Jayne Houdyshell

Jayne Houdyshell
Houdyshell at Transport Group Gala 2013
Born (1953-09-25) September 25, 1953 (age 70)
OccupationActress

Jayne Houdyshell /ˈhaʊdiˌʃɛl/ (born September 25, 1953) is an American Tony-winning actress known for her performances on stage and screen. She earned her first Tony Award nomination for her Broadway debut as Ann in the play Well in 2006. Since then, she has received four more Tony Award nominations for her performances in the revival of Stephen Sondheim's musical Follies in 2012, the new play by Lucas Hnath A Doll's House, Part 2 in 2017, and the revival of Meredith Willson's The Music Man in 2022. She won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for the 2016 play The Humans.

She is also known for her supporting film roles in Alexander Payne's science fiction comedy Downsizing (2017) and Greta Gerwig's period piece Little Women, and for reprising her role in the 2021 film adaptation of The Humans.

She has had recurring roles in various television series, including Third Watch, Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Blue Bloods, and The Good Fight. She currently stars as "Bunny Folger" on the hit Hulu comedy series Only Murders in the Building, for which she was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

Early life

Raised in Topeka, Kansas, she is the youngest of four daughters born to Galen "Buzz" Houdyshell and Louella Taylor. She graduated from Topeka High School in 1971, and she went on to Emporia State University then on to graduate with honors from the Academy of Dramatic Art at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan in 1974.

Career

Stage

Since the mid-1970s, she has appeared in more than 200 plays at regional theaters throughout the United States, including the Meadow Brook Theater, Attic Theater, Missouri Repertory Theater, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Yale Repertory Theater, McCarter Theater, Delaware Theater Company, Wilma Theater, Syracuse Stage, Studio Arena, GeVa Theater, Actors Theater of Louisville, Steppenwolf Theater, American Conservatory Theater, Timber Lake Playhouse, Old Creamery Theatre, Totem Pole Playhouse, Peterborough Players, and others.

Houdyshell reminisces that, after moving to Manhattan in 1980, “I was traveling all that 20 years...There was a community of actors who did that. We were itinerant actors who just continually moved around the country from theater to theater and job to job."

In New York, she is known for her role as "Ann Kron" in the Broadway production of Well by Lisa Kron. It was a role that garnered her a Tony Award nomination in 2006. She won a Theater World Award and an Obie Award, Outstanding Performance, for the Off-Broadway production of Well, which ran in 2004 at the Public Theater.

She received the 2005 Joseph Jefferson Award, Supporting Actress, Play for her performance in The Pain and the Itch for Steppenwolf Theatre Company and a 2005 Barrymore Award, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play for her work in The Clean House at the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia.

Houdyshell's Broadway credits include Wicked, Well, Bye Bye Birdie, and The Importance of Being Earnest. She played the role of "Hattie" in the 2011 revival of Follies, and received a 2012 Tony Award nomination, Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance. Houdyshell played the Nurse in the 2013 Broadway revival of Romeo and Juliet.

She appeared in The Humans as "Deirdre Blake", first in its Off-Broadway engagement at the Roundabout Theatre Company in September 2015 to December 2015, and then the Broadway production of the play which opened at the Helen Hayes Theatre on February 18, 2016. For The Humans she won the 2016 Tony Award, Featured Actress in a Play, the 2016 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Ensemble Performance, and the Obie Award, Performance. She was also nominated for the 2016 Outer Critics Circle Award, Outstanding Actress in a Play.

In 2017 she played Ann Marie in Lucas Hnath's A Doll's House, Part 2.

Houdyshell's other New York credits include Harrison, TX: Three Plays by Horton Foote at Primary Stages, Coraline, The New Century, at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center (2008); The Receptionist at the Manhattan Theater Club (2007); Much Ado About Nothing (Delacorte Theatre, 2004); Fighting Words, and The Pain and the Itch at Playwrights Horizons (2009); Attempts on Her Life at Soho Rep; and True Love at the Zipper Theater (2001).[citation needed]

In April 2019, Houdyshell returned to Broadway as the Earl of Gloucester in the Sam Gold directed production of King Lear, with Glenda Jackson in the title role. Houdyshell plays Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn in the 2022 revival of The Music Man, starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster.

Television and film

Houdyshell's television credits include appearances on Third Watch, Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Blue Bloods, and The Good Fight, and as Bunny Folger on Only Murders in the Building.

She has appeared in numerous films, including Changing Lanes (2002) with Ben Affleck, Maid in Manhattan (2002) with Jennifer Lopez, Garden State (2004) with Zach Braff and Natalie Portman, Trust the Man (2006) with Julianne Moore, and Everybody's Fine (2009) with Robert DeNiro, Kate Beckinsale, Drew Barrymore, and Sam Rockwell. She also had a role in the 2010 film The Bounty Hunter with Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler

In 2010, she starred as the Stage Manager in the film Morning Glory opposite Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, and Rachel McAdams.

In 2015, she starred as Rose Offer on the NBC limited series American Odyssey opposite Anna Friel and Peter Facinelli.

In 2017, she appeared in Alexander Payne's science fiction comedy feature Downsizing opposite Matt Damon.

In 2018, she starred on the third season of the ABC thriller Quantico as The Widow.

In 2019, she appeared as the housekeeper Hannah in Greta Gerwig's critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated film adaptation of Little Women starring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, and Meryl Streep.

In 2021, she reprised her Tony-winning role of Deidre Blake in The Humans, the film adaptation of her Broadway play. The movie co-starred Richard Jenkins, Amy Schumer, Beanie Feldstein, Steven Yeun, and June Squibb. It had its world premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2021. The film was released by A24 on November 24, 2021, both in theaters and on Showtime.

In 2021 and 2022, she played the memorable role of Bunny Folger on seasons 1 and 2 of the hit, Emmy-nominated Hulu series Only Murders in the Building, opposite Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez.

Her next movie Causeway is a psychological drama film directed by Lila Neugebauer and starring Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry. It had its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2022. It was released theatrically and on Apple TV+ on November 4, 2022.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2002 Changing Lanes Miss Tetley
2002 Maid in Manhattan Carmen
2004 Garden State Mrs. Lubin
2005 Trust the Man Sex Addicts Leader
2005 Road Postal Clerk
2006 Things That Hang from Trees Pam Dupont
2006 The Immaculate Conception Sister Patricia
2009 Everybody's Fine Alice
2010 The Bounty Hunter Landlady
2010 Morning Glory Stage Manager
2014 Romeo and Juliet Nurse
2014 Lucky Stiff Harry's Landlady
2017 Downsizing Paul's Mother
2018 The Chaperone Sister Delores
2019 Little Women Hannah
2021 The Humans Deirdre Blake
2022 Causeway Sharon

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1999 Third Watch Jane Episode: "Welcome to Camelot"
1997–2002 Law & Order Various Characters 3 episodes
2002–17 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Judge Ruth Linden 10 episodes
2005 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Ruth Pear Episode: "The Unblinking Eye"
2006 Conviction Judge Roberta Palski 2 episodes
2009 Loving Leah Mrs. Finkelman Television movie
2009 Guiding Light Judger Burslem Episode #1.15659
2010 Running Wilde Gertie Stellvertretter Pilot
2014 Blue Bloods Roseanne Galecki Episode: "Open Secrets"
2015 Elementary Carla Episode: "Hemlock"
2015 American Odyssey Rose Offer 8 episodes
2015 Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter Jane Cotton 2 episodes
2017 The Accidental Wolf Rach Episode: "Kathryn"
2017–18 The Good Fight Renée Rampling 2 episodes
2018 Quantico The Widow Episode: "The Conscience Code"
2019 The Tick Black Market Bob Episode: "Magic is Real"
2020 Evil Judge Sara Carl Shire Episode: "Justice x 2"
2021–22 Only Murders in the Building Bunny Folger Recurring

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes
2006–08 Wicked Madame Morrible (replacement) Gershwin Theatre
2006 Well Ann Longacre Theatre
2009–10 Bye Bye Birdie Mae Peterson Henry Miller's Theatre
2010 Wicked Madame Morrible (replacement) Emerald City Tour
2011 The Importance of Being Earnest Miss Prism (replacement) American Airlines Theatre
2011–12 Follies Hattie Walker Marquis Theatre
Ahmanson Theatre
2011 8 Maggie Gallagher Eugene O'Neill Theatre
2012–13 Dead Accounts Barbara Music Box Theatre
2013 Romeo and Juliet Nurse Richard Rodgers Theatre
2015 Fish in the Dark Gloria Drexel Cort Theatre
2015–17 The Humans Deirdre Blake Laura Pels Theatre
Helen Hayes Theatre
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
2017 A Doll's House, Part 2 Anne Marie John Golden Theatre
2018 The Humans Deirdre Blake Ahmanson Theatre
Hampstead Theatre
2019 King Lear Earl of Gloucester Cort Theatre
2022 The Music Man Mrs. Shinn Winter Garden Theatre
2024 Uncle Vanya Mama Voinitski Vivian Beaumont Theatre

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2004 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Well Nominated
Obie Award Distinguished Performance by an Actress Won
2005 Joseph Jefferson Award Actress in a Supporting Role in a Play The Pain and the Itch Won
Barrymore Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play The Clean House Won
2006 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Play Well Nominated
Theatre World Award Won
2012 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Musical Follies Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Nominated
2016 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Play The Humans Won
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Ensemble Won
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Actress in a Play Nominated
Obie Award Distinguished Performance by an Actress Won
Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play Nominated
2017 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Play A Doll's House, Part 2 Nominated
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Nominated
2022
Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Only Murders in the Building Nominated
Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Musical The Music Man Nominated

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