Jean Smart

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Jean Smart
Smart at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con
Born
Jean Elizabeth Smart

(1951-09-13) September 13, 1951 (age 73)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Washington (BFA)
OccupationActress
Years active1975–present
WorksFull list
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1987; died 2021)​
Children2
AwardsFull list

Jean Elizabeth Smart (born September 13, 1951)

Tony Award
.

Smart first gained prominence for her leading role as Charlene Frazier Stillfield on the

The District (2000–04), 24 (2006–07), Harry's Law (2011), Fargo (2015), Watchmen (2019), and Mare of Easttown (2021). She also acted in FX's Legion (2017–2019) and voiced Ann Possible in the Disney Channel animated series Kim Possible
(2002–2007).

Smart's film credits include

Independent Spirit Award nomination for playing the mother of a rebellious student in the drama Guinevere
(1999).

On stage, she made her

one-woman
play Call Me Izzy (2025).

Early life and education

Smart was born and raised in

Who Do You Think You Are?, Smart discovered she is a maternal descendant of Dorcas Hoar, one of the last women convicted of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials.[6]

She is a 1969 graduate of

bachelor of fine arts.[3]

Career

1975–1999: Theater roles and Designing Women

Public Theatre

After graduating from college, Smart began her career appearing in regional theater throughout the

Drama Desk Award for her performance in the off-Broadway play Last Summer at Bluefish Cove.[3] In February 1981, Smart appeared in the Broadway production of Piaf playing Marlene Dietrich,[7] a role which she later reprised for the 1984 television version.[3]

In addition to theater, Smart began working in television in several smaller to midsized guest parts in the late 1970s and early 1980s, appearing on The Facts of Life, Alice, and Remington Steele, among several others.[3] According to Smart, after roles on the short-lived series Teachers Only and Reggie in 1983, "casting directors just decided I was funny. When that happens, you usually get pigeonholed, but I was fortunate. I got to move back and forth."[7] The following year, she had a supporting part in the thriller Flashpoint (1984).[8]

Smart at the 1991 Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony

In 1985, Smart was cast in the starring role of Charlene Frazier Stillfield on the comedy series

Scarlett (1995), and appeared in a supporting role in The Brady Bunch Movie (1995).[12] She also appeared in the television thriller film A Stranger In Town (1995) opposite Gregory Hines.[13]

In 1995, Smart was cast as the lead in the comedy series High Society, which co-starred Mary McDonnell and ran for 13 episodes,[3] followed by a role opposite Nancy McKeon in another short-lived CBS sitcom, Style & Substance. Her other roles included a part in Neil Simon's The Odd Couple II (1998) and as Deborah Sloane in the drama Guinevere (1999).[3] She had a lead role in the comedy Forever Fabulous (1999) as an aging beauty queen.[14]

2000–2019: Television roles and acclaim

In 2000, Smart was cast as

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.[15] Reflecting on the role, Smart said: "I had loved that role on Frasier so much, particularly that first episode. It's nice to get nominated and win for something you were particularly proud of. At the time, I was a little bit snobby about doing guest parts. Based on what I don't know. It wasn't something I was seeking. But my agent said, 'You have to read this.' I thought it was hilarious, and the show was brilliant, so I didn't even hesitate. I remember when we did the table read with the rest of the cast, we could hardly get through it we were laughing so hard."[15]

The same year, she was in the company of the second Broadway revival production of

Chief Jack Mannion of the Metropolitan Police Department on The District.[19] From 2002 to 2007, she voiced Dr. Ann Possible in Kim Possible, and also provided the voice of the alcoholic chain-smoking, Pickles Oblong, on The Oblongs. In 2004, she reprised her voice role as Reba Heyerdahl in an episode of the Nickelodeon series Hey Arnold!.[20] The same year, she was cast in a lead role in the short-lived Center of the Universe.[21] She also had a supporting role in David O. Russell's I Heart Huckabees (2004).[22][23]

Smart after her Primetime Emmy Award win on September 21, 2008

In January 2006, Smart joined the cast of the

Lifetime film Call Me Crazy: A Five Film
(2013).

In 2015, Smart starred in the

Candace Cameron, in the Hallmark Channel
television film A Shoe Addict's Christmas, which aired Sunday November 25, 2018.

In 2019, Smart portrayed Laurie Juspeczyk, the former

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and received the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
for her performance.

2020–present: Hacks and return to Broadway

In 2021, Smart appeared in the seven-episode

crime drama limited series Mare of Easttown set in a small town in Pennsylvania. The series stars Kate Winslet as a grizzled detective with a supporting cast that includes Guy Pearce, Julianne Nicholson, and Evan Peters. Her role as Winslet's mother has earned her critical acclaim, with Jackson McHenry of Variety writing, "It's one of those essential truths of TV, as Watchmen and Legion displayed recently, that if you need a tough-as-nails broad, you hire Jean Smart. Smart has the voice and the timing to play a stern matriarch, and whenever she's onscreen in Mare of Easttown, she wrenches away the spotlight like she's grabbing a juice box."[32]

She also stars as the lead in the

HBO Max dark comedy series Hacks (2021), playing a legendary Las Vegas comedy diva looking to appeal to a younger audience. USA Today declared Smart, at the age of 69, "The Queen of HBO", after appearing in Watchmen, Mare of Easttown, and now Hacks. Glen Weldon of NPR praised Smart's performance in his review, writing, "I don't know if the role of Deborah Vance was written for Smart, but she certainly makes it seem like it was...Smart's also convincing as a standup, performing Deborah's vaguely hokey routines with a naturalistic flair as if she was [sic] born to it."[33] She won two consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (2021 and 2022).[34] She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series again in 2024.[35]

In 2021, Smart co-starred in the romantic comedy film

comedy-drama film Babylon as gossip columnist Elinor St. John.[38] On September 28, 2024, she hosted the season 50 premiere episode of Saturday Night Live.[39] Zach Vasquez of The Guardian wrote of her hosting duties, "Smart is no slouch – a great dramatic and comedic actor of stage and screen, she nails her monologue, delivering jokes like the pro comic she plays on Hacks, before singing a rendition of Cole Porter’s "I Happen to Like New York."[40]

Smart had a

cameo role in the eighth episode of The Studio, which premiered on May 6, 2025.[41]

Smart returned to Broadway in June 2025 in the one-woman play Call Me Izzy written by Jamie Wax at Studio 54.[42][43]

Personal life

Smart was married to actor Richard Gilliland for 33 years until his death in March 2021 after a brief illness.[44][45] They met while working on the set of Designing Women (1986–93), where he played J.D. Shackelford, the boyfriend of Annie Potts's character, Mary Jo Shively. Smart also worked with her husband in season five of 24; he played Captain Stan Cotter in one episode, while she starred in the main cast role of First Lady Martha Logan.[46]

They have two sons; they had their first child in 1989 and adopted their second in 2009.[3][47]

Acting credits and accolades

Main articles: Jean Smart filmography and List of awards and nominations received by Jean Smart

She is the recipient of

Broadway revival of the George S. Kaufman play The Man Who Came to Dinner (2001).[49] In 2016, Smart was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Patience and Sarah.[50]

In 2000, she earned an

Screen Actors Guild Award nomination along with the ensemble cast of the drama series 24. Smart consecutively won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for Hacks in 2022 and 2023, and then once again in 2025. Smart is the most awarded performer at the Critics' Choice Television Awards, with five wins from six nominations. Smart is only the second actress, after Betty White, to win all three comedy Emmy nominations – comedy lead, supporting, and guest categories.[51]

References

  1. ISBN 978-0786477906 – via Google Books
    .
  2. ^ Krug, Kurt Anthony (March 13, 2006). "Seattle native Jean Smart happily back in the TV grind for a stint on "24"". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  3. ^
    Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original
    on October 3, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  4. Who Do You Think You Are?
    , June 18, 2018
  5. ^ Bandler, Michael J. (May 10, 1992). "Against The Odds". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  6. ^
    TV Insider
    . Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d Nassour, Ellis (July 2000). "Jean Smart Commutes From TV & Film To The Stage". Total Theater. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  8. ^ Pitts 2013, p. 111.
  9. ^ Shapiro & Jicha 2015, p. 142.
  10. ^ "Mistress (1992) – Overview". Turner Classic Movies. Rovi. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  11. ^ Ebert, Roger (August 21, 1992). "Mistress Movie Review". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  12. ^ "The Brady Bunch Movie Cast and Crew". TV Guide. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  13. ^ "A Stranger in Town". Jet. Television: 66. July 15, 1996.
  14. ^ "Forever Fabulous (1999)". MovieFone.com. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  15. ^ a b c Berkshire, Geoff (August 11, 2016). "Jean Smart Remembers Her Emmy-Winning 'Frasier' Guest Role". Variety. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  16. ^ "The Man Who Came to Dinner". Roundabout Theatre Company. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  17. ^ "Sweet Home Alabama (2002)". Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  18. About.com. Archived from the original
    on November 18, 2012. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  19. ^ Kuklenski, Valerie (February 26, 2001). "'The District' Gets Smart – Jean Smart". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  20. ^ "10 Hey Arnold! Guest Stars You Are Just Finding Out About Now". ScreenRant. July 14, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  21. ^ Fonseca, Nicholas (December 13, 2004). "Smart and Soul". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  22. ^ Fonseca, Nicholas (December 13, 2004). "Jean Smart is the new indie queen". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  23. ^ Russell & Baena 2004, p. vi.
  24. ^ Keck, William (January 9, 2006). "Fox's '24' makes Smart move". USA Today. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  25. ^ Propst, Andy (March 12, 2010). "Chris D'Arienzo's Barry Munday, with Jean Smart, Patrick Wilson, et al. to Bow at Southwest Film Festival". TheaterMania.com. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  26. ^ "JEAN SMART 'SAMANTHA WHO?'; Roles of the Season, Maybe a Lifetime". The New York Times. June 8, 2008. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  27. ^ Collis, Clark (March 10, 2010). "Jean Smart says 'Aloha' to 'Hawaii Five-O' remake". EW. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  28. ^ "Primetime Emmy Awards". Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  29. ^ Gliatto, Tom (October 13, 2016). "The Accountant Review: Ben Affleck Crunches Numbers and Crushes Enemies in Enjoyable Thriller". People. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  30. ^ Saraiya, Sonia. "Jean Smart on Playing Watchmen's Hard-Boiled Laurie Blake". Vanity Fair. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  31. ^ Deggans, Eric (October 18, 2019). "Who Watches This 'Watchmen?' I Will, And You Should". NPR. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  32. ^ "A Celebration of Jean Smart's Sad-Funny Work on Mare of Easttown". Variety. May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  33. ^ Weldon, Glen (May 13, 2021). "'Hacks': A Comedic Generational Divide Gets Bridged, (Jean) Smartly". NPR. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  34. ^ "Jean Smart – Emmy Award, Nominations and Wins". Television Academy. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  35. ^ Television Academy (September 15, 2024). Lead Actress In A Comedy Series: 76th Emmy Awards. Retrieved September 16, 2024 – via YouTube.
  36. ^ "Ephraim Lopez, Jean Smart Join William Shatner Comedy 'Senior Moment'". Variety. May 8, 2017.
  37. ^ Gyarkye, Lovia (September 12, 2022). "'Wildflower' Review: Kiernan Shipka Plays the Daughter of Neurodivergent Parents in an Endearing Coming-of-Age Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  38. ^ "Dressing to Be Seen: How the 'Babylon' Costumes Defined Jean Smart's Gossip Reporter". IndieWire. February 14, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  39. ^ Thompson, Stephanie (September 20, 2024). "'Saturday Night Live' kicks off 50th season with Jean Smart, Jelly Roll, three new cast members". WBRE Wilkes-Barre. Retrieved September 25, 2024 – via MSN.com.
  40. ^ Vasquez, Zach (September 29, 2024). "Saturday Night Live: Jean Smart can't save a lazy, light-on-laughs season opening". The Guardian. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  41. ^ The Studio (TV Series 2025– ) - Jean Smart as Jean - IMDb. Retrieved June 14, 2025 – via www.imdb.com.
  42. ^ "Hacks Star Jean Smart Sets Broadway Return This Summer in New Solo Play". TheaterMania. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  43. ^ Culwell-Block, Logan. "Jean Smart on Why Call Me Izzy Is a Timely Reminder of the Importance of Art". Playbill. Playbill. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  44. ^ Barnes, Mike (March 25, 2021). "Richard Gilliland, 'Designing Women' Actor and Husband of Jean Smart, Dies at 71". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  45. ^ Vazquez, Ingrid (May 16, 2024). "Jean Smart Recalls Losing Her Husband of 35 Years: 'It Doesn't Make Any Sense' (Exclusive)". People. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  46. ^ Terry Gross (May 12, 2021). "From 'Designing Women' to 'Hacks', Jean Smart's Career Is Still Going Strong". Fresh Air (Podcast). WHYY. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  47. ^ Abrahamson, Rachel Paula (June 4, 2024). "All about Jean Smart's kids: Meet Connor and Forrest". Today. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  48. ^ "Jean Smart". Emmys.com. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  49. ^ "Jean Smart". Playbill.com. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  50. ^ "Jean Smart". Grammys.com. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  51. ^ McLaughlin, Kelly; Guerrasio, Jason (September 19, 2021). "Jean Smart makes history at the Emmys and joins Betty White as the only actresses to sweep the comedy categories". Yahoo.com. Retrieved August 20, 2022.

Sources

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