Allison Janney

Janney is an American actress, best known for her role as C. J. Cregg on the television series The West Wing.She attended The Miami Valley School in Dayton, where she was named a distinguished alumna in 2004, and the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. She then attended Kenyon College. At Kenyon, Janney studied under another Kenyon alum, Paul Newman. She went on to study drama at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She attended The Neighborhood Playhouse the same years as actor Dylan McDermott. Janney has appeared in a number of films with roles of various sizes, including the 1990's films American Beauty, The Object of My Affection, Drop Dead Gorgeous, and the 2000's films The Hours, The Chumscrubber, How to Deal, Juno, and Hairspray. Janney has remained active in theater. In 1998, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge. Her first Broadway role was in Present Laughter opposite Frank Langella. Janney will star in the upcoming ABC network comedy Mr. Sunshine. The series, which was created by Matthew Perry, is scheduled as a midseason replacement for the 2010-11 television season.