Biography

A musical theater veteran, Jane Krakowski is best known for her Emmy-nominated portrayal of scheming law secretary Elaine on the Fox TV hit Ally McBeal. Raised in Parsippany, NJ, Krakowski began taking dance lessons at age three. After making her movie debut as an orally skilled teenager in National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), she garnered two Emmy nominations during her 1984-1986 stint on the serial Search for Tomorrow. Though she acted in several TV productions, including Men and Women II (1991) and Queen (1993), and had small feature film parts in Fatal Attraction (1987) and Stepping Out (1991), Krakowski found more success on Broadway in the first half of the 1990s.

After she earned a Tony nomination for her work in the 1990 musical Grand Hotel, the actress was featured in several shows, including the revival of Once Upon a Mattress starring Sarah Jessica Parker. Krakowski became a TV star, however, when she was cast in Ally McBeal in 1997. As ambitious busybody Elaine, Krakowski became a bombshell comic foil to Calista Flockhart's neurotic Ally, asserting her power over the series' law office with her well-honed observational skills. The actress also displayed her versatile talents in the show's whimsical song-and-dance interludes. Bolstered by her TV success, Krakowski played a supporting role in the dance romance Dance With Me (1998), appeared as the seemingly lascivious wife of William Fichtner's bizarre narc in Go (1999), and starred as Betty in the sequel The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000).

Filmography

Marci X (2003)
Ice Age (2002) (voice) .... Female Sloth
Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, The (2000) .... Betty O'Shale

"Ally" (1999) TV Series .... Elaine Vassal
Go (1999) .... Irene
Rodgers & Hart Story: Thou Swell, Thou Witty, The (1999) (TV)
"Hollywood Squares" (1998) TV Series .... Guest Regular
Dance with Me (1998) .... Patricia
Hudson River Blues (1997) .... Diane
... aka Family Blues (1997) (Australia: cable TV title)
"Ally McBeal" (1997) TV Series .... Elaine Vassal
Mrs. Winterbourne (1996) .... Christine
"Queen" (1993) (mini) TV Series .... Jane
... aka "Alex Haley's Queen" (1993) (mini)
Stepping Out (1991) .... Lynne
Women & Men 2: In Love There Are No Rules (1991) (TV) .... Melba
... aka Women & Men 2 (1991) (TV)

When We Were Young (1989) (TV) .... Linda Rosen
... aka That Magic Moment (1989) (TV)
Fatal Attraction (1987) .... Christine, babysitter
"Search for Tomorrow" (1951) TV Series .... Rebecca 'T.R.' Kendall (1984-1986)
No Big Deal (1983)
Vacation (1983) .... Cousin Vicki
... aka American Vacation (1983) (Europe: English title: video title)
... aka National Lampoon's Summer Vacation (1983) (USA)
... aka National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)