Megan Mullally | |
|---|---|
 Mullally at the 2011San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | (1958-11-12)November 12, 1958 (age 67)[1] Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Education | Northwestern University |
| Occupations | Actress, comedian |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouses | |
| Awards | Full list |
| Website | meganmullally |
Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958) is an American actress, comedian and singer. She is best known for playingKaren Walker in theNBC sitcomWill & Grace (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received eightPrimetime Emmy Award nominations forOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, winning twice, in 2000 and 2006. She also received nominations for numerous other accolades for her portrayal, including seven consecutiveScreen Actors Guild Awards nominations forOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, winning three times, in 2001, 2002, and 2003, as well as receiving fourGolden Globe Award nominations.
From 2006 to 2007, Mullally hosted the talk showThe Megan Mullally Show. Since then, she has been a series regular on several television series, such asIn the Motherhood,Party Down,Childrens Hospital, andBreaking In. She has also appeared in guest spots and recurring roles on other comedy series including,Happy Endings,Bob's Burgers,Parks and Recreation,30 Rock,Up All Night,Boston Legal,The New Adventures of Old Christine, andThe Great North. In addition to television, Mullally has also ventured into film, with appearances inSmashed (2012),The Kings of Summer (2013), andWhy Him? (2016).
Mullally was born inLos Angeles,California,[2] the only child of Martha (née Palmer) and Carter Mullally Jr.,[3] an actor who was a contract player withParamount Pictures in the 1950s.[3] Mullally moved to her father's nativeOklahoma City,Oklahoma, at age six.[4] She is of English, Irish and Scandinavian ancestry.[5] She studiedballet from age six and performed at theOklahoma City Ballet during high school, also studying at theSchool of American Ballet inNew York City.
Following her graduation fromCasady School in Oklahoma City,[6] Mullally attendedNorthwestern University inEvanston, Illinois, where she studiedEnglish literature andart history. After her sophomore year, she began acting in theater in downtown Chicago. By junior year, she was performing in eight shows per week. She later dropped out of Northwestern to pursue acting.[7]
One of Mullally's earliest acting spots was on aMcDonald's commercial that also featuredJohn Goodman.[8] She made her series debut in 1986 inThe Ellen Burstyn Show. She subsequently guest-starred on sitcoms such asSeinfeld,Frasier,Wings,Herman's Head,Ned and Stacey,Mad About You,Caroline in the City,3rd Rock from the Sun andJust Shoot Me!. She played a central character in a season-five episode ofMurder, She Wrote, "Coal Miner's Slaughter", recalling in 2012, "I hadn't gotten a job for so long, and I was in a complete panic because I didn't know how I was going to pay my rent. So I get a call one day from my agent that I'd gotten offered a guest role, and it paid $5,000. I literally fell down onto my knees and testified and wept. I played some former protégée ofJessica Fletcher. It's one of my favorite things I've ever shot."[9]
In 1989, Mullally tested for the role ofElaine Benes onSeinfeld.[10] The role was eventually given toJulia Louis-Dreyfus.[9] In 1998, Mullally landed the role ofKaren Walker,Grace Adler's abrasive, pill-popping assistant, in theNBCsitcomWill & Grace. She won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in both 2000 and 2006, and was nominated in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and again for the revival in 2018. She won theScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series three times, in 2002, 2003 and 2004, and with cast membersEric McCormack,Debra Messing, andSean Hayes, she shared theScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2001. She is the first of only two actresses to win a SAG Award three years in a row. She was nominated each year from 2000 until 2003 for theGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.
In 2005, Mullally saw comedian and actorBill Hader performing with his Second City class in Los Angeles, and shortly thereafter brought Hader to the attention ofSaturday Night Live producerLorne Michaels. Also in 2005, Mullally was awarded theWomen in FilmLucy Award in recognition of her "innovation in creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television".[11] She also appeared in the movieRebound oppositeMartin Lawrence, which received both critical and box office failure.
FollowingWill & Grace, Mullally hosted her owntalk show,The Megan Mullally Show from 2006 to 2007. She has hostedSaturday Night Live, guest-hosted theLate Show with David Letterman, hosted the 2006TV Land Awards, and been a featured performer twice on the Tony Awards. She has been featured in advertisements forM&M's,Old Navy, CheapTickets.com, andI Can't Believe It's Not Butter!
Mullally guest-starred as an adoption case worker forLiz Lemon in the third-season premiere of theNBC sitcom30 Rock and returned to play the same character two additional times during the show's run. Other appearances includeKathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List,Campus Ladies, director/actorDavid Wain's "Wainy Days", an episode of HBO'sFunny or Die, and theFunny or Die web video "That's What She Said".
Mullally guest-starred seven times asTammy Swanson on the NBC seriesParks and Recreation, in the episodes "Ron and Tammy", "Ron & Tammy: Part Two", "Li'l Sebastian", "Ron and Tammys", "The Trial of Leslie Knope", "Ron and Diane", "Ron and Jammy", and "A Parks and Recreation Special". Mullally plays the role of the second ex-wife of the characterRon Swanson, who is played by her real-life husband,Nick Offerman.[12] Offerman also had two different roles on Mullally's showWill & Grace, playing a plumber and chef.
Also in 2009, Mullally starred in theABC sitcomIn the Motherhood. Based on the original web series, the television adaptation focuses on three mothers. She played Rosemary oppositeCheryl Hines andJessica St. Clair. The series was poorly received and was canceled by ABC due to low ratings after airing five out of seven episodes produced.
Mullally co-starred in 2010 as Lydia on theStarz ensemble seriesParty Down.[13] Mullally co-starred as "Chief" on theAdult Swim seriesChildrens Hospital. In 2011, Mullally began a recurring role as Dana Hartz, the mother of Penny (Casey Wilson), on the ABC sitcomHappy Endings. In the following months, Mullally joined the seriesBreaking In for its second season in 2012, after which the show was canceled. Also in 2012, Mullally joined the first season ofBob's Burgers as Aunt Gayle. She reprised the role in subsequent episodes along with several minor roles. Mullally rejoined theWill & Grace cast as Karen upon the show's revival, which ran for three seasons from 2017 to 2020. In 2024, Mullally and Offerman starred together as Jean and Gene, respectively, in season 4 of the Netflix seriesThe Umbrella Academy.
Mullally made herBroadway debut as Marty in the 1994 revival ofGrease,[14] and subsequently appeared as Rosemary in the hit 1995 revival ofHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying oppositeMatthew Broderick. In 2007, Mullally starred as Elizabeth inMel Brooks' original Broadway musicalYoung Frankenstein. She can be heard on the cast albums of all three productions.
In 1996, she starred inYou Never Know at thePasadena Playhouse. Mullally appeared in 2000 as Pamela in the multiple award-winning production of Chuck Mee'sThe Berlin Circle, for which she won both the LA Weekly Theatre Award and the Backstage West Garland Award. Mullally starred as Beverly in the acclaimed production of Adam Bock'sThe Receptionist at the Odyssey Theatre (notably, the longest sold-out run of a show in that theatre's history), for which she was awarded the 2010 Backstage West Garland Award for Best Performance by an Actress. On 3 April 2014, she portrayed Miss Adelaide in a one night only concert ofGuys and Dolls oppositeNathan Lane,Sierra Boggess andPatrick Wilson atCarnegie Hall
From April 13 to June 1, 2014, Mullally starred alongside her real-life husband,Nick Offerman, inAnnapurna at the off-Broadway Acorn Theatre on New York's 42nd Street Theatre Row.[15] In 2014 Mullally starred in the Broadway performance ofIt's Only a Play withF. Murray Abraham, Matthew Broderick,Stockard Channing,Rupert Grint,Nathan Lane and Micah Stock. The show opened at theGerald Schoenfeld Theatre on October 9, 2014, and played through January 18, 2015. It then opened at theBernard B. Jacobs Theatre on January 23, 2015, and closed on June 7, 2015. The show played 48 previews and 274 performances.[16] In June 2021, Mullally was set to appear as "Reno Sweeney" inAnything Goes at theBarbican Theatre in London for a strictly limited season, but had to pull out due to an injury.
Mullally is a member of the band Supreme Music Program.[17] SMP has released three albums:[18]The Sweetheart Break-In,Big as a Berry andFree Again!.[17][19] Mullally and Stephanie Hunt formed the band Nancy and Beth in 2012.[20] They went on tour in March 2013, along with Mullally's husband, Offerman. Nancy and Beth performed atLincoln Center as part of its American Songbook Series on February 13, 2019, and toured the US in April and May 2019, beginning in Los Angeles and ending in New York City.[21] The band subsequently toured Australia in June 2019, beginning in Hobart and ending in Brisbane.[22][23]
Mullally's first film role was playing acall girl in 1983'sRisky Business. Mullally has also appeared inMarc Forster'sSundance competition entryEverything Put Together,Anywhere but Here withSusan Sarandon andNatalie Portman,About Last Night withDemi Moore andRob Lowe,Speaking of Sex withJames Spader, andStealing Harvard withTom Green andJason Lee. Mullally played a singing teacher in the 2009 film remake ofFame,[24] and can be heard on the soundtrack recording. Additionally, Mullally sang the song "Long John Blues" (performed on-screen byKristen Bell) in 2010'sBurlesque. She played one of the leads' mothers in the 2013 indie filmThe Kings of Summer and Mrs. Van Camp in the movieG.B.F. Mullally played Barb Fleming in the 2016 filmWhy Him? In 2017, Mullally appeared inJanicza Bravo's first full-length feature,Lemon, which debuted atSundance Film Festival.[25]
In August 2021,Bleecker Street andStage 6 Films picked up the worldwide rights toJames Ponsoldt's coming of age filmSummering, starring Mullally alongsideSarah Cooper.[26] On October 6, 2023,A24'sDicks: The Musical was released, starring Mullally[27] alongsideNathan Lane,Megan Thee Stallion, and the movie's writers, Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson. The movie musical is an R-rated twist onThe Parent Trap, where two grown men discover they are identical twins separated at birth, and plot to switch places in order to get their parents back together. Mullally plays "Evelyn", the boys' mother. She can be heard singing her songs on the movie's soundtrack recording.
Mullally and husband Nick Offerman wroteThe Greatest Love Story Ever Told, published by Dutton on October 2, 2018. The book is aNew York Times Bestseller. The two reveal the full story behind their romance in chapters on religion, family, and more.[28]
In 1992, Mullally married Michael Katcher, a talent agent, in Los Angeles. They divorced in 1996.[29] Mullally met fellow actor and future husbandNick Offerman in 2000 while acting inThe Berlin Circle,[30] a play produced by the Evidence Room Theatre Company; they married three years later in 2003.[31]
While they were dating, Offerman appeared in a guest role onWill & Grace, in a 2001 Thanksgiving episode. Offerman appeared again, in a different role, in the season 9 episode "Friends and Lover". The couple have also appeared together in films such asThe Kings of Summer andSmashed and the television seriesParks and Recreation andThe Umbrella Academy, and they also performed voice work together inBob's Burgers,Hotel Transylvania 2, andThe Great North. In 2019, they launched the podcastIn Bed with Nick and Megan, discussing their personal lives and interviewing guests.[32][33]
In a 1999 interview withThe Advocate magazine, Mullally commented: "I consider myselfbisexual, and my philosophy is, everyone innately is."[34] She brought the subject up again in 2009.[35]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Risky Business | Call Girl | |
| 1985 | Once Bitten | Suzette | |
| 1986 | Last Resort | Jessica Lollar | |
| About Last Night... | Pat | ||
| Blue Velvet | Louise | ||
| 1991 | Queens Logic | Dolores | |
| 1999 | Anywhere but Here | Woman Buying Car | |
| Best Man in Grass Creek | Co-Worker | ||
| 2000 | Everything Put Together | Barbie | |
| 2001 | Monkeybone | Kimmy Miley | |
| Speaking of Sex | Jennifer Klink | ||
| 2002 | Stealing Harvard | Patty Plummer | |
| 2004 | Teacher's Pet | Adele | Voice |
| 2005 | Rebound | Principal Walsh | |
| 2006 | New York | Jasmine | |
| 2007 | Bee Movie | Trudy | Voice |
| 2009 | Fame | Fran Rowan | |
| 2010 | New York 2 | Jasmine | |
| Burlesque | Nikki's singing voice | ||
| 2012 | Smashed | Principal Barnes | |
| What to Expect When You're Expecting | Cameo | ||
| 2013 | The Kings of Summer | Mrs. Keenan | |
| G.B.F. | Mrs. Van Camp | ||
| 2014 | Apartment Troubles | Aunt Kimberley | |
| Ernest & Celestine | Lucienne | Voice; English dub | |
| Date and Switch | Patricia | ||
| New York 3 | Jasmine | ||
| Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day | Nina | ||
| 2015 | Hotel Transylvania 2 | Linda Loughran | Voice |
| 2016 | Why Him? | Barb Fleming | |
| 2017 | Lemon | Simone | |
| Infinity Baby | Hester | ||
| The Disaster Artist | Mrs. Sestero | ||
| Oh Lucy! | Hannah | ||
| 2019 | Where'd You Go, Bernadette | Judy Toll | |
| 2022 | Summering | Stacie | |
| Crush | Angie Evans | ||
| 2023 | First Time Female Director | Marjory | |
| Dicks: The Musical | Evelyn | ||
| 2024 | The Fabulous Four | Alice | |
| 2025 | Sovereign | Beverly | Voice |
| 2026 | Chasing Summer | Layanne |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | The Children Nobody Wanted | Sharon | Television film |
| 1985 | First Steps | Cathy | |
| 1986 | Tall Tales & Legends | Posy Peasley | Episode: "Pecos Bill" |
| American Playhouse | Lilah | Episode: "Under the Biltmore Clock" | |
| 1986–1987 | The Ellen Burstyn Show | Molly Brewer Ross | Main role |
| 1988 | Murder, She Wrote | Molly Connors | Episode: "Coal Miner's Slaughter" |
| 1989 | Almost Grown | Bride | Episode: "The Hat That Fell from Space" |
| China Beach | Cindy | Episode: "The World: Part 2" | |
| 1990 | Wings | Cindy | Episode: "There Once Was a Girl from Nantucket" |
| Rainbow Drive | Ava Zieff | Television film | |
| 1991 | Dear John | Molly | Episode: "Molly and Me" |
| My Life and Times | Susan Valentine | Main role | |
| Herman's Head | Yvonne | Episode: "Fatal Distraction" | |
| 1992 | The Steadfast Tin Soldier | Ballerina (voice) | Television film |
| Fish Police | Pearl White (voice) | Main role | |
| Rachel Gunn, R.N. | Becky Jo | ||
| 1993 | I Yabba-Dabba Do! | Pebbles Flintstone (voice) | Television film |
| Seinfeld | Betsy | Episode: "The Implant" | |
| Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby | Additional voices | Television film | |
| A Flintstone Family Christmas | Pebbles Flintstone (voice) | ||
| 1994 | Batman: The Animated Series | Cindy (voice) | Episode: "House and Garden" |
| Couples | Beth | Television film | |
| 1997 | Ned and Stacey | Wendy | Episode: "Where My Third Nepal Is Sheriff" |
| Frasier | Beth Armstrong | Episode: "Four for the Seesaw" | |
| Mad About You | Jane | Episode: "Guardianhood" | |
| The Naked Truth | Vanessa | Episode: "He Ain't Famous, He's My Brother" | |
| Caroline in the City | Vanessa Cassidy | Episode: "Caroline and the Decanter" | |
| Extreme Ghostbusters | Additional voices | Episode: "The True Face of a Monster" | |
| 1998 | Just Shoot Me! | Stephanie Griffin-Cooper | Episode: "Amblushed" |
| Winchell | June Winchell | Television film | |
| 1998–2006, 2017–2020 | Will & Grace | Karen Walker | Main role; 244 episodes |
| 2000 | 3rd Rock from the Sun | Renata Albright | Episode: "Les Liaisons Dickgereuses" |
| 2002 | King of the Hill | Teresa (voice) | Episode: "Beer and Loathing" |
| The Pact | Melanie Gold | Television film | |
| 2003 | 40 Greatest Men in Country Music | Herself (host) | 3 episodes |
| 2004 | Saturday Night Live | Host | Episode: "Megan Mullally/Clay Aiken" |
| 2005 | Peep and the Big Wide World | Pink Quack (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | How I Met Your Mother | Barney's Mother (voice) | 2 episodes (uncredited) |
| Campus Ladies | Ms. Powell | Episode: "The Dare" | |
| 2006–2007 | The Megan Mullally Show | Herself (host) | Main role |
| 2007 | Boston Legal | Renata Hill | Episode: "The Bride Wore Blood" |
| 2008 | Bad Mother's Handbook | Nan | Television film |
| The New Adventures of Old Christine | Margaret | Episode: "Unidentified Funk" | |
| 2008–2013 | 30 Rock | Bev | 3 episodes |
| 2008–2016 | Childrens Hospital | Chief | Main role |
| 2009 | In the Motherhood | Rosemary | |
| 2009–2015, 2020 | Parks and Recreation | Tammy Swanson II | Recurring role |
| 2010, 2023 | Party Down | Lydia Dunfree | Main role |
| 2011–present | Bob's Burgers | Gayle Genarro, various voices | Recurring role |
| 2011–2013 | Happy Endings | Dana Hartz | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Up All Night | Shayna Mund | 2 episodes |
| Breaking In | Veronica Mann | Main role | |
| 2012–2015 | Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja | Mrs. Marilyn Driscoll (voice) | Recurring role |
| 2013 | Out There | Rose Stevens (voice) | Main role |
| Web Therapy | Franny Marshall | 3 episodes | |
| 2013–2015 | Axe Cop | Anita, various voices | Main role |
| 2013–2016 | Sofia the First | Miss Nettle (voice) | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | Trophy Wife | Cricket | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | You, Me and the Apocalypse | Leanne | Main role |
| 2016 | Life in Pieces | Mary-Lynn | Episode: "Annulled Roommate Pill Shower" |
| 2017 | Dimension 404 | Director Stevens | Episode: "Bob" |
| 2019 | 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards | Herself (host) | Television special |
| 2021 | Cinema Toast | Eunice Doolittle (voice) | Episode: "Familiesgiving" |
| 2021–2025 | The Great North | Alyson Lefebvrere (voice) | Recurring role |
| The Simpsons | Sarah Wiggum (voice) | ||
| 2022 | 37th Independent Spirit Awards | Herself (co-host) | Television special |
| Reservation Dogs | Anna | Episode: "Run" | |
| American Dad! | Judge (voice) | Episode: "The Three Fs" | |
| 2023 | Carol & the End of the World | Janette (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2023–2024 | Percy Jackson and the Olympians | Alecto | 3 episodes |
| 2024 | The Umbrella Academy | Dr. Jean Thibedeau | Recurring role |
| 2025 | The Righteous Gemstones | Lori Milsap | Recurring role |
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Bagtime | Performer | Wisdom Bridge Theatre, Chicago | [36] |
| 1983 | What I Did Last Summer | Performer | Northlight Theatre, Chicago | [37][38] |
| 1984 | What The Butler Saw | Performer | Northlight Theatre, Chicago | [38][39] |
| 1984 | City on the Make | Performer | Northlight Theatre, Chicago | [37][38] |
| 1991 | You Never Know | Maria | Pasadena Playhouse, California | [40] |
| 1994 | Grease | Marty | Eugene O'Neill Theatre, Broadway | [41] |
| 1994 | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | Rosemary | La Jolla Playhouse, California | [42] |
| 1995 | 46th Street Theater, Broadway | [43] | ||
| 1999 | Sweetheart | Performer | Coast Playhouse, Los Angeles | [44] |
| 2000 | The Berlin Circle | Pamela Dalrymple | Evidence Room Theater, Los Angeles | [45] |
| 2003 | Mayhem | Susan | Evidence Room Theater, Los Angeles | [46] |
| 2007 | Young Frankenstein | Elizabeth | Paramount Theatre, Seattle | [47] |
| Hilton Theater, Broadway | [48] | |||
| 2009 | The Receptionist | Beverly | Odyssey Theatre, Los Angeles | [49] |
| 2013 | Annapurna | Emma | Odyssey Theatre, Los Angeles | [50] |
| 2014 | Guys and Dolls | Miss Adelaide | Carnegie Hall, New York | [51] |
| 2014 | Annapurna | Emma | The New Group, Off-Broadway | [52] |
| 2014 | It's Only a Play | Julia Budder | Gerald Schoenfeld Theater, Broadway | [53] |
| 2026 | Iceboy! (upcoming) | Vera Vimm | Goodman Theatre, Chicago | [54] |
