Jane Levy

Jane Levy's sharp comedic timing and onscreen charisma propelled her out of relative obscurity and into one of 2011's breakout television stars. She began acting at an early age, eventually training at the famed Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City before moving back to her birthplace of Los Angeles to pursue a full time entertainment career. Levy first made waves in Hollywood with a recurring role on "Shameless" (Showtime, 2011- ) as a vampy, punk teen who agrees to act as her gay friend's girlfriend. The edgy-yet-likeable role won Levy a slew of television fans and gained the attention of other networks. Fresh off her "Shameless" stint, Levy landed a starring role on the quirky ABC comedy series "Suburgatory" (2011- ) as a Manhattan-raised teen whose life turns upside down when her father decides to move them to a suburban neighborhood. Channeling the snarky attitude and fears of a city gal feeling trapped in a world of soccer moms and SUVs, Levy boosted her career from an ingénue to a respectable actress able to take on versatile roles.

Jane Colburn Levy was born on Dec. 29, 1989 in Los Angeles and was raised hundreds of miles north in the Bay Area's Marin County. The future star landed her first acting role at age seven, appearing in a local production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic "Oklahoma!" (1955), followed by community theater performances of "Annie" and "The Wizard of Oz." Even though she dove into acting early on, Levy decided to pursue other interests as a teen, including playing soccer. Levy enrolled in the liberal arts program at Goucher College in Baltimore, MD before transferring a year later to the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City. After spending two years in the city to hone her acting skills, Levy moved back to L.A. where, just after two weeks, she had booked her first television role on the Showtime family drama "Shameless." The series starred Emmy Award-winning actor William H. Macy as Frank Gallagher, an alcoholic single father of six and Emmy Rossum as his responsible yet insecure eldest child Fiona. Levy was cast in a recurring role as Mandy Milkovich, a teen punk and vixen that agrees to act as the girlfriend of Frank's closeted third child Ian (Cameron Monaghan). Among an already colorful cast of characters, Levy's Mandy added brash naughtiness and cool intrigue to the critically acclaimed show. The role was recast during the second season, however, due to Levy landing a lead role on a network show.

Coming off her successful stint on "Shameless," Levy starred on "Suburgatory," one of the 2011 fall season's most buzzed-about new shows. The comedy series centered on Tessa Altman, a Manhattan teen whose father (Jeremy Sisto) transplants them from the big city to a suburban neighborhood, which she comes to regard as her version of hell on earth. Created by Emily Kapnek, who had previous success producing shows such as "Parks and Recreation (NBC, 2009- ) and "Hung" (HBO, 2009- ), "Suburgatory" blended snarky humor with offbeat yet grounded characters. Tessa's transition from city lights to her own suburban nightmare was not always smooth sailing, yet the actress handled her character's many situations with aplomb and often hilarious results. During a fall TV season that saw other shows yanked after only a few episodes, audiences embraced "Suburgatory." They could not get enough of the chemistry between Levy and her co-stars, including TV dad Sisto and Cheryl Hines as a deliciously loopy, "Stepford Wives"-inspired character.

By Candy Cuenco