Jennifer Coolidge (born August 28, 1961) is an American actress and comedian. Known for her work in the
comedy genre, Coolidge is the recipient of several accolades, including a
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
and two
Primetime Emmy Awards
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
. In 2023, she was included in the annual
''Time'' 100 list of the most influential people in the world.
Coolidge had supporting roles in the
''American Pie'' film series (1999–2012) and the
''Legally Blonde'' film series (2001–2003). She has collaborated with
Christopher Guest
Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born 5 February 1948), known professionally as Christopher Guest, is a British-American actor, comedian, screenwriter and director. Guest has written, directed, and starred in his series of comedy ...
on four of his
mockumentary
A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...
films, ''
Best in Show'' (2000), ''
A Mighty Wind'' (2003), ''
For Your Consideration'' (2006), and ''
Mascots
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fictional, repres ...
'' (2016). She has also appeared in the films ''
A Cinderella Story'' (2004), ''
Click'' (2006), ''
Date Movie'' (2006), ''
Epic Movie'' (2007), ''
Promising Young Woman
''Promising Young Woman'' is a 2020 film written, directed, and co-produced by Emerald Fennell in her feature directorial debut. It stars Carey Mulligan as a troubled young woman haunted by a traumatic past as she navigates forgiveness and ven ...
'' (2020), ''
Single All the Way'' (2021), ''
Shotgun Wedding
A shotgun wedding is a wedding arranged in response to pregnancy resulting from premarital sex. The phrase comes from the figurative imagining that the relatives of the pregnant bride threaten the reluctant male groom with a shotgun in order to ...
'' (2022), and
''A Minecraft Movie'' (2025).
On television, Coolidge has appeared in the sitcoms ''
Joey
Joey may refer to:
People
*Joey (name)
Animals
* Joey (marsupial), an infant marsupial
* Joey, a blue-fronted Amazon parrot who was one of the Blue Peter pets
Film and television
* ''Joey'' (1977 film), an American film directed by Horace ...
'' (2004–2006), ''
The Secret Life of the American Teenager'' (2008–2012), ''
2 Broke Girls
''2 Broke Girls'' (stylized as ''2 Broke Girl$'') is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 19, 2011, to April 17, 2017. The series was produced for Warner Bros. Television and created by Michael Patrick King and Whitn ...
'' (2011–2017), and the drama series ''
The Watcher'' (2022). She garnered critical acclaim for her role as Tanya McQuoid, an insecure wealthy woman, in the first two seasons of the
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
anthology series ''
The White Lotus'' (2021–2022), winning two
Primetime Emmy Awards
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
and a
Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...
.
Early life and education
Coolidge was born in
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, on August 28, 1961, and raised in
Norwell,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. As a child, she played the
clarinet
The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell.
Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...
and attended orchestra camp for three summers.
She attended
Norwell High School in Norwell and
Cambridge School of Weston in
Weston, Massachusetts
Weston is an affluent town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located approximately west of Boston. At the time of the 2020 United States census, the population of Weston was 11,851.
Weston was incorporated in 1713, and protect ...
, and then
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private college in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It also maintains campuses in Los Angeles and Well, Limburg, Netherlands (Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of Public Speaking, o ...
in Boston and the
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a Private college, private drama school with two locations, one in New York City and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related ...
in New York City. During college, Coolidge aspired to be a dramatic actress similar to
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Known for her versatility and adept accent work, she has been described as "the best actress of her generation". She has received numerous accolades throughout her career ...
, but instead pursued comedic character acting. As a student at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Coolidge worked as a waitress in a restaurant alongside
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Annette Bullock (; born July 26, 1964) is an American actress and film producer. The List of highest-paid film actors, highest-paid actress of 2010 and 2014, Sandra Bullock filmography, Bullock's filmography spans both comedy and drama, ...
, who also aspired to be an actress.
Career
1993–1999: Early career
Coolidge made her first television appearance in the November 1993 ''
Seinfeld
''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...
'' episode "
The Masseuse".
In 1994, she was a regular on ''She TV'', a short-lived
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...
that also featured
Nick Bakay,
Elon Gold,
Simbi Khali, and
Linda Kash. She had small roles appearing in such films as ''
Not of This Earth'', ''
A Bucket of Blood'', ''
Plump Fiction'', and ''
A Night at the Roxbury
''A Night at the Roxbury'' is a 1998 American comedy film based on a recurring sketch on television's long-running ''Saturday Night Live'' called " The Roxbury Guys". ''Saturday Night Live'' regulars Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, Molly Shannon, ...
''. She also voiced
Luanne's beauty school teacher, Miss Kremzer, in a recurring role on ''
King of the Hill
''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels that initially aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, with four more episodes airing in First-run syndicati ...
''. She worked with
The Groundlings, an improv and sketch comedy troupe based in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. In June 1995, Coolidge unsuccessfully auditioned for
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
.
1999–2006: Film breakthrough

In 1999, Coolidge got her big break playing
Jeanine Stifler, or "
Stifler's mom" in ''
American Pie''. The film was a box-office hit and grossed $235 million worldwide. In 2001, she reprised her role in ''
American Pie 2''. Later in that same year, she had a supporting role in ''
Legally Blonde'' as Paulette Bonafonté Parcelle the manicurist. ''Legally Blonde'' was a box-office hit, grossing US$96 million domestically.
The film's box-office success led to her reprising the role in its 2003 sequel, ''
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde'', but the movie was not as financially successful as the first and generated mostly negative reviews. In 2003, she again played Stifler's Mom in ''
American Wedding''.
In 2003, she played the protagonist's agent Luise in ''
Testosterone
Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone and androgen in Male, males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of Male reproductive system, male reproductive tissues such as testicles and prostate, as well as promoting se ...
'' filmed in Argentina starring
David Sutcliffe as Dean Seagrave and
Antonio Sabato, Jr., as Pablo. In 2004, she had a supporting role in the romantic comedy ''
A Cinderella Story'' playing
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress, singer, author and businesswoman. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Hilary Duff, various accolades, including a World Music Awards, World Mus ...
's character's vain, self-absorbed stepmother. The film went on to become a moderate box office hit despite negative critical reviews.
She has appeared in 2001 on ''
Frasier
''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Casey, and David Lee (scr ...
'' as Frederica,
Martin Crane's new physical therapist, in 2003-2004 in 3 episodes of ''
According to Jim'', playing Roxanne, Jim's sister, and in 2003 in an episode of ''
Sex and the City
''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy, romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO, based on Sex and the City (newspaper column), the newspaper column and 1996 book by Candace Bushnell. It premiered in th ...
''. Coolidge nearly received the role of
Lynette Scavo
Lynette Scavo is a fictional character from the American comedy drama television series ''Desperate Housewives'', which aired on ABC from 2004 to 2012. Developed by series creator Marc Cherry, Lynette was portrayed by Felicity Huffman. Lynette ...
on ''
Desperate Housewives
''Desperate Housewives'' is an American mystery comedy-drama television series created by Marc Cherry, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on ABC from October 3, 2004, until May 13, 2012, for a tota ...
'', but it eventually went to
Felicity Huffman
Felicity Kendall Huffman (born December 9, 1962) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Lynette Scavo in the ABC comedy-drama ''Desperate Housewives'' and her role as Sabrina "Bree" Osbourne, a transgender woman, in the film ''Trans ...
.
In 2003, she starred in an episode of ''
Friends
''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...
'' in its final season as Amanda, an obnoxious acquaintance whom
Phoebe Buffay
Phoebe Buffay-Hannigan (; born 16 February 1969) is one of the six main characters from the American television sitcom, ''Friends''. She was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman and portrayed by actress Lisa Kudrow.
In the series' unive ...
and
Monica Geller try to shake off. From 2004 to 2006, Coolidge had a role in the NBC comedy series ''
Joey
Joey may refer to:
People
*Joey (name)
Animals
* Joey (marsupial), an infant marsupial
* Joey, a blue-fronted Amazon parrot who was one of the Blue Peter pets
Film and television
* ''Joey'' (1977 film), an American film directed by Horace ...
'' as
Joey Tribbiani
Joseph Francis Tribbiani Jr. (born 1968) is a fictional character, serving as one of the primary characters of the NBC sitcom ''Friends'' and the protagonist of its spin-off ''Joey''. He is portrayed by Matt LeBlanc in both series.
Joey is an ...
's oversexed agent Roberta "Bobbie" Morganstern. During its second season, she went from a recurring character to a more prominent role, appearing in 37 out of 46 episodes in the series. NBC officially canceled the series in May 2006, citing low ratings.
Coolidge also appeared in 1998 in the children's comedy ''Slappy and the Stinkers'', and as the voice of Aunt Fanny in the animated feature ''
Robots" \n\n\n\n\n\n\nrobots.txt is the filename used for implementing the Robots Exclusion Protocol, a standard used by websites to indicate to visiting web crawlers and other web robots which portions of the website they are allowed to visit.\n\nThe sta ...
'' in 2005. The film was accompanied by an original short animated film based on ''Robots'', titled ''
Aunt Fanny's Tour of Booty
An aunt is a woman who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent. Aunts who are consanguineous, related by birth are Second-degree relative, second-degree relatives. Alternate terms include auntie or aunty.
Aunt, auntie, an ...
'', in which she reprised her role. In late 2005, Coolidge was invited to join the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...
. From 2000 to 2006 she played comic parts in the
improv
Improv may refer to:
*Improvisation, an act of spontaneous invention
**Improvisational theatre (includes improvisational comedy)
**Musical improvisation
Musical improvisation (also known as musical extemporization) is the creative activity of im ...
mockumentaries
A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...
''
Best in Show'', ''
A Mighty Wind'', and ''
For Your Consideration'', all directed by
Christopher Guest
Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born 5 February 1948), known professionally as Christopher Guest, is a British-American actor, comedian, screenwriter and director. Guest has written, directed, and starred in his series of comedy ...
.
2006–2011: Television roles
In 2006, she guest starred on an episode of ''
Top Chef'', and played
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, List of awards and nominations received by Adam Sandler, his accolades include an Independent Sp ...
's wife's friend, Janine, in the comedy film ''
Click''. She appeared in the 2006 film ''
Date Movie'' as a spoof of
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...
's ''
Meet the Fockers
''Meet the Fockers'' (sometimes known as ''Meet the Parents 2'') is a 2004 American romantic comedy film directed by Jay Roach, and the sequel to the 2000 film, '' Meet the Parents''. The film stars Robert De Niro (also one of the film's producer ...
'' character. The film received unfavorable critic reviews and
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
ranked the film 77th in the 100 worst reviewed films of the 2000s, with a rating of 6%. However, ''Variety'' did praise Coolidge for providing a few bright moments with a spot-on spoof of Streisand, albeit otherwise unimpressed describing the film as "padded and repetitious".
''
Epic Movie'', released in 2007 and made by the same people behind ''Date Movie'', was the first movie in which she received a starring role. In the film she played the "White Bitch" (the
White Witch) of Gnarnia (
Narnia), a lampoon of the
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
and
Walden Media
Walden Media, LLC is an American independent studio that develops, produces and finances feature films and television series for the U.S. and global markets. Its films focus on stories of courage drawn from biographies, historical events, and li ...
film ''
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe''.
A. O. Scott of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' called the film "irreverent and also appreciative, dragging its satiric prey down to the lowest pop-cultural denominator" and added, "The humor is coarse and occasionally funny. The archly bombastic score ... is the only thing you might call witty. But happily, Jennifer Coolidge and Fred Willard show up ... to add some easy, demented class."
During 2007, Coolidge appeared on ''
Thank God You're Here'' and ''
The Closer
''The Closer'' is an American police procedural television series starring Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Los Angeles Police Department Chief of police#United States, deputy chief. A CIA-trained interrogator originally from Atlanta, G ...
'', on
TNT. In 2008, she guest-starred on ''
The Secret Life of the American Teenager'' as a
call girl
A call girl or female escort is a prostitute who (unlike a street prostitution, street walker) does not display her profession to the general public, nor does she usually work in an institution like a brothel, although she may be employed by ...
.
[ In the second season, she was a frequently recurring character, now playing the fiancé of Ben's dad and future stepmother of Ben. She also starred in the 2008 ]Lifetime Television
Lifetime is an American basic cable channel that is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a subsidiary of A&E Networks, which is jointly owned by Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company. It features programming that is geared toward ...
film '' Living Proof''. Coolidge appeared in the 2008 film '' Soul Men'' as Rosalee.
In 2009, Coolidge took a dramatic role in '' Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans'' as Genevieve McDonagh. The film premiere
A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance
Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic ...
d on September 9, 2009, at the 66th Venice International Film Festival, and it opened in general release in the United States on November 20, 2009. Also In 2009, she starred alongside Heather Graham
Heather Joan Graham (born January 29, 1970) is an American actress. The accolades she has received include nominations for two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, and an Independent Spirit Award.
After appearing in tel ...
and Amber Heard in '' ExTerminators'', a black comedy
Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
about a set of women who form their own "silent revolution", wreaking havoc on the abusive men in their lives.
In 2010, Coolidge appeared in another film starring Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress, singer, author and businesswoman. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Hilary Duff, various accolades, including a World Music Awards, World Mus ...
titled '' Beauty & the Briefcase'', an ABC Family
American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...
television film produced by Image Entertainment
RLJ Entertainment (formerly Image Entertainment) is an American film production company and home video distributor, distributing film and television productions in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 34 ...
that originally aired on April 18, 2010. It was based on the novel ''Diary of a Working Girl'' by Daniella Brodsky. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the US on February 8, 2011.
2011–2019: ''2 Broke Girls'' and stand-up comedy
In June 2011, Coolidge curated a Blake Nelson Boyd art show in New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
. In the same month Coolidge began to do standup comedy. She hosted the "Women in Film" at the Beverly Hills Hotel. It went well, and she decided to take an act on the road. Coolidge ended up doing shows all over the country and the world for two years, Scotland included. Coolidge told Australian radio show '' The Kyle & Jackie O Show'' that she would be touring Australia as part of her ''Yours for the Night'' stand-up tour. In October 2011, Coolidge began a recurring role in the CBS sitcom ''2 Broke Girls
''2 Broke Girls'' (stylized as ''2 Broke Girl$'') is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 19, 2011, to April 17, 2017. The series was produced for Warner Bros. Television and created by Michael Patrick King and Whitn ...
'' as Zofia "Sophie" Kaczyński, a Polish neighbor of the two lead characters; she was later promoted to main cast from season 2 up until the show's cancellation in 2017.
Coolidge reprised her role as Jeanine Stifler in an ''American Pie'' sequel '' American Reunion'' which opened in North America on April 6, 2012. The following year, additional voice cast members were announced for '' B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations'', including Coolidge as Carol Sue, a transitions-relations officer. Film distributor 20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
set November 6, 2015, for the film's release date (which was moved a few months later up to September 25), However, ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' reported in 2014 that the film had been delayed again with no replacement release date set. It was reported the film's concept has gone back to development.
Coolidge and actress Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Karen Walker in the NBC sitcom '' Will & Grace'' (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outst ...
joined the cast of '' Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day'' in 2013; Coolidge plays Ms. Suggs, the driving instructor. The film was released in North America on October 10, 2014. The next year, she had a voice role in '' Hell and Back'', and had a cameo in '' Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip''. In 2016, she appeared in ''Mascots
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fictional, repres ...
'', directed by Christopher Guest. In 2017, Coolidge lent her voice to portray Mary Meh in '' The Emoji Movie''. In 2018, Coolidge made an appearance in Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...
's music video for her song " Thank U, Next".
2020–present: ''The White Lotus'' and continued film roles
In 2020, she starred in '' Like a Boss'', the first studio comedy film of the 2020s, for Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
, co-starring with Tiffany Haddish, Rose Byrne
Mary Rose Byrne (born 24 July 1979) is an Australian actress. She made her screen debut in the film ''Dallas Doll'' (1994)
, and continued to act in Australian film and television throughout the 1990s. She gained her first leading film role in ...
, and Salma Hayek
Salma Valgarma Hayek Pinault ( , ; ; born September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa (1989 TV series), Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well a ...
. Coolidge had a supporting role in Emerald Fennell
Emerald Lilly Fennell (; born 1 October 1985) is an English actress, filmmaker, and writer. She has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe ...
's directorial debut ''Promising Young Woman
''Promising Young Woman'' is a 2020 film written, directed, and co-produced by Emerald Fennell in her feature directorial debut. It stars Carey Mulligan as a troubled young woman haunted by a traumatic past as she navigates forgiveness and ven ...
'' as the mother of Carey Mulligan
Carey Hannah Mulligan (born 28 May 1985) is a British actress. She has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award. She w ...
's character, Cassie. The movie received universal acclaim upon release.
In October 2020, Coolidge was cast as Tanya McQuoid, a troubled wealthy woman on vacation, in Mike White's comedy-drama series '' The White Lotus'' and began filming shortly after in Hawaii. The show premiered in July 2021 and was widely acclaimed, with Daniel D'Addario of ''Variety'' calling it the "role of a lifetime" and deeming Coolidge a "Hollywood MVP". She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her performance. Coolidge reprised her role for the second season, and received a second Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for the role at the 75th Emmy Awards.
In 2021, Coolidge starred in the Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
Christmas romantic comedy '' Single All the Way'' alongside Michael Urie
Michael Lorenzo Urie (born August 8, 1980) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Marc St. James on the ABC comedy drama television series ''Ugly Betty'' and Brian on the Apple TV+ series '' Shrinking'', a role for which he won ...
, Philemon Chambers, and Kathy Najimy
Kathy Ann Najimy ( ; ; born February 6, 1957) is an American actress and activist. She was first nationally known for her feminist play ''The Kathy and Mo Show'', which she wrote and performed with Mo Gaffney. On film, she is best known for her ...
. The following year, she starred in Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
's mini-series '' The Watcher'' along with Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale.
In 2024, Coolidge starred in and executive produced Dito Montiel's comedy film ''Riff Raff''. She told ''Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' that, when she was offered the role, "I've never been offered a part like her. ��There’s a certain woman that I've played quite a few times - some sort of rich, spoiled woman or something, but this was something very different. This was someone who had a pretty decent beginning of her life, but ended up not desired by her ex-husband anymore and very lost."
Public image
Coolidge is widely considered a gay icon
A gay icon is a public figure who is regarded as a cultural icon by members of the LGBTQ community. Such figures usually have a devoted LGBTQ fanbase and act as allies to the LGBTQ community, often through their work, or they have been "openly app ...
, often impersonated by drag queen
A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...
s, with Coolidge noting in 2021 that she surrounded herself socially with gay men and women from a young age. Coolidge has also long been vocal about her support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Coolidge was included on ''Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'''s " The 100 Most Influential People of 2023", and was featured on the magazine cover for the issue. She also hosted the 2023 Time 100 gala. In February 2023, Coolidge was named Woman of the Year by Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals.
Personal life
Coolidge dated Swedish model Rafael Edholm in the 1980s, living together in New York and attending acting classes. She later dated comedian Chris Kattan. She has never been married or had children.
In 2005, after having visited New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
up to ten times a year over ten years, Coolidge purchased a house there, which was featured in some of the interior scenes in '' The Beguiled'' (2017).
Her charitable work and activism includes supporting AIDS assistance and animal rights
Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...
. Coolidge tries to follow a plant-based lifestyle but also eats fish. Coolidge was crowned PETA
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president.
Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal right ...
's "Vegan Queen" in 2023.[Kenna McCafferty,]
Jennifer Coolidge Crowned 2023 Vegan Queen
," ''Paper'' 17 March, 2023. She has also adopted a dog named Chuy that was rescued from a meat factory in Korea.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Music videos
Stage
Awards and nominations
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Coolidge, Jennifer
1961 births
20th-century American actresses
20th-century American comedians
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American comedians
AACTA Award winners
Actresses from Boston
American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni
American film actresses
American LGBTQ rights activists
American television actresses
American voice actresses
American women comedians
Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (television) winners
Comedians from Boston
Jennifer
Emerson College alumni
Living people
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners