Maggie Wheeler facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maggie Wheeler
Wheeler in 2013
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1982–present
Spouse(s)	Daniel Wheeler ​ (m. 1990)​

Maggie Wheeler is an American actress. She is best known for her funny and memorable role as Janice on the popular TV show Friends (which aired from 1994 to 2004). She also played Anita on the show Ellen (1994–1996). Besides acting and doing voice work, Maggie is also a singer, songwriter, and helps lead a choir.

Early Life and School

Maggie Wheeler grew up in New York City. Her mother, Barbara, was a writer, and her father, John Jakobson, was a member of the New York Stock Exchange. She went to The Calhoun School in New York City.

Acting Career Highlights

In the 1980s, Maggie Wheeler started her acting journey using her maiden name, Jakobson. She did a lot of voice acting for cartoons. For example, in the animated series SilverHawks, she voiced many female characters. This included the villain Melodia and the hero Steelheart. She also worked on cartoon segments like Karate Kat and Mini-Monsters. In 1989, she appeared in the movie New Year's Day.

Playing Janice in Friends

After she became Maggie Wheeler, she auditioned for the role of Janice in the hit show Friends. She got the part and became famous for Janice's unique laugh and catchphrase, "Oh. My. God!" Janice was a recurring character, meaning she appeared many times throughout the series. She was often a love interest for the main character Chandler Bing. Maggie appeared in 19 episodes, showing up at least once in every season of the show.

Other TV Roles

Maggie Wheeler also tried out for the role of Debra Barone in the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond. Even though the producers wanted her, another actress, Patricia Heaton, got the part. Instead, Maggie played Linda, a friend of Debra's, in several episodes.

She had a main role in the first season of Ellen. She also appeared in an episode of Seinfeld called "The Fix-Up". In this episode, she played a friend of Elaine's who was set up with George. Maggie has been in many other popular TV shows too, such as Drake & Josh, ER, The X-Files, Will & Grace, How I Met Your Mother, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Voice Acting and Movies

In 1997, Maggie voiced a character in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Joker's Millions". In 1998, she appeared in the movie The Parent Trap. She also provided the voice for Odile in Barbie of Swan Lake and Trinette in the animated show Archer. In 2011, she was a guest star in the Disney Channel series Shake It Up.

Music and Community Work

Maggie Wheeler is also very involved in music. She helped start and now directs the Golden Bridge Community Choir in Hollywood. This choir is open to everyone, no auditions needed, and includes people of all ages. They perform concerts to raise money for local and global communities. Maggie also travels to different places like schools and universities to teach vocal workshops.

Personal Life

Maggie Wheeler has been married to sculptor Daniel Borden Wheeler since 1990.

Filmography (selected)

See also

In Spanish: Maggie Wheeler para niños