Born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1959, Allison Janney has had a magnificent career in film, television, and on stage. Her passion for acting was cultivated in college when she met Paul Newman and his wife, Joanne. The two were her teachers and encouraged her to continue her training at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in NYC.

Her first role was in the movie Who Shot Patakango? in 1989, but her career really began to soar in the 1990s when she was cast in Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing. With a versatile career ranging from musical comedies to dark dramas, Janney has the ability to grasp an audience's attention, no matter the genre.

Here are eight of her best performances, ranked.

8 Juno (2007)

Juno
Fox Searchlight

Juno is a cult classic coming-of-age story that tells the tale of a teenager trying to decide whether to keep a baby after getting pregnant in high school. With a star-studded cast, including Michael Cera, Elliot Page, J. K. Simmons, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, and Allison Janney. Janney plays Juno’s stepmom, Bren MacGuff, and provides Juno with all the vitamins a pregnant person needs, advice, maternity clothing, and even accompanies Juno to ultrasounds. Bren fights for her stepdaughter and protects her from the judgment of the world as much as she can. Juno received wide acclaim, and Janney won several awards in the supporting actress category.

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7 The Hours (2002)

The Hours
Miramax Films

The Hours follows three generations of women over the course of one day, as they deal with suicide in some way. Also starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and Julianne Moore, Allison Janney plays Clarissa’s (Meryl Streep) lover in this romantic drama. Her role as Sally Lester in this film is small, but impactful. From the shared on-screen kiss between the two, to Janney’s walk home after a night of cheating, the role brings an added level of intimacy to the film.

6 The Help (2011)

The Help
DreamWorks Pictures

The Help is a critically-acclaimed movie that follows Skeeter Phelan (Emma Stone), an aspiring writer, during the Civil Rights Movement. This movie tells the story of daily life as a Black maid working for white, affluent families and their daily struggles. Allison Janney plays Charlotte Phelan, mother of Skeeter. Throughout the movie, Skeeter exposes Charlotte to the realities of her own racial biases and problematic behavior, leaving Janney’s character to come to terms with her shortcomings. The movie won several awards, including the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

5 Tallulah (2016)

Tallulah
Route One Entertainment

Elliot Page and Allison Janney have teamed up once again for a movie about motherhood. This movie follows Tallulah (Elliot Page) after a breakup with fellow grifter Nico. Tallulah (or ‘Lu’) goes to NYC to find Nico’s mom, Margo. Tallulah shows up on Margo’s doorstep with a baby that Lu is supposed to be babysitting, and tells Margo it’s Nico’s baby, and she is the grandma, as a way to be taken care of and provided for. Throughout the movie, Margo and Tallulah’s connection ebbs and flows as the two navigate motherhood, commitment, and being needed by someone.

4 Bad Education (2019)

Bad Education
Warner Bros. 

Bad Education follows the real-life story of Dr. Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman) and Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney) and their $11.2 million embezzlement scheme — the biggest high school embezzlement scheme in the history of the United States. In the show, Pam is caught in the scheme after her son uses her school credit card to shop at a hardware store. The real-life Pam Gluckin served five years in prison for stealing $4.9 million and died six years after her release in 2011.

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3 The West Wing (1999-2006)

Janney in The West Wing
NBC

The West Wing ran for a total of seven seasons, from 1999-2006 and followed a group of presidential advisors as they try to navigate and find the line between their personal and professional lives. Martin Sheen played the fictional president, Josiah Bartlet, and Allison Janney played C. J. Cregg in 155 episodes over the course of those seven seasons. C. J. Cregg was inspired by Dee Dee Myers, a real-life White House Press Secretary and consultant, on the show.

2 Mom (2013-2021)

Mom
CBS Television

Mom is a multi-cam sitcom that aired on CBS from 2006-2013. The titular role is played by Allison Janney and follows Bonnie Plunkett (Janney) as she tries to win over her daughter, Christy’s (Anna Farris), trust after a strained upbringing. Both Bonnie and Christy are recovering alcoholics trying to get their lives back on track, which was personal for Janney, who lost her brother to addiction and suicide. The show was a massive success, and Janney won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014 and 2015.

1 I, Tonya (2017)

I Tonya star Allison Janney
30 West
Neon

I, Tonya follows the real-life story of controversial figure skater Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie) and the drama that ensues when her ex-husband hires someone to attack her competitor, Nancy Kerrigan. Allison Janney plays Tonya’s sharp, abusive mother, LaVona Golden. LaVona cusses like a sailor, wears a huge fur coat, and has a bird on her shoulder. Allison Janney won the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, as well as the Bafta for Best Supporting Actress.