Jane Krakowski is a well-known American actress famous for playing the character of Jenna Maroney on the NBC comedy show 30 Rock (2006-2013, 2020). She has been recognized for her outstanding performance in this role by receiving four nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Early Life
Jane Krakowski grew up in Parsippany, New Jersey, and was born to Ed Krajkowski, a chemical engineer, and Barbara (née Benoit), who is a college theater instructor and producing artistic director for the Women’s Theater Company.
Krakowski’s family on her father’s side is of Polish descent, and although she knows very little Polish, her father and grandparents are fluent. Jane’s parents were both active in the community’s theater community, and instead of hiring a babysitter, they took her with them.
She has an older brother and went to Parsippany High School, NYC’s Professional Children’s School, and New Brunswick’s Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. At the age of 4, Jane started taking ballet classes, but she eventually shifted her focus to Broadway dancing.
Jane Krakowski Career
At 18, Jane Krakowski made her Broadway debut in “Starlight Express.” She then starred in “Grand Hotel,” earning a Tony nomination. In 1993, she played Jessica Ryan in “Face Value” and appeared in “Company” in 1995. Krakowski co-starred with Sarah Jessica Parker in “Once Upon a Mattress” and appeared in “Tartuffe” in 1996.
In 2002, Jane Krakowski took on the role of Fanny Brice in a Broadway production of “Funny Girl”. The following year, she received a Tony award for her outstanding portrayal of Carla Albanese in “Nine” at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre.
Continuing her success, she played Adelaide in a production of “Guys and Dolls” in London’s West End in 2005. In 2008, she shared the stage with Sean Hayes and Cheyenne Jackson in the New York City Center’s production of “Damn Yankees”.
In 2016, Jane Krakowski was nominated for her third Tony award for her role as Ilona Ritter in “She Loves Me” at Studio 54. Additionally, she portrayed Mrs. Potts in “Beauty and the Beast” at the Hollywood Bowl in 2018.
In 1983, Jane’s film debut was Cousin Vicki in “National Lampoon’s Vacation.” She also appeared in the TV movie “No Big Deal” and an episode of “ABC Weekend Specials.”
From 1984 to 1986, she starred as T.R. Kendall on the soap opera “Search for Tomorrow.” In 1987, she appeared in the film “Fatal Attraction.” In 1989, she had a recurring role on the soap opera “Another World.” Jane played Elaine Vassal on “Ally McBeal” from 1997 to 2002. The show aired 112 episodes over five seasons.
She went on to appear in several movies, including “The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas” (2000), “Marci X” (2003), “When Zachary Beaver Came to Town” (2003), “Alfie” (2004), “Pretty Persuasion” (2005), “The Rocker” (2008), “Kit Kittredge: An American Girl” (2008), and “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant” (2009).
Krakowski made guest appearances on “Everwood” (2002–2003) and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (2004) and also had roles in the television films “Just a Walk in the Park” (2002), “A Christmas Carol” (2004), “Mom at Sixteen” (2005), and “A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa” (2008).
Jane Krakowski played Jenna Maroney on “30 Rock” from 2006 to 2013. The show had 138 episodes and returned for a special in July 2020. The cast reunited virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2014, she appeared in the films “Adult Beginners” and “Big Stone Gap.” In 2015, she was in the film “Pixels.” Krakowski guest-starred on “Modern Family” in 2014 and 2017 and “Younger” in 2015.
From 2015 to 2020, she played Jacqueline White on “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” The show was created by “30 Rock” star/creator Tina Fey.
Jane Krakowski appeared on shows like “Difficult People,” “At Home with Amy Sedaris,” “Drunk History,” and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” in 2017, 2018, and 2019. She played Miss Shields in “A Christmas Story Live!” in 2017.
She joined the cast of “Dickinson” in 2019 and guest-starred on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “AJ and the Queen” in 2020. She was also a guest judge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars.”
In 2021, she starred in the musical comedy “Schmigadoon!,” voiced Queen Haven in the animated film “My Little Pony: A New Generation,” and hosted the Fox reboot of “Name That Tune.”
Personal Life
In December 2009, Jane Krakowski and clothing designer Robert Godley announced their engagement and later welcomed their son Bennett on April 13, 2011. However, their relationship ended in 2013.
In early 2021, the “Daily Mail” reported that Jane had a nine-month relationship with My Pillow founder Mike Lindell starting in late 2019. However, Jane’s representative denied this claim.
“Jane has never met Mr. Lindell. She is not and has never been in any relationship with him, romantic or otherwise. She is, however, in full-fledged relationships with Brad Pitt, Regé-Jean Page and Kermit the Frog and welcomes any and all coverage on those.“
Several days later, it was disclosed that Krakowski had been in a romantic partnership with architect David Rockwell “since at least March of 2019.”
Net Worth
Jane Krakowski, a well-known American actress and singer, has accumulated a net worth of $9 million. She is most recognized for her roles as Elaine Vassal in “Ally McBeal” (1997-2002), Jenna Maroney in “30 Rock” (2006-2013), and Jacqueline White in “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (2015-2020) on Fox, NBC, and Netflix, respectively.
