Biography
Stand-up comedian and actress Janeane Garofalo was the poster child for dry and caustically witty women in film and television in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Her self-deprecating humor and hipster style endeared her to college age audiences, but as her fame grew, Garofalo found it uncomfortable - if not downright impossible - to work within the Hollywood system. She eventually retreated from the mainstream, settling into a variety of …
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Career Milestones
| Appeared on several TV comedy shows including MTV's "Half Hour Comedy Hour" | ||
| Met Ben Stiller | ||
| Played the booking agent on "The Larry Sanders Show" (HBO) | ||
| Raised in Madison, New Jersey until her last year of high school when she moved to Houston | ||
| TV series debut, in the ensemble of "The Ben Stiller Show" (Fox) | ||
| Won a cable TV contest to find the funniest person in Rhode Island | ||
1985 | While an undergraduate, began appearing at "open mike" nights at clubs in Boston | |
1986 | Spent three years performing in clubs, primarily in Boston and Houston but also on the road | |
1989 | Relocated to Los Angeles | |
1991 | Film debut in small role in "Late for Dinner" | |
1991 | TV acting debut, "Passion," an unsold comedy pilot | |
1994 | Briefly joined the cast of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" | |
1994 | First major film role, "Reality Bites," directed by Stiller; also sang on the soundtrack | |
1995 | Breakthrough screen role as Randy Quaid's 'blind date-from-hell' in "Bye Bye, Love" | |
1995 | Headlined her own "HBO Comedy Half-Hour" | |
1995 | Hosted the stand-up showcase, "Comedy Product" (Comedy Central); also co-produced | |
1995 | Served as special correspondent on Michael Moore's series "TV Nation" (NBC) | |
1996 | First feature lead as radio host Abby Barnes in "The Truth About Cats and Dogs" | |
1996 | Memorable cameo appearance, playing a waitress at a medieval-themed restaurant in "The Cable Guy," directed by Ben Stiller | |
1996 | Offered dramatic turn in a two-part episode of NBC's "Law & Order" | |
1997 | Debut as feature producer "Sweethearts"; also starred | |
1997 | Delivered a dramatic turn as a deputy in "Cop Land" | |
1997 | Offered fine support as a chain-smoking cynical classmate in "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion" | |
1997 | Starred in the romantic comedy "The Matchmaker" | |
1998 | Cast as an FBI agent investigating a serial killer in "Clay Pigeons" | |
1998 | Played an agent opposite Ben Stiller in "Permanent Midnight" | |
1998 | Provided the character voice of Sally on the series "Felicity" (The WB); Garofalo did not take onscreen credit for the role | |
1999 | Appeared as a postal worker with romantic designs on a new co-worker who happens to be a serial killer in "The Minus Man" | |
1999 | Had supporting roles in indie films "Dogma" and "200 Cigarettes" | |
1999 | Played The Bowler in the comic book-inspired "The Mystery Men" | |
2000 | Cast as Minnie Mogul in "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle" | |
2000 | Portrayed Anita Hoffman opposite Vincent D'Onofrio in the biopic "Steal This Movie," about 1960s radical Abbie Hoffman | |
2001 | Appeared in "Wet Hot American Summer" | |
2002 | Starred in "The Laramie Project," (HBO) a true story of an American town in the wake of the murder of Matthew Shepard | |
2003 | Cast in the film "Wonderland" based on the brutal murders which involved legendary porn star John Holmes | |
2004 | Co-hosted the Air America Radio's show "The Majority Report," alongside Sam Seder | |
2004 | Starred opposite David Schwimmer in the drama "Duane Hopwood"; screened at Sundance | |
2005 | Joined the cast of the NBC drama "The West Wing," as a media strategist hired by Democratic presidential hopeful Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) | |
2005 | Starred opposite Martin Short in the comedy "Jiminy Glick in La La Wood" | |
2007 | Cast in the animated Pixar feature, "Ratatouille" | |
2007 | Co-starred in Richard Kelly's ensemble film, "Southland Tales" | |
2007 | Joined the seventh season of Fox's "24" as a government agent | |
Awards
1996 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in The Larry Sanders Show |
1997 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in The Larry Sanders Show |
2006 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in The West Wing |