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Janeane Garofalo

Janeane GarofaloBorn: 28-Sep-1964
Birthplace: Newton, NJ

Gender: Female
Religion: Atheist
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Comic
Party Affiliation: Democratic

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Actor, Comedian, Author, Activist

Janeane Garofalo grew up the daughter of an oil company executive and an office secretary in Houston, Texas. At the age of nine, her family moved to Madison, New Jersey, which is where they remained until her senior year of high school. Then Exxon suddenly transferred her dad to Texas, so the family uprooted itself again and returned to Houston. Up to that point, Garofalo's life had been fairly typical. But the culture shock in her senior year of high school caused acute depression, and she got fat (5'1", 160 pounds). After graduation, Garofalo headed off to Providence College in Rhode Island, where she decided to try stand-up comedy, which soon inspired the plump 20-year-old to undergo breast reduction surgery. After graduating from Providence with a degree in history, Garofalo pursued her standup career in Boston. She briefly returned to Houston to nurse her mother through cancer; after her death, Garofalo moved to Los Angeles, where she landed simultaneous roles on both The Ben Stiller Show and The Larry Sanders Show.

After a slew of supporting roles im films including 1994's Reality Bites, Garofalo pinned her hopes on playing the wife in Flirting With Disaster. She lost out to Patricia Arquette, reportedly because the producers thought she was too fat. It prompted her to lose weight, after which she landed a couple of starring roles, in The Truth About Cats & Dogs and The MatchMaker. Both films were box office disappointments, and Garofalo subsequently landed back in the supporting actor classification.

In 2004, Garofalo began cohosting a daily talk show, The Majority Report, on the liberal Air America Radio network. She left the network in July 2006, a month after her repeated voicing of support for the Scientology-backed New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project led to her cohost and producer walking out of a broadcast.

Father: Carmine Garofalo (Exxon executive)
Mother: Joan (secretary at Conoco-Phillips, d. colon cancer)
Brother: Michael
Boyfriend: Barry (1985-87)
Boyfriend: Ben Stiller (1990)
Husband: Rob Cohen (TV writer-producer, m. 1991, separated)
Boyfriend: Bob Odenkirk
Boyfriend: Mitch Rouse
Boyfriend: Craig Bierko (1999)
Boyfriend: Pete Caldes
Boyfriend: Greg Behrendt (ex-)

    High School: Madison High School, Madison, NJ (transferred)
    High School: James E. Taylor High School, Houston, TX (1982)
    University: BA History, Providence College, Providence, RI (1986)

    Air America
    Dean for America
    MoveOn.org
    Breast Reduction Surgery 1984
    9/11 Truthers
    Irish Ancestry
    Italian Ancestry
    Risk Factors: Depression, Smoking, Vegetarian, Alcoholism, Marijuana, Fibromyalgia

    TELEVISION
    Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior Beth Griffith (2011-)
    24 Janis Gold (2009)
    The West Wing Louise Thornton (2005-06)
    TV Nation Special Correspondent (1995)
    Saturday Night Live (1994-95)
    The Larry Sanders Show Paula (1992-97)
    The Ben Stiller Show (1992-93)

    FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
    Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché (11-May-2018) · Herself
    Sandy Wexler (14-Apr-2017)
    The Muslims Are Coming! (12-Sep-2013) · Herself
    Bad Parents (18-Oct-2012)
    Occupy Unmasked (21-Sep-2012) · Herself
    General Education (24-Aug-2012)
    Mighty Fine (25-May-2012) [VOICE]
    Barbershop Punk (Mar-2010) · Herself
    Labor Pains (19-Jun-2009)
    Love Hurts (2009) · Hannah
    The Guitar (18-Jan-2008)
    Then She Found Me (7-Sep-2007) · Herself
    Ratatouille (28-Jun-2007) [VOICE]
    Manufacturing Dissent (11-Feb-2007) · Herself
    The Ten (19-Jan-2007) · Nuclear Powerplant Shift Supervisor Beth Soden
    Southland Tales (21-May-2006) · Gen. Teena MacArthur
    The Wild (6-Apr-2006) [VOICE]
    Fuck (7-Nov-2005) · Herself
    Stay (24-Sep-2005)
    Duane Hopwood (20-Jan-2005)
    Tanner on Tanner (5-Oct-2004) · Herself
    Jiminy Glick in La La Wood (18-Sep-2004) · Dee Dee
    Wonderland (8-Sep-2003) · Joy Miller
    Manhood (23-Jan-2003)
    Nobody Knows Anything! (2003) · Patty
    Big Trouble (2-Apr-2002)
    Martin & Orloff (11-Mar-2002)
    Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns) (10-Mar-2002) · Herself
    The Laramie Project (10-Jan-2002) · Catherine Connolly
    The Search for John Gissing (11-Nov-2001)
    Wet Hot American Summer (23-Jan-2001) · Beth
    The Thin Pink Line (7-Oct-2000)
    The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (24-Jun-2000) · Minnie Mogul
    Titan A.E. (13-Jun-2000) · Stith [VOICE]
    The Independent (12-Mar-2000)
    Steal This Movie (4-Mar-2000)
    Dogma (12-Nov-1999)
    The Bumblebee Flies Anyway (Sep-1999)
    Mystery Men (22-Jul-1999) · Bowler
    200 Cigarettes (26-Feb-1999) · Ellie
    The Minus Man (25-Jan-1999)
    Can't Stop Dancing (16-Jan-1999)
    Clay Pigeons (15-Sep-1998) · Agent Shelby
    Dog Park (14-Sep-1998) · Jeri
    Permanent Midnight (12-Sep-1998) · Jana
    Thick as Thieves (28-Jan-1998) · Anne
    Denis Leary: Lock 'N Load (15-Nov-1997) · Herself
    The MatchMaker (3-Oct-1997) · Marcy
    Cop Land (15-Aug-1997) · Deputy Cindy Betts
    Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (25-Apr-1997) · Heather
    Touch (14-Feb-1997) · Kathy Worthington
    Larger Than Life (26-Jul-1996) · Mo
    The Cable Guy (14-Jun-1996) · Medieval Waitress
    The Truth About Cats & Dogs (26-Apr-1996) · Abby
    Sweethearts (1996) · Jasmine Pogue
    Now and Then (20-Oct-1995)
    Coldblooded (15-Sep-1995) · Honey
    Bye Bye, Love (17-Mar-1995) · Lucille
    Reality Bites (18-Feb-1994) · Vickie Miner
    Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City (8-May-1993)
    Late for Dinner (20-Sep-1991) · Counter Girl

Author of books:
Feel This Book: An Essential Guide To Self-Empowerment, Spiritual Supremacy and Sexual Satisfaction (1999, self-help)


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