Jean Smart
Award-winning American actress celebrated for her Emmy-winning performances across decades of acclaimed television, film, and stage work.
Jean Smart - Personal Information
- Name: Jean Smart
- Date of Birth: September 13, 1951
- Place of Birth: Seattle, Washington, USA
- Gender: Female
- Job Title: Actor
- Crew Jobs: Co-Executive Producer, Co-Producer
Biography
Jean Elizabeth Smart (born September 13, 1951) is an American actress. She has received numerous accolades including five Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, four Critics' Choice Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards as well as nominations for a Tony Award and a Grammy Award.
Smart first gained prominence for her leading role as Charlene Frazier Stillfield on the CBS sitcom Designing Women, in which she starred from 1986 to 1991. She went on to win five Primetime Emmy Awards for her roles as Lana Gardner in the NBC series Frasier (2000–01), Regina Newley in the ABC sitcom Samantha Who? (2007–09), and Deborah Vance in the HBO Max comedy series Hacks (2021–present). She was Emmy-nominated for her roles in The District (2000–04), 24 (2006–07), Harry's Law (2011), Fargo (2015), Watchmen (2019) and Mare of Easttown (2021). She also acted in FX's Legion (2017–2019) and voiced Ann Possible in the Disney Channel animated series Kim Possible (2002–2007).
On stage, she made her Broadway debut portraying Marlene Dietrich in the biographical play Piaf (1981). She returned to Broadway in the revival of The Man Who Came to Dinner (2000) for which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. Smart's film credits include The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Garden State (2004), I Heart Huckabees (2004), Youth in Revolt (2009), The Accountant (2016), A Simple Favor (2018), and Babylon (2022). She received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Guinevere (1999).
Selected Filmography
A selection of Jean Smart's most notable recent screen appearances across film and television.
- E.B. White's Charlotte's Web (TV - 2025) as Narrator (voice)
- Garden State - The 20th Anniversary Concert (2025) as Self - Presenter
- Janis Ian: Breaking Silence (2025) as Self
- The Studio (TV - 2025) as Jean Smart
- A Panoramic Canvas Called Babylon (2023) as Self
- Wildflower (2023) as Peg
- Babylon (2022) as Elinor St. John
- Celebrating Betty White: America's Golden Girl (2022) as Self
- Hacks (TV - 2021) as Deborah Vance
- Mare of Easttown (TV - 2021) as Helen Fahey
External Links
Explore Jean Smart's profiles on major entertainment and reference platforms.