A television actress who sprang from the Broadway stage, Jane Krakowski was born Oct. 11, 1968, in Parsippany, N.J. Her mother, a college theater instructor, was also the producing artistic director for the Women's Theater Company and often brought young Jane along instead of leaving her home with a baby sitter.

Krakowski is best known for two of her most popular small-screen roles: meddlesome administrative assistant Elaine Vassal ("Ally McBeal") and self-centered sketch-comedy player Jenna Maroney ("30 Rock"), for which Krakowski earned Emmy nominations in 2009 and 2010. Earlier in her career, she spent time on the soap opera "Search for Tomorrow" and garnered a pair of Daytime Emmy nods for her efforts.

Also gifted with a lovely singing voice, Krakowski boasts a long list of musical theater credits, including a Tony-winning turn as a temptress in the Broadway revival of "Nine."