good, her whole life being thunder and all, maybe the magnitude of that speech would've been too much for the world to handle.
Zach & Val -- what's evern crazier to me than the fact that she never won a Tony for 30 Rock, is that for both 30 ROCK and KIMMIE SCHMIDT she wasn't even a consistent nominee. It's fucking insane as brilliant as she is.
Spencer -- totally agreed on CALL TO THE VATICAN. One of the most special moments of my entire Broadway-going life.
30 ROCK was always creative in finding ways to get her to sing, but my favorite is the season 2 episode right before the writer's strike, when she interrupts Tracy singing "Midnight Train to Georgia" and sings the he'll out of it.
She's so talented and has such unique comic timing. With Kimmy Schmidt coming to a close soon, I hope she lands another worthy vehicle for her talents.
Peggy Sue hits the nail on the head: Elevates every single project she does.
Even the small stuff, where she should've just been filler. Her and Melissa McCarthy in the movie Go were in such nothing roles, and they're the two I remember most about that film, the way they just killed it.
She's great. I loved her on Ally McBeal, 30 Rock and Modern Family.
I'm so glad you are spotlighting the magnificent Jane Krakowski. The fact that she never won an Emmy is the biggest Emmy injustice of the century. She actually has three Tony nominations: Grand Hotel, Nine (win), and She Loves Me. She won an Olivier for Best Actress for Miss Adalaide in Guys and Dolls. I wish that production came to Broadway.
Another TV highlight is when Jane performed "The Music and the Mirror" in one of the last episodes of Ally McBeal. It was incredible.
Jane is next playing mother to Hailee Steinfeld's Emily Dickinson in an upcoming Apple TV series.
Been rewatching 30 rock on Hulu, hadn’t seen any of it since it ended, and god damn I forgot how freaking amazing she is on that show (one of the best ensembles in recent television though, pretty much everyone was consistently great throughout its run). And seriously, props to the creators and writers for taking advantage of her many talents. Her singing ridiculous things hilariously AND beautifully as frequently as she did always made me happy. I LOVE her midnight train interruption as well.
I was too tired yesterday to post a response. But all day today I have been giggling to myself about
"The Rural Juror". Jenna's big film moment with the title no one could pronounce.
Dependably fabulous. Reminds me a bit of Joanna Lumley, in the sense that every time she shows up you know you are in for a laugh.
I will never forget (from Kimmy Schmidt) her expensive handbag made from homeless cats (I think they were homeless???). Anyway...LOLOL