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Kristen Johnston

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Kristen Johnston
Johnston at the SAMHSA Special Recognition Award Ceremony in 2014
Born
Kristen Angela Johnston

(1967-09-20) September 20, 1967 (age 57)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationNew York University
OccupationActress
Years active1985–present
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1]

Kristen Angela Johnston (born September 20, 1967)[2] is an American actress. Best known for her work on television sitcoms, she twice won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Sally Solomon in 3rd Rock from the Sun. She starred as divorce attorney Holly Franklin on The Exes, and as recovering addict Tammy Diffendorf on Mom. She has also appeared in the films Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000), Ice Age (2002), Music and Lyrics (2007), and Bride Wars (2009).

Her memoir Guts: The Endless Follies and Tiny Triumphs of a Giant Disaster (2012) was a New York Times best-seller.[3] Through her nonprofit organization SLAM, she works as an advocate for sober high schools.[4]

Education

Kristen Angela Johnston was born on September 20, 1967. Johnston is the daughter of former Wisconsin Republican state senator Rod Johnston. She is of English and German descent. [5] She grew up in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and graduated from Whitefish Bay High School in 1985.[6][7] Johnston earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama at New York University.[8]

Career

Johnston made her professional stage debut with New York's Atlantic Theater Company, founded by playwright David Mamet, where she appeared in many productions including As You Like It and Stage Door. She performed with the Naked Angels Theater Company in The Stand-In and Hot Keys, and with New York Stage and Film in Kim's Sister with David Strathairn and Jane Adams. For her performance in The Lights at Lincoln Center Theater, she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Best Supporting Actress.[9]

A Carsey-Werner casting agent who saw her in The Lights recommended her for the role of Sally Solomon on the TV series 3rd Rock from the Sun.[10] After numerous auditions in 1996, she won the part[10] and starred on the show from 1996 to 2001, winning two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.[11]

Kristen Johnston speaks with the media – 2014 Voice Awards

She made her feature film debut in The Debt, winner of Best Short at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. In 1995, she played Kate in the film Backfire! She played Esmeralda, a sea hag in Thrill Ride, a family friendly film released in 2016. Her other television credits include guest-starring roles on Chicago Hope, Hearts Afire, and The 5 Mrs. Buchanans. She narrated Microscopic Milton on the Disney Channel. Her significant roles in commercially successful movies include Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me in 1999, Ice Age, and Music and Lyrics in 2007. In 1998, she was a spokesmodel for the Clairol company.

Johnston appeared in the sixth and final season of HBO's comedy drama series Sex and the City.[12] In the "Splat!" episode, her character, Lexi Featherston, an aging party girl, accidentally falls out of a window and dies (after saying, "I'm so bored I could die"), prompting Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) to reexamine her life. In 2005, Johnston was featured in six episodes of NBC's ER. In 2009, she was cast as Patsy in a proposed American remake of the British TV series Absolutely Fabulous. A pilot was filmed but it wasn't picked up to series.[13][14] She had a recurring role in the 2009 season of Ugly Betty, and had a single-episode appearance as a dominatrix in the second season opener of Bored to Death.[15][16]

She starred in the TV Land sitcom The Exes, which ran for four seasons from November 30, 2011 to September 16, 2015. Her memoir, titled Guts: The Endless Follies and Tiny Triumphs of a Giant Disaster was published on March 12, 2012 by Gallery Books.[17] The book became a New York Times best-seller.[3]

In 2018, she began a recurring role as Tammy Diffendorf on the CBS sitcom Mom, and was upgraded to series regular for the show's seventh season (2019–2020).[18]

Public image

She appeared on the cover of January 1998 issue of Milwaukee Magazine. She topped the magazine's list of "The Most Intriguing Milwaukeeans".[19] Johnston has also appeared on the cover of Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide.[20] In 1998, she appeared in a television commercial for Clairol hair care products and voiced a commercial for Starbucks.[21]

Philanthropy and advocacy

Through her nonprofit organization SLAM (Sobriety, Learning and Motivation), she mentors high school girls from New York City with addiction and self-esteem issues[22] and has campaigned for the city to build a recovery high school.[23][4]

Personal life

She dated actor Ryan Reynolds in 1999 and the two attended the film premiere of the The Green Mile together.[24]

In her memoir, Johnston discusses an addiction to alcohol and pills that began when she was in high school. She wrote that at the height of her addiction, she drank on average two bottles of wine per evening.[25] In 2021, Johnston said she has been sober for 14 years.[26]

Johnston said she was diagnosed in November 2013 with lupus, which caused her to miss filming some episodes of her series The Exes. A character played by Leah Remini was introduced in season 3 to cover her absence.[27][28]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1985 The Orkly Kid Unknown Short film
1992 Amazonia Unknown
1993 The Debt Alice Kosnick
1995 Backfire! Kate
1999 Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me Ivana Humpalot
2000 The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas Wilma Slaghoople
2002 Austin Powers in Goldmember Dancer Uncredited
2005 Strangers with Candy Coach Divers
2007 Music and Lyrics Rhonda
2009 Bride Wars Deb
2009 Finding Bliss Irene Fox
2011 Life Happens Francesca
2012 Vamps Mrs. Van Helsing
2012 Bad Parents Tracy
2013 The Anonymous People Herself Documentary film
2014 Lovesick Katherine
2016 Thrill Ride Esmeralda
2018 Swiped Professor Barnes
2018 For the Love of George Psychic Sara
2018 Hurricane Bianca 2: From Russia with Hate Roksana
2019 The Wedding Year Barbara
2020 Small Town Wisconsin Alicia

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1994 Chicago Hope Dr. Wendy Smythe Episode: "Genevieve and Fat Boy"
1994 The 5 Mrs. Buchanans Zena Episode: "Bad News Bert: There's Peanuts in the Peanut Butter"
1995 Hearts Afire Margot Episode: "John and Georgie's Not-So-Excellent Adventure"
1996 London Suite Grace Chapman Television film
1996–2001 3rd Rock from the Sun Sally Solomon 139 episodes
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1997, 1999)
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1998)
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or TV Film (1997)
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (1997)
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (1997—1999)
1997 Microscopic Milton Narrator Television film
1998–2000 Hollywood Squares Herself Panelist; 10 episodes
2004 Sex and the City Lexi Featherston Episode: "Splat!"
2005 ER Head Nurse Eve Peyton 6 episodes
2007 Kim Possible Warmonga 3 episodes
2009 The New Adventures of Old Christine Francie Episode: "Too Close for Christine"
2009 Ab Fab Patsy US remake of Absolutely Fabulous. Pilot episode only. Series not picked up.[13][14]
2009–2010 Ugly Betty Helen 3 episodes
2010 Bored to Death Mistress Florence Episode: "Escape from the Dungeon!"
2011–2015 The Exes Holly Franklin 64 episodes
2013 RuPaul's Drag Race Herself 2 episodes
2014 Kirstie Waitress Maddie Episode: "Maddie vs. Maddie"
2014 Modern Family Brenda Episode: "Strangers in the Night"
2015 Getting On Marla Pounder Episode: "Please Partake of a Memorial Orange"
2017 Daytime Divas Anna Crouse 6 episodes
2018–21 Mom Tammy Diffendorf 57 episodes
Guest (season 5); Recurring (season 6); Main (seasons 7–8)
2019 Amphibia Braddock (voice) Episode: "Prison Break"; replaced by April Winchell afterwards
2022 Our Flag Means Death The Widow Evelyn Higgins 2 episodes
2023 The Righteous Gemstones May-May Montgomery 9 episodes[29]

Podcasts

Year Title Role Notes
2021 The Pack Project Veronica Voice; Episode: "Elevator Bride"
2022 Marvel's Wastelanders: Doom She-Hulk 10 episodes
2022 Naughty Pam 5 episodes

Stage

Year Title Role Notes
1993 The Lights Rose Nominated—Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
1997 Baby Anger Mary Kay Paterson[30]
1998 The Skin of Our Teeth Sabina[31]
2001 The Smell of the Kill Nicky[32]
2001–2002 The Women Sylvia
2002 Twelfth Night Maria[33]
2004 Aunt Dan and Lemon Aunt Dan
2004 The Baltimore Waltz Anna
2004 Much Ado About Nothing Beatrice
2004 The Skin of Our Teeth Sabina
2007 Scarcity Martha
2006–2007 Love Song Joan [34]
2007–2009 So Help Me God Lily Darnley Nominated—Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play (2007, 2010)
2008 The Understudy Theresea Rebeck

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
1994 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play The Lights Nominated [35]
1996 Golden Globe Award Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film 3rd Rock from the Sun Nominated [36]
Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated [37]
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Nominated
1997 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Won [38]
Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Nominated [39]
1998 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Nominated [38]
Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Nominated [40]
1999 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Won [38]
2010 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Play So Help Me God! Nominated [35]

Autobiography

  • 2012: Guts: The Endless Follies and Tiny Triumphs of a Giant Disaster, Gallery Books, ISBN 978-1451635065

References

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