Jean Smart facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jean Smart
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Smart in 2025
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Jean Elizabeth Smart
September 13, 1951 Seattle, Washington, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of Washington (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1975–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Spouse(s) |
Richard Gilliland
(m. 1987; died 2021) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
Jean Elizabeth Smart (born September 13, 1951) is a talented American actress. She has starred in many popular TV shows and movies, showing her skills in both funny comedies and serious dramas. Jean Smart has won many awards, including seven Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. She has also been nominated for a Grammy Award and a Tony Award.
Jean Smart became well-known for her main role as Charlene Frazier Stillfield in the CBS comedy series Designing Women. She starred in this show from 1986 to 1991. She later won several Primetime Emmy Awards for her roles. These included playing Lana Gardner in the NBC series Frasier (2000–2001). She also won for her role as Regina Newley in the ABC comedy Samantha Who? (2007–2009). More recently, she won for playing Deborah Vance in the HBO Max comedy series Hacks (2021–present).
She was also nominated for Emmy Awards for her work in other shows. These include The District (2000–2004) and 24 (2006–2007). Other nominated roles were in Harry's Law (2011), Fargo (2015), Watchmen (2019), and Mare of Easttown (2021). Jean Smart also appeared in FX's Legion (2017–2019). Kids might know her voice as Ann Possible in the Disney Channel cartoon Kim Possible (2002–2007).
Jean Smart has also acted in many movies. Some of her film roles include Flashpoint (1984) and The Brady Bunch Movie (1995). She was in Sweet Home Alabama (2002) and Garden State (2004). Other movies are I Heart Huckabees (2004), Youth in Revolt (2009), and The Accountant (2016). More recently, she appeared in A Simple Favor (2018) and Babylon (2022). She was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her role in the drama Guinevere (1999).
On stage, Jean Smart first performed on Broadway. This was in 1981, playing Marlene Dietrich in the play Piaf. She also starred in a new version of the play The Man Who Came to Dinner (2000). For this role, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She returned to Broadway in June 2025 in a play called Call Me Izzy, where she was the only actor.
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Early Life and School Days
Jean Smart was born and grew up in Seattle, Washington. Her mother was Kathleen Marie Smart and her father, Douglas Alexander Smart, was a teacher. She is the second of four children in her family. When she was 13 years old, Jean Smart learned she had type 1 diabetes. Her father's family came from Scotland.
On the TV show Who Do You Think You Are?, Jean Smart found out something interesting about her family history. She learned she was related to Dorcas Hoar, a woman from the time of the Salem witch trials.
Jean Smart finished Ballard High School in Seattle in 1969. There, she became very interested in acting through the school's drama program. She later studied acting at the University of Washington and earned a degree in fine arts.
Career Highlights
Early Theater and TV Roles (1975–1999)
After college, Jean Smart started her acting career in local theaters. She performed in Washington, Alaska, and Oregon. She worked with the Seattle Repertory Theater and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. In the mid-1970s, she moved to New York City. There, she acted in smaller theater productions and other regional shows. In 1981, she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her role in the play Last Summer at Bluefish Cove. In February 1981, Smart made her Broadway debut. She played Marlene Dietrich in the play Piaf. She later played this role again for a TV version in 1984.
Jean Smart also began acting on television in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She had guest roles on shows like The Facts of Life, Alice, and Remington Steele. She said that after some early roles, casting directors started to see her as a funny actress. In 1984, she had a supporting role in the suspenseful movie Flashpoint.
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In 1985, Smart got a starring role as Charlene Frazier Stillfield. This was in the comedy series Designing Women. She played this character from 1986 through the show's fifth season. After leaving Designing Women, she focused on TV movies and supporting roles in films. She appeared in the family drama Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993). She also played Ory Baxter in a TV version of The Yearling (1994). In 1995, she was in the TV miniseries Scarlett. She also had a supporting role in The Brady Bunch Movie (1995).
In 1995, Smart took the lead role in the comedy series High Society. This show ran for 13 episodes. She also appeared in the drama Guinevere (1999). In this film, she played the mother of a student who didn't always follow the rules.
Award-Winning TV and Film Roles (2000–2019)
In 2000, Jean Smart played Lana Gardner in the popular NBC comedy series Frasier. This show was set in her hometown of Seattle. She won two Primetime Emmy Awards for her excellent guest performances in this series. Smart later said she was very proud of this role.
The same year, she was part of a Broadway play called The Man Who Came to Dinner. This role earned her a Tony Award nomination. Soon after, she appeared in several well-known movies. These included Sweet Home Alabama (2002), where she played the mother-in-law of Reese Witherspoon. She was also in the comedy Bringing Down The House (2002) with Queen Latifah. She had a supporting role in the independent drama Garden State (2004).
From 2000 to 2004, Smart played a detective supervisor and ex-wife in The District. From 2002 to 2007, she voiced Dr. Ann Possible in the cartoon Kim Possible. In 2004, she also voiced Reba Heyerdahl in an episode of Hey Arnold!. She had a supporting role in David O. Russell's I Heart Huckabees (2004).
In January 2006, Smart joined the cast of the Fox series 24. She played the First Lady of the United States, Martha Logan, who faced many challenges. She received two Emmy nominations for this role in 2006 and 2007. She also appeared in movies like Lucky You (2007) with Drew Barrymore. Other films included Youth in Revolt (2009) and Barry Munday (2010).
Jean Smart won her third Emmy Award for her role in the comedy Samantha Who?. She played Samantha's very protective mother from 2007 to 2009. In 2012, she was nominated for another Emmy for her role in Harry's Law.
In 2015, Smart starred in the second season of the FX TV series Fargo. She played Floyd Gerhardt, who had to take over her family's powerful business after her husband became ill. She also had to manage her sons, who were competing to lead the family. For this performance, Smart won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries. She was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. She later worked on Legion, playing Melanie Bird, a therapist. In 2016, Smart had a role in the suspenseful movie The Accountant.
In 2019, Smart played Laurie Juspeczyk, a former superhero, in the HBO series Watchmen. Critics praised her performance, calling it "compelling." The series won 11 Primetime Emmy Awards. Smart was nominated for an Emmy and won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role.
Recent Success with Hacks and Broadway Return (2020–Present)
In 2021, Jean Smart appeared in the HBO crime drama series Mare of Easttown. She played the mother of the main character, an experienced detective played by Kate Winslet. Critics highly praised her performance in this role.
She also stars as the main character in the HBO Max comedy series Hacks (2021). She plays Deborah Vance, a famous comedian from Las Vegas. Deborah wants to connect with a younger audience. USA Today called Smart "The Queen of HBO" because of her roles in Watchmen, Mare of Easttown, and Hacks. She won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in a row (2021 and 2022) for Hacks. She won this Emmy Award again in 2024.
In 2021, Smart co-starred in the romantic comedy film Senior Moment. In 2022, she played Peg, a grandmother, in Wildflower. She also appeared in Damien Chazelle's 1920s comedy-drama film Babylon as Elinor St. John, a writer who shares news about famous people. On September 28, 2024, she hosted the 50th season premiere of Saturday Night Live.
Smart had a small role in the eighth episode of The Studio, which premiered on May 6, 2025. She returned to Broadway in June 2025 in a play called Call Me Izzy at Studio 54.
Personal Life
Jean Smart was married to actor Richard Gilliland for 33 years. He passed away in March 2021 after a brief illness. They met while working on the set of Designing Women. Richard Gilliland played J.D. Shackelford in the show. Jean Smart also worked with her husband in season five of 24. He played Captain Stan Cotter in one episode, while she was a main cast member.
They had two sons. Their first child was born in 1989, and they adopted their second son in 2009.
She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 13 years old.
Awards and Achievements
Jean Smart has received many awards for her acting. These include seven Primetime Emmy Awards and nominations for a Tony Award and a Grammy Award. She has been nominated for fourteen Primetime Emmy Awards for her TV work. She won twice for her guest role in Frasier (2000, 2001). She also won for her role in Samantha Who? (2008) and four times for Hacks (2021, 2022, 2024, 2025).
She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in the Broadway play The Man Who Came to Dinner (2001). In 2016, Smart was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording for Patience and Sarah.
In 2000, she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Guinevere. In 2007, she was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award with the group of actors from the drama series 24. Smart won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for Hacks in 2022, 2023, and again in 2025. She has won the most awards at the Critics' Choice Television Awards, with five wins. Jean Smart is only the second actress, after Betty White, to win all three comedy Emmy categories: lead, supporting, and guest actress.
See also
In Spanish: Jean Smart para niños
