Jane Adams (born April 1, 1965) is an American actress and screenwriter. Known for her work in independent cinema, her acting credits include Light Sleeper (1992), Happiness (1998), Mumford (1999), Songcatcher (2000), The Anniversary Party (2001), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Little Children (2006), All the Light in the Sky (2012), and She Dies Tomorrow (2020).
On television, she appeared in the recurring role of Dr. Mel Karnofsky on the NBC sitcom Frasier (1999–2000) and co-starred as Nikki Katz on HBO's drama series The Idol (2023). For her role as Tanya Skagl on HBO's Hung (2009–2011) she received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award. She was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series – in 2021 and 2022 – for portraying Nina Daniels on the HBO series Hacks (2021).
Adams made her Broadway debut in the original production of Paul Rudnick's I Hate Hamlet in 1991 and won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Sheila Birling in the revival of J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls (1994).
Early life and education
Jane Adams is the daughter of Janice, an administrative assistant, and William Adams, an engineer. She attended the University of Washington, where she studied political science, and the Cornish College of the Arts, where she took theater. She attended the Juilliard School's Drama Division (1985–1989, Group 18) where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1989.
Career
Adams performed theatre at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. She turned down the chance to work in the hit movie Sister Act with Whoopi Goldberg for the opportunity to work with Arthur Miller onstage.
She worked with Steve Martin and Diane Keaton in Father of the Bride Part II. She returned to the stage and won the 1994 Tony Award for best performance by a featured actress in a play for the Broadway revival of An Inspector Calls. She also won the Outer Critics Circle Award for best debut performance in a play in the Broadway production of Paul Rudnick's I Hate Hamlet.
In 1996, Adams portrayed Karen Lukens in the ABC-TV drama series Relativity. In 1998, she starred in the misanthropic dark comedy Happiness with Philip Seymour Hoffman, playing the role of Joy, a sensitive single woman who is struggling with life. She and the cast won many ensemble awards. The next year, Adams got a recurring role on the comedy series Frasier from 1999 to 2000. She played Dr. Mel Karnofsky, who became Niles Crane's second wife. She also had a role in the 1999 film Mumford.
In 2001, she acted in the independent film Songcatcher, with Janet McTeer, which won a Sundance Special Jury Prize. She also portrayed Reeva Baines Eidenberg in the CBS drama series Citizen Baines. Adams has also acted in mainstream films such as You've Got Mail (1998), Wonder Boys (2000), Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), and Last Holiday (2006). In 2007, she appeared in The Sensation of Sight and The Brave One.
From 2009 to 2011, Adams co-starred in the HBO series Hung opposite Thomas Jane. She starred in and co-wrote the 2012 film All the Light in the Sky with director Joe Swanberg. This performance earned her the Best Actress award at the Nashville Film Festival.
Acting credits
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1985
|Bombs Away
|Greeting Girl
|
|-
|1990
|Vital Signs
|Suzanne Maloney
|
|-
|1992
|Light Sleeper
|Randi Jost
|
|-
|1994
|I Love Trouble
|Evans
|
|-
|1994
|Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle
|Ruth Hale
|
|-
|1995
|Father of the Bride Part II
|Dr. Megan Eisenberg
|
|-
|1996
|Kansas City
|Nettie Bolt
|
|-
|1998
|Music from Another Room
|Irene
|
|-
|1998
|Happiness
|Joy Jordan
|
|-
|1998
|Day at the Beach
|Marie
|
|-
|1998
|You've Got Mail
|Sydney Anne
|Uncredited
|-
|1999
|'
|Ruthie
|
|-
|1999
|A Texas Funeral
|Mary Joan
|
|-
|1999
|Mumford
|Dr. Phyllis Sheeler
|
|-
|2000
|Songcatcher
|Eleanor 'Elna' Penleric
|
|-
|2000
|Wonder Boys
|-
| 1992
| '
| Mary Warren
| Arthur Miller
| Belasco Theater, Broadway
|
|-
| 1992
| The Glass Menagerie
| Laura Wingfield
| Tennessee Williams
| La Jolla Playhouse, Los Angeles
|
|-
| 1994
| '
| Sheila Birling
| J.B. Priestley
| Royale Theatre, Broadway
|
|-
| 2003
| Enchanted April
| Rose Arnott <small> (replacement) </small>
| Matthew Barber
| Belasco Theater, Broadway
|
|-
| 2004
| Match
| Lisa
| Stephen Belber
| Plymouth Theater, Broadway
|
|-
| 2006
| Resurrection Blues
| Emily Shapiro
| Arthur Miller
| The Old Vic, West End
|
|-
|}
Awards and nominations
{|class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Association
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
! class="wikitable unsortable" | Ref.
|-
| 1991
| Clarence Derwent Awards
| Best Supporting Female
| rowspan=2| I Hate Hamlet
|
|
|-
| 1991
| Outer Critics Circle Award
| Best Debut Performance
|
|
|-
| 1994
| Drama Desk Award
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
| rowspan=2|'
|
|
|-
| 1994
| Tony Award
| Best Featured Actress in a Play
|
|
|-
| 1998
| National Board of Review
| National Board of Review Award for Best Cast
| Happiness
|
|
|-
| 2000
| Sundance Film Festival
| Special Jury Prize
| Songcatcher
|
|
|-
| 2010
| Golden Globe Awards
| Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film
| rowspan="2" | Hung
|
|
|-
| 2010
| Women's Image Network Awards
| Actress Comedy Series
|
|
|-
| 2013
| Nashville Film Festival
| Best Actress in a Narrative Feature
| All the Light in the Sky
|
|
|-
| 2020
| Florida Film Critics Circle
| Best Supporting Actress
| She Dies Tomorrow
|
|
|-
| 2021
| rowspan=2| Primetime Emmy Awards
| rowspan="1" | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
| rowspan="1" | Hacks <small> (episode: "I Think She Will") </small>
|
|
|-
| 2022
| Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
| Hacks <small> (episode: "The Click") </small>
|
|
|-
|}