Lynch is also known for her stage work including her role inNora Ephron's off-Broadway playLove, Loss, and What I Wore in 2009. She made herBroadway debut as Miss Hannigan in the revival ofAnnie in 2013. She returned to Broadway as Mrs. Brice in another revival,Funny Girl, in 2022.
Lynch got her start in films in 1988, playing a small role in the filmVice Versa. In 1993, she had a secondary role, as the doctor Kathy Wahlund, alongsideHarrison Ford inThe Fugitive.[17] She also appeared, that same year, as a reporter inFatal Instinct.
During the 1990s, she made numeroustelevision commercials, including one forFrosted Flakes for an adult audience, directed byChristopher Guest. A few years later, Guest would remember Lynch as he chose actors for his 2000 dog showmockumentaryBest in Show. Lynch played Christy Cummings, a butch lesbian personal dog handler to trophy wife Sheri Ann Cabot (Jennifer Coolidge). From there, she became a staple actress in Guest's casts, appearing in the director'sA Mighty Wind (2003) as porn actress-turned-folk singer Laurie Bohner and inFor Your Consideration (2006) as an entertainment reporter.
InJulie and Julia, she portrayed Dorothy McWilliams,Julia Child's sister.Entertainment Weekly dedicated an article on its website to the possibility of her performance receiving anAcademy Award nomination.[20][21] However, she was not nominated.She provided the voice of Bobbi St. Simone in The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart 2023.
In 2008 she narratedOut & Proud in Chicago, a documentary which tells aboutLGBT life in Chicago from theCivil War to 2008 through the stories of 20 everyday Chicagoans, from age 30 to age 80.[22]
Jane Lynch at the 69th Annual Peabody Awards forGlee
Beginning in 2009, Lynch appeared as a regular cast member of the Fox seriesGlee. The role echoed previous guest appearances inThe X-Files andVeronica Mars, being her third time cast as a harsh high school teacher. She won glowing reviews for her role as the aggressive cheerleading coach,Sue Sylvester. Mary McNamara of theLos Angeles Times wrote, "Lynch alone makesGlee worth watching."[23] Before her work withGlee, she was a series regular on theStarz comedyParty Down. Though the series was renewed for a second season, Lynch did not return due to her work onGlee.[24]
Even inGlee's early days, Lynch continued to pursue other projects. Lynch hostedSaturday Night Live on October 9, 2010; the news of her hosting was accidentally broken to her by herGlee boss,Ryan Murphy, by text message.[25] Lynch had also guest-starred on theNickelodeon comedyiCarly as Pam Puckett, Sam Puckett's mother, in the episode "iSam's Mom."
Lynch also voiced the titular supervillain Miss Power from thePBS Kids seriesWordGirl in the show's only movieThe Rise of Miss Power in 2012.
Beginning on July 11, 2013, Lynch hosted the NBC game showHollywood Game Night. The show had two teams made up of members of the public (civilians) and celebrities competing in various party games, with a chance for the civilians to take home up to $25,000.[26]
Also in 2017, Lynch guest-starred in Episode 7 ofMarvelous Mrs Maisel as popular but dislikeable comic Sophie Lennon. Lynch returned in the role for two episodes at the end of the second season.[32][33]
Lynch wrote and starred in the award-winning playOh Sister, My Sister. Originally produced in 1998, the play kicked off theLesbians in Theater program at theLos Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center in 2004.[39]
She starred inComcast's XFinity ads, mainly with two different laptops and two different coloredPersian cats. She also stars inLG Corp.'s Text Ed campaign to educate drivers about the dangers of texting while driving.[40]
Lynch's first experience hosting an awards show was in 2010 when she hosted the 2010 VH1DoSomething Awards.[41] It was announced that she will be hosting the 2011 VH1 DoSomething Awards, airing on VH1 on August 18.[42] Lynch hosted the63rd Primetime Emmy Awards on September 18, 2011, only the third woman in Emmy history to host the awards show solo.[43] According to the edition of September 19 ofThe Hollywood Reporter, Lynch hosting the Emmys did not help ratings, as viewing was down 8% year over year and eight million fewer people watched the Emmys than watched Michael Vick's return to Atlanta onSunday Night Football on NBC (21.5 million for Eagles-Falcons, 13.5 million for the Emmys).[44]
(l-r)Don Norte, Dr. Lara Embry, Jane Lynch, and Norte's husband, gay activistKevin Norte, at Autum P-FLAG 2010's Charitable Event at The London Hotel, West Hollywood
An autobiography written by Lynch, titledHappy Accidents, was published in the fall of 2011 byHyperion Voice. Lynch was inspired to write the book after reflecting upon the successes of her past year and wishing she could have told her more anxious, younger self to not worry as much.[45] The memoir also includes detail about her years as an alcoholic and her success in battling this addiction.[46] Lynch is openly lesbian and married Lara Embry in 2010.[47] A self-proclaimed animal lover, Lynch has fourrescue dogs.[48] She has recorded aPSA forPETA encouraging the adoption of shelter animals, and she sponsors an annual adoption event at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.[49][50] She was the commencement speaker forSmith College's class of 2012 where she received an honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts.
Lynch made her Broadway debut as Miss Hannigan inAnnie for a limited engagement lasting from May 15 to July 14, 2013. She took the place ofKatie Finneran.[54]
In 2014, Lynch joined theBan Bossy campaign as a spokesperson advocating leadership roles for girls.[55]
In 2015, Lynch debutedSee Jane Sing, a cabaret show in which she sings along withKate Flannery fromThe Office and Tim Davis from ABC'sBoy Band, accompanied by theTony Guerrero Quintet. As of 2019[update], the show continued to tour around the country. In 2016, Lynch releasedA Swingin' Little Christmas, a nostalgic Christmas album featuring the See Jane Sing ensemble and released on Lynch's own KitschTone Records label. The album received substantial airplay around the country and landed on theBillboard AC Chart's Top 10. In 2017, Lynch recorded a Christmas single with actorDick Van Dyke. The song was composed and produced byTony Guerrero and was released by KitschTone Records.
In 2020, Lynch directed her first two TV commercials for the production companySTORY,[56] and joined its roster of commercial directors.
In October 2021, she was cast in the Broadway revival ofFunny Girl as Rosie Brice.[57] Her stint ran from opening on April 24, 2022, to an expected August 14, 2022 conclusion.[58]
In 2022, Lynch was named honorary "mayor of Funner", the putative location ofHarrah's Resort Southern California. In this role, Lynch promotes the resort, including its additional vegan food options and non-alcoholic beverages as Lynch does not eat animal products nor drink alcohol.[59]
Lynch married Lara Embry on May 31, 2010, inSunderland, Massachusetts.[60][61] In June 2013, Lynch announced that they were divorcing.[62] Their divorce was finalized in January 2014.[63]
Lynch is deaf in her right ear. She speculated toCraig Ferguson on a July 19, 2013 broadcast ofThe Late Late Show that the deafness was most likely caused by having had a high fever as an infant.[65]
^The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Season 11. Episode 2036. November 18, 2014.Evergreen Park? I was born in Evergreen Park!Little Company of Mary. The hospital.
^Lynch, Jane (2011).Happy Accidents.Hachette Books.ISBN9781401342753.This was a huge deal—my first big Hollywood movie. I played Dr. Kathy Wahlund, a researcher and forensic scientist who helps Richard Kimble prove his innocence.
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