Jayne Atkinson (born 18 February 1959) is a British-American actress. She is best known for the role of

Karen Hayes Karen Hayes is a fictional character on the television program '' 24'' portrayed by actress Jayne Atkinson. She appeared as a recurring character in twelve episodes of the fifth season and a main cast member in eighteen episodes of the sixth seas ...

on '' 24'', as well as her

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

–nominated roles in '' The Rainmaker'' and '' Enchanted April''. She has also appeared in the CBS drama '' Criminal Minds'' as BAU Section Chief Erin Strauss, the CBS drama '' Madam Secretary'' as United States Vice President Teresa Hurst, and in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

political drama '' House of Cards'' as U.S. Secretary of State Catherine Durant.

Early life

Atkinson was born on 18 February 1959 in Bournemouth,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. Her family moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

in 1968 when she was 9 years old. She grew up in North Miami Beach, Florida, and graduated from Pine Crest School, where she was elected Homecoming Queen in 1977. She attended

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Chart ...

(BS Communications, 1981), where she was initiated as a member of Alpha Chi Omega and a sorority sister of Laura Innes; and graduated with an MFA from the Yale Drama School in 1985.

Career

After working in regional theatres, Atkinson appeared off-Broadway in the Manhattan Theatre Club's production of ''

Bloody Poetry ''Bloody Poetry'' is a 1984 play by Howard Brenton centring on the lives of Percy Shelley and his circle. The play had its roots in Brenton's involvement with the small touring company Foco Novo and was the third, and final, show he wrote for t ...

'' in 1987. She made her Broadway debut the same year in a revival of

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), ''Death of a Salesman'' (19 ...

's ''

All My Sons ''All My Sons'' is a three-act play written in 1946 by Arthur Miller. It opened on Broadway at the Coronet Theatre in New York City on January 29, 1947, closed on November 8, 1949, and ran for 328 performances. It was directed by Elia Kazan (t ...

''. Subsequently, she landed title roles in more stage productions, which include ''

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagr ...

'', '' Tru'', and ''The Art of Success''. She earned a Drama Desk Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in '' The Skriker'' in 1996. Atkinson's work in the Roundabout Theatre Company's 1999 production of '' The Rainmaker'' earned her a

nomination, and her performance in the 2003 play '' Enchanted April'' earned her an Outer Critics Circle Award, another

nomination and a Drama Desk nomination. In 2009, she starred as Ruth Condomine in a Broadway revival of Noël Coward's ''

Blithe Spirit Blithe Spirit may refer to: * ''Blithe Spirit'' (play), a 1941 comic play written by Noël Coward * ''Blithe Spirit'' (1945 film), a British comedy film based on the play * ''Blithe Spirit'' (2020 film), a British-American comedy film based on th ...

'', which co-starred Rupert Everett, Christine Ebersole, and Angela Lansbury. She has appeared in such films as '' Free Willy'', '' Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home'', '' 12 and Holding'', '' Blank Check'', '' The Village'' and '' Syriana''. Her television acting credits include ''

A Year in the Life ''A Year in the Life'' is an American dramatic series that ran on NBC from September 16, 1987 to April 13, 1988, during the 1987–1988 television season, created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey. The series began as a three-part miniseries whi ...

'', '' Parenthood'', ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...

'', ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering o ...

'', '' The Practice'', '' Criminal Minds'', '' 24'', Gossip Girl and '' House of Cards'', opposite Kevin Spacey and husband Michel Gill. Her performance in the made-for-TV movie '' Our Town'' garnered her a

Satellite Award The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take plac ...

nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Personal life

Atkinson is married to actor Michel Gill, with whom she has one son. Atkinson and Gill met when they appeared together in a 1989 production of '' The Heiress'' at the Long Wharf Theater in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

. They both appeared in '' House of Cards'', though not as a couple: Gill played President Garrett Walker and Atkinson played Secretary of State Catherine Durant.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

References

External links

* *
Jayne Atkinson at Lortel Archives: The Internet Off-Broadway Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, Jayne 1959 births Living people Actresses from Florida British emigrants to the United States Northwestern University School of Communication alumni People from Hollywood, Florida Yale School of Drama alumni 21st-century American actresses