Janet Varney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Janet Varney
Varney at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2024
Born	(1976-02-16) February 16, 1976 (age 49) Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Alma mater	San Francisco State University (BA)
Occupation	Actress comedian writer producer
Years active	2003–present

Janet Varney (born February 16, 1976) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She is famous for being the voice of Korra in the popular Nickelodeon animated TV series The Legend of Korra. She also played Sheriff Evie Barret in the TV show Stan Against Evil and had a recurring role as Becca Barbara in You're the Worst.

Janet Varney has hosted her own podcast, The JV Club, since 2012. She also co-hosts the Avatar: Braving the Elements podcast with Dante Basco. Besides acting, she is a co-founder and creative director of SF Sketchfest, a long-running comedy festival in San Francisco.

Early Life and Education

Janet Varney grew up in Tucson, Arizona. She was a very good student and graduated from Rincon High School in 1993. She then went to San Francisco State University, where she studied theater and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1997.

After college, she first tried a career in interior design. However, she soon returned to her passion for acting. Varney was raised in the Mormon faith, but she decided to leave the church when she was 17. She later identified as an agnostic, meaning she believes it's not possible to know if God exists. Janet Varney's family background includes both English and Scottish heritage.

Career Highlights

Television Roles and Projects

Janet Varney started her television career in 2004 on the Comedy Central show Crossballs. She has appeared as a guest star in many well-known series. These include Bones, Better Off Ted, How I Met Your Mother, Hot in Cleveland, and Psych. She also had recurring roles on shows like Entourage (on HBO), Burning Love (on Yahoo! Screen), Country Comfort (on Netflix), You're the Worst (on FX), and Take My Wife (on Seeso).

Varney at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con

In 2012, Janet Varney helped create Neil's Puppet Dreams with actors Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka. In the same year, she began her most famous voice role as the main character, Korra, in the Nickelodeon animated series The Legend of Korra. This show is a spin-off from the popular series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Varney voiced Korra for all four seasons until the show ended in 2014. She continued to voice Korra in several video games for a decade. Her last time voicing Korra was in Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway in 2022.

In 2016, Varney was nominated for an Emmy Award. This nomination was for her outstanding performance as an actress in a short comedy or drama web series called Everyone's Crazy But Us, which was produced by Funny or Die.

From 2016 to 2018, Varney was a main cast member on IFC's show Stan Against Evil, where she played Sheriff Evie Barret. She also hosted ESCAPE!, a web series on Geek & Sundry. In this show, celebrity teams worked together to solve puzzles and escape from a room. In 2018, Varney created, produced, and starred in Fortune Rookie, an 8-episode web series presented by IFC.

Hosting Dinner and a Movie

In 2005, Janet Varney became the new host of the TBS cooking and entertainment show Dinner and a Movie. She joined Paul Gilmartin and Claud Mann on each episode. They would introduce movies and add humor while preparing creative dinners related to the film's theme. The show ran until it was canceled in 2011.

RiffTrax Comedies

Janet Varney has also written and performed funny audio commentaries for movies. She did this with Cole Stratton, who is also a co-founder of SF Sketchfest. These commentaries are available on the RiffTrax website under the RiffTrax Presents label. This means they are officially approved by Michael J. Nelson, who created RiffTrax and was part of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

She has contributed to RiffTrax commentaries for films such as:

• Footloose
• Poltergeist
• Ghost
• Dirty Dancing
• Jaws 3-D
• Flatliners
• The Lost Boys
• Dreamscape
• Batman vs Superman

Varney at the 2021 San Diego Comic-Con

Podcast Adventures

In March 2012, Janet Varney started her own podcast called The JV Club. It was first hosted on Nerdist.com and later moved to the Maximum Fun network in 2018. The podcast celebrated its 500th episode in January 2023.

Varney often participates in the improv comedy podcast Spontaneanation with Paul F. Tompkins. She is sometimes called "Little Janet" Varney on the show. She is also a main cast member of the improvised SciFi podcast Voyage to the Stars and the podcast Thrilling Adventure Hour.

On June 22, 2021, Avatar: Braving the Elements premiered. This is an official Nickelodeon podcast that goes along with Avatar: The Last Airbender. Varney, who voices Korra, co-hosts it with Dante Basco, who voices Zuko. They talk about important moments and behind-the-scenes facts from each episode of the show.

She has also appeared on the podcast Hello from the Magic Tavern as the character Braidwynn the Warrior Elf. She is also a frequent guest on the puzzle and riddle podcast Hey Riddle Riddle. Since 2022, Varney has voiced the character of Janet Lubelle on Welcome to Night Vale.

Other Creative Work

Janet Varney is a co-founder, creative director, and producer of SF Sketchfest, the San Francisco Comedy Festival. She also co-founded the San Francisco sketch comedy group called Totally False People. She is a core member of the Los Angeles-based improv group Theme Park Improv. She also performed with the group Sequel 4000, which was based in both Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Personal Life

Janet Varney dated comedian Chris Hardwick from 2004 to 2011. In her younger adult years, Varney was diagnosed with depersonalization disorder.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Appearances

Video Game Voice Roles

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Janet Varney para niños