Jean Smart

Tall (5'10 "), lovely, statuesque Seattle native Jean Elizabeth Smart was born on September 13, 1951. The second of four children born to a teacher and his wife, she developed an early interest in acting and attended the University of Washington following her graduation from Seattle's Ballard High School. She attained a BA degree in fine arts there.

Jean's first professional season was with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival where she went on to perform in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing "and" A Moon for the Misbegotten, "among others. During the late 1970's she built up a strong resume in regional theater with such companies as the Seattle Repertory Theatre (" Equus, "" Fallen Angels "), ACT (" A Christmas Carol "), Pittsburgh Public Theatre (as Lady Macbeth), Alaska Repertory Theatre (" Terra Nova "), and Alliance Theatre (" A History of the American Film "). Her first significant break came with a starring role in the potent, critically-acclaimed lesbian drama" Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, "which earned her an Off-Broadway Drama Desk nomination in 1980. She capped this honor with a Los Angeles Drama Critics award in 1983 when she repeated her triumph on the West Coast.

Jean made a highly auspicious Broadway debut in 1981 playingMarlene Dietrichin "Piaf" starringJane Lapotaire,and it was the subsequent TV taping of that show,Piaf (1984),that brought about major Hollywood interest. A regular on the short-lived sitcomsTeachers Only (1982),Reggie (1983)andMaximum Security (1984),Jean hit pure gold in her fourth attempt as the delightfully ditzy Charlene Frazier onDesigning Women (1986).The show was an instant hit and it was here that she would meet future husbandRichard Gilliland,who played the recurring role of co-playerAnnie Potts' boyfriend J.D. for several seasons.

Feeling confined and fearing typecasting, Jean left the show in 1991 to find more challenging work. She drew major acclaim, giving a chilling portrayal of a true-to-life serial killer in the TV movieOverkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story (1992),long beforeCharlize Theroncopped an Oscar for her equally chilling cinematic version. In other TV movies, Jean earned strong applause for her roles as a mentally challenged woman inThe Yarn Princess (1994);as a concerned rural mother inMarjorie Kinnan Rawlings' classicThe Yearling (1994);as an attorney involved in a high-profile murder case inUndue Influence (1996);as a wife who discovers her longtime husband is gay inA Change of Heart (1998);co-starring with real-life husbandRichard GillilandinAudrey's Rain (2003)as new parents after her sister commits suicide; and as an FBI profiler inKiller Instinct: From the Files of Agent Candice DeLong (2003).

On stage, Jean she earned a Tony nomination for her delightfully madcap part in theMoss Hart/George S. Kaufmanclassic comedy farce "The Man Who Came to Dinner" oppositeNathan Lane.The Broadway show was later made as a TV movie,The Man Who Came to Dinner (2000),with both Lane and Smart.

Having made her debut with a small role in the crimerHoodlums (1980),films would never be as strong a venue for Jean as the stage or TV. She did, however, show off her versatility in both comedy and drama with secondary roles with such films asFlashpoint (1984),theGoldie HawnvehicleProtocol (1984),Fire with Fire (1986),Project X (1987),Mistress (1992),Edie & Pen (1996)andThe Odd Couple II (1998).Jean topped the decade off well with two independent films -- earning an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her role asSarah Polley's ill-natured mother inGuinevere (1999),and first-billed in the mother/daughter road trip dramedyForever Fabulous (1999)co-starringJennifer Elise Cox.

Remaining extremely busy into the millennium, Jean went on to win bookend Emmy awards for her guest appearances on the sitcomFrasier (1993)and earned two more Emmy nominations for her potent perms in the crime drama24 (2001)starringKiefer Sutherland.She also graced a host of other series with regular/recurring roles on the romantic comedyThe In-laws (2002);the crimerThe District (2000);the family comedyCenter of the Universe (2004)(co-starringJohn Goodman); the animated programKim Possible (2002)(as the voice of Dr. Ann Possible); the mystery comedySamantha Who? (2007)starringChristina Applegate;the revamped crimerHawaii Five-0 (2010)(as the governor); the crime dramedyHarry's Law (2011);the dark thrillerFargo (2014);the action sci-fi dramaLegion (2017);and the detective seriesMare of Easttown (2021).

More recent films includeYouth in Revolt (2009),Barry Munday (2010),Hope Springs (2012),Waking (2013),Warren (2014),Miss Meadows (2014),The Accountant (2016),Life Itself (2018)andBrampton's Own (2018).

Diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at age 13, Jean has played an active part over the years in public awareness. She has two children with her late husband Richard, son Connor and adopted son (from China) Forrest.