Janeane Garofalo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Janeane Garofalo
Garofalo in August 2008
Born	(1964-09-28) September 28, 1964 (age 60) Newton, New Jersey, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up film television radio
Years active	1985–present
Genres	Alternative comedy
Subject(s)	American politics films feminism celebrities body image

Janeane Garofalo (born September 28, 1964) is an American comedian and actress. She has also been a radio host.

Garofalo started her career doing stand-up comedy. She became a cast member on popular TV shows like The Ben Stiller Show, The Larry Sanders Show, and Saturday Night Live. She has also appeared in over 50 movies. Some of her main movie roles include The Truth About Cats & Dogs, Wet Hot American Summer, and Mystery Men. On TV, she has been a regular on shows such as The West Wing, 24, and Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce.

Early Life and First Steps in Comedy

Janeane Garofalo was born in Newton, New Jersey. Her mother was a secretary, and her father worked for an oil company. Janeane grew up in different places, including California, New Jersey, and Texas. She didn't enjoy living in Houston, Texas, because of the hot weather and the focus on looks and sports in high school.

While studying history at Providence College, Janeane entered a comedy contest. It was sponsored by the Showtime TV channel. She won the title of "Funniest Person in Rhode Island"! After college, she became a professional stand-up comedian. She dreamed of writing for the TV show Late Night With David Letterman. She worked hard for several years, even as a bike messenger in Boston for a short time.

Entertainment Career

Stand-up Comedy Style

Garofalo performing comedy in 2008

Janeane officially started her comedy career in the mid-1980s. Her comedy often makes fun of herself. She also makes fun of popular culture. She talks about the pressure women feel to look a certain way.

When she performs, Janeane often uses a notebook. It is filled with article clippings and ideas she has collected over the years. She says she doesn't tell jokes. Instead, she shares observations that make people laugh. She was part of the "alternative comedy" scene in Los Angeles in the early 1990s. She also helped create a comedy show called "Eating It" in New York City. She often hosted and performed in this show.

Janeane has had comedy specials on HBO and Epix. Her one-hour special, If I May, aired in 2010.

Movie Roles

Garofalo has played many different characters in over 50 movies. She had big roles in films like The Truth About Cats & Dogs and Wet Hot American Summer.

Her first movie role was a small part in Late for Dinner in 1991. Her big break came in the 1994 movie Reality Bites. In it, she played Vickie, the best friend of Winona Ryder's character.

In 1996, she starred in the romantic comedy The Truth About Cats & Dogs. She played a smart radio host. The movie was a new version of the classic story Cyrano de Bergerac.

She turned down a role in the horror film Scream because she thought it would be too violent. In 1997, she played the main role in The Matchmaker. This was a romantic comedy about an American woman visiting Ireland. That same year, she was a deputy sheriff in the drama Cop Land.

In 1998, she voiced Ursula the Artist in Disney's English version of Kiki's Delivery Service. In 1999, she played "The Bowler" in the superhero movie Mystery Men.

In 2000, she played Abbie Hoffman's wife, Anita Hoffman, in Steal This Movie!. This film was about their political work during the Vietnam War era. The next year, she was a top star in Wet Hot American Summer. This 2001 movie became a cult comedy.

In 2006, she voiced Bridget the giraffe in the animated Disney movie The Wild. In 2007, she voiced Colette Tatou, a chef, in the Pixar/Disney film Ratatouille. She used a strong French accent for this role. She also appeared in Bad Parents in 2012, a comedy about New Jersey soccer moms.

Television Work

Janeane's big TV break happened in 1990. She met Ben Stiller and they became friends. Her first national TV appearance was on MTV's Half Hour Comedy Hour. Then, she joined Ben Stiller Show on Fox in 1992.

She then got the role of Paula on The Larry Sanders Show on HBO. She was nominated for two Emmy Awards for this role. For a while, she worked on both shows at the same time!

After The Ben Stiller Show ended, Garofalo joined Saturday Night Live (SNL) for the 1994–95 season. She left after only six months. She said the experience made her "anxious and depressed." She also felt that some parts of the show were unfair to women.

After SNL, Janeane appeared in many guest roles. She was Jerry Seinfeld's female friend, Jeannie Steinman, on Seinfeld. She also voiced Sally Reardon on Felicity.

From 2005 to 2006, Garofalo was on The West Wing. She played Louise Thornton, a campaign adviser. In 2009, she joined the cast of 24 as Janis Gold. In 2011, she was a cast member on the TV series Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior.

In 2014, she played Lyla, an entertainment lawyer, in Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce. In 2015, she returned to play Beth in the Netflix prequel series Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp.

Writing

In 1999, Janeane Garofalo co-wrote a funny book with Ben Stiller. It was called Feel This Book: An Essential Guide to Self-Empowerment, Spiritual Supremacy, and ... Satisfaction. It made fun of popular self-help books. She also wrote for her HBO comedy specials and some sketches on The Ben Stiller Show.

Political Views

Garofalo on the cover of Ms. in 2003

Garofalo is open about her liberal political views. She is also a feminist. She has said she grew up in a more traditional family.

She has appeared with political figures at different events. In 2007, she said she is an atheist. She also took part in a radio interview for a show called Freethought Radio.

She became more known for her political views when she spoke out against the 2003 Iraq War. She appeared on TV channels like CNN and Fox News to talk about it. She felt that anti-war voices were not being heard enough. She believed her fame could help bring attention to that side of the debate.

Radio Work

In 2004, Garofalo became a co-host for Air America Radio's new show The Majority Report. She hosted it with Sam Seder. The early days of Air America Radio were shown in a documentary called Left of the Dial. This film included discussions between Janeane and her father, Carmine, who was a regular guest on her show.

Personal Life

Janeane Garofalo married Robert Cohen in Las Vegas in 1991. He was a writer for The Ben Stiller Show. She later explained that they thought it was a joke marriage and not legally binding. However, years later, it was discovered that the marriage was indeed legal. Their marriage was officially ended in 2012.

Filmography (selected)

Film

Television

Documentaries

• New York: A Documentary Film (1999)
• Outlaw Comic: The Censoring of Bill Hicks (2003)
• Dangerous Living: Coming Out In The Developing World (2003)
• Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns) (2003)
• Left of the Dial (2005), HBO
• I Am Comic (2010)
• Misery Loves Comedy (2015)
• Sticky: A (Self) Love Story (2016)
• Too Soon: Comedy After 9/11 (2021)

Books

• Feel This Book: An Essential Guide to Self-Empowerment, Spiritual Supremacy, and ... Satisfaction ISBN: 0-694-52146-9 (with Ben Stiller)

See also

In Spanish: Janeane Garofalo para niños

• Saturday Night Live parodies of Hillary Clinton