Mary Lynn Rajskub
| Mary Lynn Rajskub | |
|---|---|
 Rajskub at the 24 Season 7 finale screening, May 2009 |
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| Born | Mary Lynn Rajskub June 22, 1971 Trenton, Michigan, U.S. |
| Other names | Marylynn Rajskub |
| Occupation | Actress/Comedian |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Spouse | Matthew Rolph (m. 2009-present; 1 child) |
Mary Lynn Rajskub (
/ˈraɪskəb/; born June 22, 1971) is an American actress and comedian, best known for her leading role as Chloe O'Brian on the Fox action-thriller 24.
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[edit] Early life
Rajskub was born in Trenton, Michigan and raised in Dearborn, Michigan. Her father is a pipefitter of Czech descent[citation needed] and her mother worked as a pharmacist's assistant.[1] Rajskub played the clarinet in the school band, and played Frenchie in the musical Grease. One of her childhood inspirations was Moonlighting with Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd. Her first part was as an Oompa-Loompa in a community theater production of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and her first starring role was Raggedy Ann.[2] Rajskub moved to Los Angeles where she worked as a waitress in a Hard Rock Cafe and as a ticket-taker at the Beverly Center movie theater before becoming an actress.
[edit] Career
Rajskub's most notable role is CTU Systems analyst Chloe O'Brian on 24, which she joined in 2003 at the start of the show's third season. Her character was a hit with viewers and critics and was one of the few cast members to return in the show's fourth season. After being a regular guest star for two seasons, Rajskub became a main cast member in the show's fifth season. By the end of the series she was lead female, with top billing second only to Kiefer Sutherland. Rajskub and Sutherland appeared briefly as their 24 characters in a 2007 episode, "24 Minutes", of the FOX TV animated series The Simpsons. She also recently appeared in the film Julie & Julia as one of Julie Powell's close friends.
She was one of the original cast members of Mr. Show, but was "not allowed on the set anymore" following her breakup with David Cross.[3] She also had roles on The Larry Sanders Show, Home Movies, Veronica's Closet, the US version of The Sketch Show, NewsRadio, and 24.
She appeared in Kelsey Grammer's The Sketch Show on Fox Television, King of Queens as a character named "Priscilla", a waitress at a pirate-themed kiddie restaurant in an episode of Newsradio ("The Secret of Management"), and in numerous films including Mysterious Skin, Legally Blonde 2, Sweet Home Alabama, Dude, Where's My Car?, Man on the Moon, Punch-Drunk Love, The Anniversary Party, Firewall, Little Miss Sunshine, music videos for Beck, Weezer and Sheryl Crow, as well as portraying a blind girl in the film Road Trip.
She was part of a comic duo (with Karen Kilgariff) called Girls Guitar Club. In 2006, she made a cameo appearance in "Partings", the 6th season finale of Gilmore Girls, where she played a troubadour looking for her big break. (Rajskub had previously appeared on Gilmore Girls as the female lead in A Film by Kirk, a short film made by the character Kirk Gleason.)
Rajskub has volunteered as an actress with the Young Storytellers Program. She has an educational background as a painter, having attended the San Francisco Art Institute.
She has been nominated twice for a Screen Actors Guild Award; once in 2005, and again in 2007 for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
She guest starred on Flight of the Conchords episode "Prime Minister" as Karen, an Art Garfunkel fanatic.
Rajskub guest starred as "Gail the Snail" in an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia titled "The Gang Gives Frank an Intervention".
In 2010, Rajskub performed stand-up on John Oliver's New York Stand Up Show.
In June 2010, Rajskub appeared in the "Lovesick" episode during the second season of the USA series Royal Pains.
From July through October 2010, she performed in her solo show, Mary Lynn Spreads Her Legs, at the Steve Allen Theater in Los Angeles. Reviewer F. Kathleen Foley of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "That cheerfully vulgar title sums up the overall tone, which is often breezily obscene."[4] The show, written by Rajskub with help from director/developer Amit Itelman, was inspired by Rajskub’s experiences with pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood.
In January 2011, Rajskub guest starred in the episode "Our Children, Ourselves" on the second season of ABC's Modern Family.
In the fall of 2011, Rajskub appeared in the short-lived sitcom How to Be a Gentleman. Only three episodes of the show actually aired.
Also in 2011, Rajskub's webseries, DICKI, began airing on My Damn Channel. [5] DICKI is based on a number of people that Rajskub grew up with and around in Michigan. DICKI is a forty year old woman who lives at home with her parents, makes crafts, and takes her art pretty seriously. DICKI has been one of My Damn Channel's most successful webseries to date. The first season concluded in November of 2011, but a second season is currently in development.
[edit] Personal life
Rajskub dated David Cross, who introduced her to Mr. Show,[3] and left the show when they broke up after the end of the second season. Afterwards, she dated music producer Jon Brion for five years until they broke up in the fall of 2002.
Her son, Valentine Anthony,[6] was born on July 24, 2008, weighing 9 pounds, 5 ounces.[7] She married her boyfriend Matthew Rolph, a personal trainer who now owns his own successful gym, on August 1, 2009 in an impromptu wedding in Las Vegas.[8]
[edit] Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
| 1999 | Magnolia | Janet, Frank's Assistant | Voice only |
| Man on the Moon | Friday's Mary | ||
| 2000 | Road Trip | Blind Brenda | |
| Dude, Where's My Car? | Zelmina, Cult Member | ||
| Sunset Strip | Eileen | ||
| 2001 | Storytelling | Melinda ('Fiction') | |
| The Anniversary Party | Mary-Lynn | ||
| 2002 | Punch-Drunk Love | Elizabeth | |
| Sweet Home Alabama | Dorothea | ||
| Run Ronnie Run | Herself | ||
| 2003 | Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde | Reena Giuliani | |
| 2004 | Mysterious Skin | Avalyn Friesen | |
| 2006 | Firewall | Janet Stone | |
| Little Miss Sunshine | Pageant Assistant Pam | ||
| 2007 | American Fork | Peggy Orbison | |
| 2008 | Sunshine Cleaning | Lynn | |
| 2009 | Julie & Julia | Sarah | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1995 | Mr. Show | Various | 10 episodes |
| 1996-1998 | The Larry Sanders Show | Mary Lou Collins | Main cast; 18 episodes |
| 1998 | NewsRadio | Waitress | 1 episode |
| 1999-2000 | Veronica's Closet | Chloe | 15 episodes |
| 2001 | Just Shoot Me | Penny | 1 episode |
| 2002 | The King of Queens | Priscilla Stasna | 1 episode |
| 2003-2010 | 24 | Chloe O'Brian | Main cast; 125 episodes |
| 2004 | JAG | CIA Administrative Assistant | 1 episode |
| 2005 | The Sketch Show | Various | |
| 2007 | Human Giant | Mindy | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Flight of the Conchords | Karen | 1 episode |
| It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Gail the Snail | 1 episode | |
| 2010 | Royal Pains | Blake | 1 episode |
| The Benson Interruption | Herself | 1 episode | |
| Stargate Universe | Extra | 1 episode | |
| 2011 | Modern Family | Tracy | 1 episode |
| Raising Hope | Tanya | 1 episode | |
| How to Be a Gentleman | Janet | Main cast; 9 episodes | |
| 2012 | The L.A. Complex | Herself | 1 episode |
[edit] References
- ^ "Mary Lynn Rajskub Biography (1971-)". Filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/0/Mary-Lynn-Rajskub.html. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
- ^ "25 Things You Don't Know About Me: Mary Lynn Rajskub". UsMagazine.com. 2010-01-21. http://www.usmagazine.com/moviestvmusic/news/mary-lynn-rajskub-25-things-you-dont-know-about-me-2010211. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
- ^ a b Featurette: Interview with Mary Lynn Rajskub (2007) (Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC). Not Just the Best of The Larry Sanders Show (Disc 3) (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. ASIN B000MTFDB0. http://www.amazon.com/Just-Best-Larry-Sanders-Show/dp/B000MTFDB0. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
- ^ F. Kathleen Foley (2010-07-02). "Theater review: 'Mary Lynn Spreads Her Legs' at the Steve Allen Theater". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/07/mary-lynn-spreads-her-legs-at-the-steve-allen.html. Retrieved 2010-09-14.
- ^ DICKI - The Official Website
- ^ http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_ktuyrxkrPh1qa7d79o1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=0RYTHV9YYQ4W5Q3HQMG2&Expires=1259814835&Signature=YTeOacCio8V%2BdqgoRT1tMocl%2Fzo%3D[dead link]
- ^ "Real Life Mirrors Stage Life for Mary Lynn Rajskub". Celebrity-babies.com. 2009-02-01. http://celebrity-babies.com/2009/02/01/real-life-mirrors-stage-life-for-mary-lynn-rajskub/. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
- ^ "'24's Mary Lynn Rajskub Married To Trainer Matthew Rolph". TV Shark. 2009-08-04. http://www.tvshark.com/read/?art=arc3872. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mary Lynn Rajskub |
- Mary Lynn Rajskub on Twitter
- Mary Lynn Rajskub at the Internet Movie Database
- Mary Lynn Rajskub Interview on Fox News Radio
- Stand-up comedy video
- Dickie, a series of wepisodes written by and starring Mary Lynn Rajskub
