Early life

Lynch was born in Evergreen Park, Illinois, and raised in Dolton, Illinois, the daughter of a homemaker-secretary mother, Eileen (née Carney), and a banker father, Frank Lynch. Her father was of Irish descent and her mother was of Irish and Swedish ancestry. She was raised in a Catholic family and attended Thornridge High School. She received her Bachelor's degree in theater from Illinois State University and her MFA in theater from Cornell University.

Career

Early work

Lynch spent 15 years in Chicago, acting in the Steppenwolf Theatre Company and, at the time of her audition, was one of only two women picked to join The Second City comedy troupe. She then continued to hone her comical and improvisational skills at Annoyance Theater, playing Carol Brady in the theater's The Real Live Brady Bunch. Andy Richter played Mike Brady in the New York shows. He and Lynch became very good friends.

Films

Lynch got her start in films in 1988, playing a small role in the film Vice Versa. In 1993, she had a secondary role as a doctor alongside Harrison Ford in The Fugitive.

During the 1990s, she made numerous television commercials, including one for Frosted Flakes for an adult audience, directed by Christopher Guest. A few years later, Guest would remember Lynch, as he chose actors for his 2000 dog show mockumentary, Best in Show. Lynch played Christy Cummings, a butch lesbian personal dog handler to trophy wife Sheri Ann Cabot (Jennifer Coolidge). From there, she became a staple actress in Guest's casts, appearing in the director's A Mighty Wind (2003) as porn actress-turned-folk singer Laurie Bohner and in For Your Consideration (2006) as an entertainment reporter.

Audiences and critics took notice of Lynch for her turn in Judd Apatow's The 40-Year-Old Virgin. She told Fresh Air's Terry Gross that the role was originally intended for a man but also that, at the urging of Steve Carell's wife Nancy Walls, was offered to Lynch instead. Beginning from there, she took supporting roles in a series of films including Role Models, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Alvin & the Chipmunks, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Space Chimps, The Rocker, The Hammer, Another Cinderella Story, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Wreck-It Ralph, and Spring Breakdown.

In Adventures of Power, a critically acclaimed comedy about air-drumming released in 2008, Lynch reunited with Michael McKean, her former co-star from For Your Consideration, in the role of Aunt Joanie and starring alongside Ari Gold, Adrian Grenier, Chiu Chi Ling, and Shoshannah Stern. In a role similar to that of her contributions as Sue Sylvester on the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee, Lynch's role as the encouraging Aunt Joanie to Power, a young musician who plays the air drums because he never had access to musical instruments, promotes the initiative to support music education.

In Julie and Julia, she impersonated Dorothy McWilliams, Julia Child's sister. Entertainment Weekly dedicated an article, on its net-site, to the possibility of her performance receiving an Academy Award nomination. However, she was not nominated.

Television shows

Lynch has appeared in many television shows, including L.A. Law, Judging Amy, The West Wing, 7th Heaven, Desperate Housewives, Friends, Dawson's Creek, Felicity, Arrested Development, Lovespring International, Two and a Half Men, Weeds, Boston Legal, The L Word, Criminal Minds, Help Me Help You, Gilmore Girls, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Psych, and Monk. She also starred with John Hannah and William Fichtner in 2002's MDs, and has appeared in the crime drama Criminal Minds as Spencer Reid's schizophrenic mother.

In 2008 she narrated Out & Proud in Chicago, a documentary which tells about LGBT life in Chicago from the Civil War to 2008 through the stories of 20 everyday Chicagoans, from age 30 to age 80.

Beginning in 2009, Lynch appeared as a regular cast member of the Fox series Glee. The role echoed previous guest appearances in The X-Files and Veronica Mars, being her third time cast as a harsh high school teacher. She won glowing reviews for her role as the aggressive cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester. Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Lynch alone makes Glee worth watching." Before her work with Glee, she was a series regular on the Starz comedy Party Down. Though the series was renewed for a second season, Lynch would not be returning, due to her work on Glee.

In addition to her most recent work on Glee, Lynch continued to pursue other projects. Lynch hosted Saturday Night Live on October 9, 2010; the news of her hosting was accidentally broken to her by her Glee boss, Ryan Murphy, by text message. Lynch had also guest-starred on the Nickelodeon comedy iCarly as Pam Puckett, Sam Puckett's mother, in the episode "iSam's Mom."

Beginning on July 11, 2013, Lynch hosted the NBC game show Hollywood Game Night. The show had two teams made up of members of the public (civilians) and celebrities competing in various party games, with a chance for the civilians to take home up to $25,000.

Lynch was the co-host of the NBC special New Year's Eve with Carson Daly on December 31, 2013, alongside Carson Daly, host of The Voice.

Other work

Lynch wrote and starred in the award-winning play Oh Sister, My Sister. Originally produced in 1998, the play kicked off the Lesbians in Theater program at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center in 2004.

She starred in Comcast's XFinity ads, mainly with two different laptops and two different colored Persian cats. She also stars in LG Corp.'s Text Ed campaign to educate drivers about the dangers of texting while driving.

Lynch's first experience hosting an awards show was in 2010 when she hosted the 2010 VH1 DoSomething Awards. It was announced that she will be hosting the 2011 VH1 DoSomething Awards, airing on VH1 on August 18. Lynch hosted the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards on September 18, 2011, only the third woman in Emmy history to host the awards show solo. According to September 19's Hollywood Reporter Lynch hosting the Emmys did not help ratings, as viewing was down 8% year over year and eight million fewer people watched the Emmys as watched Michael Vick's return to Atlanta on Sunday Night Football on NBC (21.5 million for Eagles-Falcons, 13.5 million for the Emmys).

Happy Accidents was released Fall 2011 by Hyperion Voice. Lynch was inspired to write the book after reflecting upon the successes of her past year and wishing she could have told her more anxious, younger self to not worry as much. The memoir also includes detail about her years as an alcoholic and her success in battling this addiction. Lynch is openly lesbian, and married Lara Embry in 2010. A self-proclaimed animal lover, Lynch has two dogs and a cat. She has recorded a PSA for PETA encouraging the adoption of shelter animals, and she sponsors an annual adoption event at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. She was the commencement speaker for Smith College's class of 2012 where she received an honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts.

In March 2012, Lynch was featured with Martin Sheen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Colfer and Brad Pitt in a performance of Dustin Lance Black's play, '8' - a staged re-enactment of the federal trial that overturned California's Prop 8 ban on same-sex marriage - as Maggie Gallagher. The production was held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre and broadcast on YouTube to raise money for the American Foundation for Equal Rights.

Lynch made her Broadway debut as Miss Hannigan in Annie for a limited engagement lasting from May 15 to July 14, 2013. She took the place of Katie Finneran.

In 2014 Lynch joined the Ban Bossy campaign as a spokesperson advocating leadership roles for girls.

Personal life

Lynch is openly lesbian; in 2005, she was named one of Power Up's "10 Amazing Gay Women in Showbiz." Lynch married clinical psychologist Lara Embry on May 31, 2010 in Sunderland, Massachusetts, whom she first met a year earlier at a fundraiser in San Francisco. In June 2013, Lynch announced that she and Embry were divorcing after three years of marriage. The divorce was finalized in January 2014.

Lynch is deaf in one ear due to nerve damage. On July 19, 2013, she speculated to Craig Ferguson on the The Late Late Show that the deafness in that ear was most likely caused by having had a high fever as an infant.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1988	Taxi Killer
	Vice Versa	Ms. Linstrom
1992	Straight Talk	Gladys	Voice role only. Not seen onscreen.
1993	The Fugitive	Dr. Kathy Wahlund
	Fatal Instinct	Prison Reporter
1997	Touch Me	Counselor
2000	What Planet Are You From?	Doreen
	Red Lipstick	Final TV Newscaster
	Color Me Gay	Executive / Do-Rag Lesbian	Finalist at the 2nd PlanetOut.com Short Movie Awards
	Best in Show	Christy Cummings
2001	Nice Guys Finish Last	Mom	Comedy short
	Martini	Dr. Jane	Short film
2002	Hiding in Walls	Diane Moffet	Comedy short
	Collateral Damage	Agent Russo
2003	A Mighty Wind	Laurie Bohner	Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast Nominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
	Exposed	Julie Gross
2004	Little Black Boot	Grace	Comedy short
	Surviving Eden	Maude Silver
	Sleepover	Gabby Corky
	Memoirs of an Evil Stepmother	Blanche Monroe	Comedy short
	Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events	Realtor	Uncredited role
	The Aviator	Amelia Earhart	Scenes deleted from final cut
2005	Holly Hobbie and Friends: Surprise Party	Joan Hobbie / Minnie	Voice role
	Promtroversy	Mimi Nimby (Concerned Parent)	Comedy short
	The 40-Year-Old Virgin	Paula
	Bam Bam and Celeste	Darlene
	The Californians	Sybill Platt
2006	The List	Dr. Davina
	Fifty Pills	Doreen
	Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby	Lucy Bobby
	For Your Consideration	Cindy	Nominated—Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast
	The Frank Anderson	Dr. Emily Brice	Comedy short
	Holly Hobbie and Friends: Christmas Wishes	Joan Hobbie / Minnie	Voice role
	Eye of the Dolphin	Glinton	Lovespring International
2007	I Do & I Don't	Nora Stelmack	Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival Jury Award for Best Actress Comedy
	Smiley Face	Casting Director
	Suffering Man's Charity	Ingrid
	Love Is Love	Reverend Greeley	Comedy short
	Holly Hobbie and Friends: Best Friends Forever	Joan Hobbie / Minnie	Voice role
	Alvin and the Chipmunks	Gail
	Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story		Uncredited role
	The Hammer	Woman in hardware store
2008	The Toe Tactic	Honey Strumpet
	Adventures of Power	Joni
	Tru Loved	Ms. Maple
	Space Chimps	Dr. Poole	Voice role
	The Rocker	Lisa Gadman
	Another Cinderella Story	Dominique Blatt	Direct-to-DVD
	Role Models	Gayle Sweeney
	Man Maid	Sabena
2009	Big Breaks	M.J.	Short
	Spring Breakdown	Senator Kay Bee Hartmann
	Weather Girl	J.D.
	Mr. Troop Mom	Ms. Hulka	Nickelodeon film
	Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust		Voice role
	Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs	Diatryma Mom
	Julie & Julia	Dorothy Dean Cousins / McWilliams
	Post Grad	Carmella Malby
2010	Shrek Forever After	Gretched the Ogre	Voice role
	Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back	Dr. Poole
2011	Rio	Yo / Alice
	Paul	Pat Stevens
2012	The Three Stooges	Mother Superior
	Wreck-It Ralph	Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun	Voice role
	Dino Time	Sue Fitzpatrick
	Abominable Christmas	Margaret Knowhow
2013	Afternoon Delight	Dr. Lenore
	A.C.O.D.	Dr. Judith
	Escape from Planet Earth	Io	Voice role
2014	Birds of Paradise	Rosie
2016	Nick and Snip	Katherine Pinpowzky
	The Late Bloomer	Caroline	Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1992	In the Best Interest of the Children	Gwen Hatcher	Television film, as Jany Lynch
1993	Bakersfield P.D.	Michelle Hathaway	Episode: "Bakersfield Madam"
	Empty Nest	Tammy	Episode: "The Girl Who Cried Baby"
1994	Married... with Children	Greta	Episode: "Valentine's Day Massacre"
	Party of Five	Dr. Pennant	Episode: "Much Ado"
	The John Larroquette Show	Evaluator	Episode: "The Tutor"
1995	In The House	Ruth	Episode: "Female Trouble"
	NewsRadio	Carol	Episode: "The Cane"
1996	Cybill	Mrs. Sweeney	Episode: "Educating Zoey"
	3rd Rock from the Sun	Mrs. Koppel	Episode: "Dick, Smoker"
1996, 1998	Caroline in the City	Hostess	2 Episodes: "Caroline and the Bad Date" and "Caroline and the First Date"
1996	Frasier	Cynthia	Episode: "A Lilith Thanksgiving"
1999	Dharma & Greg	Sheryl	Episode: "Play Lady Play"
1999-2000	Judging Amy	ASA Perkins	3 Episodes: "Pilot", "Drawing the Line" & "Waterworld"
2000	JAG		Episode: "The Witches of Gulfport"
	Gilmore Girls	Nurse	Episode: "Forgiveness and Stuff"
2000-01	The West Wing	White House press corps reporter	2 Episodes: "In The Shadow of Two Gunmen: Part 1" & "Two Cathedrals"
2001	Dawson's Creek	Mrs. Witter	Episode: "The Te of Pacey"
	Cursed	Carla	Episode: "...And Then Jack Had Two Dates"
	Popular	Susie Klein	Episode: "I Know What You Did Last Spring Break"
	The Division		Episode: "The First Hit's Free, Baby"
	Arli$$		Episode: "Giving Something Back"
	Boston Public	Jane Morrell	Episode: "Chapter Twenty-Four"
	Family Law	Cheryl Bowman	Episode: "No Options"
	The X-Files	Mrs. Anne T. Lokensgard	Episode: "Lord of the Flies"
	The King of Queens	Dr. Foreman	Episode: "Ovary Action"
2001-02	Family Guy	Dotty Campbell, the nudist	Voice role, 4 Episodes
	7th Heaven	Nurse	4 Episodes
2002	Titus	Prosecutor	Episode: "The Trial"
	Felicity	Professor Carnes	2 Episodes: "Ben Don't Leave" & "The Paper Chase"
	MDs	Aileen Poole, RN, PhD	Series regular
	The Big Time	Miss Rush	Television film
2003	Watching Ellie	Roman	Episode: "TV"
	The Dead Zone	Flo McMurtry	Episode: "The Storm"
	Spider-Man: The New Animated Series	Oscorp Executive	Voice role, Episode: "Heroes and Villains"
	According to Jim	Janice	Episode: "The Lemonade Stand"
2004	NYPD Blue	Susanna Howe	Episode: "You Da Bomb"
	Monk	Dr. Julie Waterford	Episode: "Mr. Monk Gets Married"
	Las Vegas	Helen Putasca	Episode: "You Can't Take It With You"
	Arrested Development	Cindi Lightballoon	3 Episodes: "Altar Egos", "Shock and Aww" & "Justice is Blind"
	Friends	Ellen the realtor	Episode: "The One Where Estelle Dies"
	Veronica Mars	Mrs. Donaldson	Episode: "Return of the Kane"
2004-2014	Two and a Half Men	Dr. Linda Freeman	Recurring minor role; 14 episodes Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (2010)
2005	Unscripted	Jane	2 Episodes: "Episode #1.6" & "Episode #1.7"
	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Ranger	Episode: "Unbearable"
	Blind Justice	Dr. Taylor	2 Episodes: "Four Feet Under" & "Rub a Tub Tub"
	The Life and Times of Juniper Lee	Madame Rothchild	Voice role, Episode: "Magic Takes a Holiday"
	Weeds	The Candyman	Episode: "Fashion of the Christ"
	Illeanarama		Illeana Douglas project
2005-06	Rodney	Amy O'Brien	2 Episodes: "Rodney Moonlights" & "Rodney Gets a Leg Up"
2005-09	The L Word	Joyce Wischnia	Recurring role; 15 episodes (Seasons 2-6)
2006	Desperate Housewives	Maxine Bennett	Episode: "Silly People"
	Night Stalker	Scientist	Episode: "Into Night", uncredited
	Lovespring International	Victoria Ratchford	Series regular
	Help Me Help You	Raquel Janes	Recurring role, 5 episodes
	Separated at Worth	Jennifer	Television film
2006-08	Criminal Minds	Diana Reid	5 Episodes: "The Fisher King: Part 1", "The Fisher King: Part 2", "Revelations", "The Instincts" & "Memoriam"
	Boston Legal	Joanna Monroe	4 Episodes: "Can't We All Get A Lung?", "Dances with Wolves", "The Good Lawyer" & "The Verdict"
2006-12	Handy Manny	Jackie Greenway	Recurring role/voice role
2007	Untitled Christine Taylor Project
	Campus Ladies	Professor	Episode: "Psych 101"
	The New Adventures of Old Christine	Ms. Hammond	2 Episodes: "The Real Thing" & "Friends"
	American Dad!	Various	Voice role 2 Episodes: "Surro-Gate" & "The Most Adequate Christmas Ever"
2008	My Name Is Earl	Sissy	Episode: "I Won't Die With a Little Help From My Friends"
	Out & Proud in Chicago	Narrator (as herself)	TV documentary, one episode
	Psych	Barbara Dunlap	Episode: "There Might Be Blood"
2009	The Spectacular Spider-Man	Joan Jameson	Voice role, Episode: "Gangland"
	Reno 911!	Counselor	Episode: "Wiegel's Couple's Therapy"
2009-10	Party Down	Constance Carmell	Series regular
2009-15	Glee	Sue Sylvester	Series regular; 96 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries, or Television Film People's Choice Award for Favorite TV Comedy Actress Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries, or Television Film Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy Nominated - Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries, or Television Film Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries, or Television Film Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Nominated - People's Choice Award for Favorite TV Comedy Actress
2010-11	The Cleveland Show	Ms. Eck/Sue Sylvester	Episode: "Love Rollercoaster"/"How Do You Solve a Problem Like Roberta?"
2010	Neighbors from Hell	Alex	Episode: "Screw the EPA"
	iCarly	Pam Puckett	Season Four, Episode 2 (Episode 72) "iSam's Mom"
	Good Luck Charlie	Miss Covington	Episode " Double Whammy"
	VH1 Do Something Awards	Host	TV Special
	Saturday Night Live		Episode: "Jane Lynch/Bruno Mars"
2010-11	The Cleveland Show	Ms. Eck/Sue Sylvester	Voice role, Episode: "Love Rollercoaster"/"How Do You Solve a Problem Like Roberta?"
	The Super Hero Squad Show	Nebula	Voice role, Episodes: "When Strikes the Surfer!" and "Double Negation at the World's End!"
2011	Phineas and Ferb	Mrs. Johnson	Voice role, Episodes: "Run, Candace, Run", "Canderemy" and "Bad Hair Day"
	Web Therapy	Claire Dudek	Episode: "Public Relations"
	The Simpsons	Roz Davis	Voice role Episode: "Replaceable You"
	63rd Primetime Emmy Awards	Host	TV Special
2012	The Annoying Orange	Jane the Peanut / Cobb	Voice role 2 Episodes
	WordGirl	Miss Power	Voice role Episode: "The Rise of Miss Power"
	Comedy Central Roast of Roseanne	Host	TV Special
2013	The Ellen DeGeneres Show	Herself
	MasterChef		1 Episode: Season 4, Episode 10
	New Year's Eve with Carson Daly	Co-Host	TV Special
2013-present	Hollywood Game Night	Host	46 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
2015	Girl Meets World	Herself	1 Episode: Season 1, Episode 19
	Portlandia	Barbecue Planner	Episode: "4th of July"
2016-present	Angel from Hell	Amy	Series lead

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2013	Annie	Miss Hannigan	Broadway debut; limited engagement, replacing Katie Finneran.

Discography

Soundtracks

• 2003: A Mighty Wind
• 2008: Another Cinderella Story
• 2010: Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna
• 2010: Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers
• 2010: "Ohio " (Featuring Carol Burnett) - Single
• 2013: "I Still Believe / Super Bass " with Darren Criss - Single
• 2013: "Little Girls", "Easy Street" Bonus Track on Annie Broadway Revival Cast Recording

[ Source: Wikipedia ]