Janeane Garofalo

Janeane Marie Garofalo (/dʒəˈniːn ɡəˈrɒfəloʊ/; born September 28, 1964) is an American actress, voice artist, stand-up comedian, and writer. Garofalo began her career as a stand-up comedian and became a cast member on The Ben Stiller Show, The Larry Sanders Show, and Saturday Night Live, then appeared in more than 50 movies, with leading or major roles in The Truth About Cats and Dogs, Wet Hot American Summer, The Matchmaker, Reality Bites, Steal This Movie!, Clay Pigeons, Sweethearts, Mystery Men, The Minus Man, and The Independent, among numerous others. She has been a series regular on television programs such as Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, 24, and Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce. Garofalo is an outspoken progressive activist. From March 2004 to July 2006, she hosted Air America Radio's The Majority Report with Sam Seder.

Personal life Garofalo married Robert Cohen, who was then a writer for The Ben Stiller Show, in Las Vegas in 1991. She later explained it was intended to be a joke, thinking the marriage was not binding unless it had been filed at a local courthouse. It was discovered later, when Cohen tried to marry someone else, that the marriage was indeed legal. The union was dissolved in 2012.

In Garofalo's 2010 stand-up show, If You Will, she says "I don't have a fear of intimacy, I have sort of a genuine lack of interest", adding jokingly, "which is not good for my boyfriend of ten years".

Garofalo has struggled with alcoholism in her past and has remained sober since 2001

Janeane Garofalo Actress - Born September 28, 1964 in Newton, New Jersey, USA

Birth Name Janeane Marie Garofalo

Height 5' 1" (1.55 m)

Mini Bio (1) Janeane, the petite woman with the acerbic wit, was born in Newton, New Jersey, in 1964, to Joan, a secretary, and Carmine Garofalo, an Exxon executive. She is of Italian and Irish descent. Janeane had many jobs before breaking into show biz. She worked as a bike messenger, a shoe saleswoman, waitress and temp secretary. Watching David Letterman on TV inspired her to write comedy, and by 1985 she was doing stand up comedy. As such, Janeane has become a cult figure, giving a voice to a generation, venting her frustration at T.V., romance, life in general and anything that ticks her off in particular. Janeane did sketches on The Ben Stiller Show (1992) (an Emmy-winning, but canceled show). She would continue to collaborate with Ben Stiller in future projects. Janeane received 2 Emmy nominations for her work on The Larry Sanders Show (1992), developing her signature character: a smart, cynical woman with a razor wit. She was not happy with her Saturday Night Live (1975) stint in 1994, and was vocal about it (of course). Transferring her persona from TV to the big screen, she moved on to movies, basically playing the character she had defined for herself. In Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) she portrayed a smart, cynical, successful businesswomen with a razor wit, and this time with swear words (in the movie she had developed a brand of cigarettes with fast-burning paper, for the gal on the go; in real life it is alleged she smokes Marlboros). Janeane continues to work in TV and movies, often collaborating with Ben Stiller in a number of movies like Mystery Men (1999), his easygoing style being a counterpoint to her caustic nature.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: kdhaisch@aol.com

Spouse (1) Robert Cohen (16 August 1992 - 10 November 2012) ( annulled)

Trade Mark (1) Deadpan cynicism

Was offered the role of Gale Weathers in the movie Scream (1996), but turned it down to do the movie Sweethearts (1997). Courteney Cox then got the role and Scream (1996) which went on to gross more than $100 million, whereas Sweethearts (1997) went straight to video.

Some sources have reported that Garofalo has fifteen tattoos. One, on her arm, reads "think".

Her production company is I Hate Myself Productions.

Of Italian and Irish descent, the daughter of Carmine Garofalo. Garofalo attended Madison High School in Madison, New Jersey but graduated from James E. Taylor High School in Katy, Texas in 1982, after being transferred during her senior year when her family moved. She later studied history at Providence College in Rhode Island.

Garofalo, barely five feet tall, sometimes had to stand on a box just to be in the same frame with 6-foot co-star Uma Thurman in The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996).

Briefly lived in Minnesota at the beginning of her stand-up career.

Admitted in 2003 interviews that she was a recovering alcoholic.

Married boyfriend Robert Cohen in 1992 at a Las Vegas drive-in chapel as a joke. They had gone to Vegas with the rest of the cast of The Ben Stiller Show (1990) and decided to get married along with some of the other crew members. After their relationship ended they never officially got divorced. In November 2012, they finally had their marriage dissolved when Cohen became engaged to Jill Leiderman. Ex-sister-in-law of Joel H. Cohen.

In March 2003, she made an appearance on CNN's Crossfire (1982) to discuss the international situation involving Iraq.

At one point or another, has worked with every member of The Kids in the Hall (1988).

In 1984, she had breast reduction surgery. The surgery reduced her measurement from a 36D cup to a B cup.

Auditioned for the role of Marla Singer in Fight Club (1999).

Guest-starred in two Law & Order (1990) episodes, the first one called "D-Girl" and in a The Sopranos (1999) called "D-Girl". The "D" stands for "development". In the film industry, a D-girl is a low-level executive who considers scripts for further development.

She has referred to Saturday Night Live (1975) as the worst experience in her professional life.

Hosted the 1996 MTV Movie Awards (1996) along with Ben Stiller.

Traveled widely with Margaret Cho on the comedy club circuit. They blamed each other for their bad smoking habits.

Is very good friends with Ben Stiller. Both had short lived tenures on Saturday Night Live (1975), both starred on The Ben Stiller Show (1992), they have collaborated on movies together, and have written and created other comedy shows together. Garofalo has said that she works well with Stiller because they are complete opposite personalities, hers being caustic and political while Stiller is more go with the flow and silly, and they are able to fill in the gaps the other person misses.

Was the original choice to play Monica on Friends (1994), but turned down the role.

The original pitch for Just Shoot Me! (1997) was Garofalo getting stuck in a waiting room with a model with whom she has nothing in common. Garofalo later became the template for Laura San Giacomo's role of Maya Gallo.

Was offered the Dorothy Boyd role in Jerry Maguire (1996) by Cameron Crowe if she could lose weight, but, after trimming down, she learned that Renée Zellweger had won the part instead in what was to become a career-launching smash hit.

In his DVD commentary for Dogma (1999), director Kevin Smith said that, in retrospect, he wished he offered the role of Bethany to Garofalo instead of Linda Fiorentino, whom he found very difficult to work with. Sometimes the two did not even speak. Garofalo appeared in the film in the role of "Liz" at the abortion clinic.

Returning to her roots as a stand-up comedian, appearing at the Gilded Balloon Theatre in August for the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. [August 2009]

A former host of Air America Radio's The Majority Report with Sam Seder (2004) with Sam Seder, Garofalo left in 2006, reportedly due to conflicts with Seder.

A self-described neo-Luddite, she reportedly has no smartphone, computer or email address.

I guess I just prefer to see the dark side of things. The glass is always half-empty. And cracked. And I just cut my lip on it. And chipped a tooth.

"Many people feel that mass acceptance and smooth socialization are desirable life paths for a young adult... Many people are often wrong... Don't bother being nice. Being popular and well liked is not in your best interest. Let me be more clear; if you behave in a manner pleasing to most, then you are probably doing something wrong. The masses have never been arbiters of the sublime, and they often fail to recognize the truly great individual. Taking into account the public's regrettable lack of taste, it is incumbent upon you not to fit in." (From her book "Feel This Book," co-written with Ben Stiller)

After 9/11 disaster from article in Commentary magazine, November 2001: "Who would have thought that I'd be angry on behalf of my country? I'm used to being angry at my country."

The world would be better off with multiple superpowers. When Communist USSR was a superpower, the world was better off.

Our country is founded on a sham: our forefathers were slave-owning rich white guys who wanted it their way. So when I see the American flag, I go, 'Oh my God, you're insulting me.' That you can have a gay parade on Christopher Street in New York, with naked men and women on a float cheering, 'We're here, we're queer!' -- that's what makes my heart swell. Not the flag, but a gay naked man or woman burning the flag. I get choked up with pride.

You know what is good about these The Chicks burnings or bashings? It's a wonderful, wonderful way for really stupid people to hook up. They meet, they throw some things on the fire, they talk about Vin Diesel, they tell stories about who their favorite Fox anchor is, they exchange phone numbers and in some cases has led to marriages.

A lot of the hate mail I get is clearly misogynist. I am a proud liberal, feminist woman, and the hate mail I get about those three things is not about me. It's about those signifers, and about what the right in this country has managed to do to perpetuate anger over what they mean.

We're (women) our own worst enemies a lot of the time, but I still blame men.

I was a 36C or D, and at 5' 1", I knew that being a small person with big boobs standing in front of an audience was not going to be easy. It would be really hard to get people to pay attention to me without mocking me. Getting a breast reduction to prepare for my career was no different from people who work to get good grades to get into a good college to get into a good graduate school to get a good job. I went down to a B cup, and it was the best thing in the whole world.

I have no idea why that film appeals to anyone. I can't stand that film. - on The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996).

(2001, on The MatchMaker (1997)) That was a fantastic experience on a movie that didn't turn out so well, but boy, I loved every second of living in Ireland. I lived in a town called Roundstown, population 250, a little fishing community. That was phenomenal, but the movie was bitterly disappointing. Especially since I told everyone how great it was, because I was confusing the time I'd had with the film. A bunch of friends of mine went to the screening, and I was like, "Oh shit!" It isn't horrible, but it's not particularly anything.

(2007) Dog Park (1998) was a blast. I love Bruce McCulloch. That was a case of the studio taking the cut away from the director, and it went from being a great movie to a shitty movie. Bruce's original cut that I saw was hilarious.

(2007, on filming The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000)) I was only in that for two seconds, and I never saw it. I was thrilled to work opposite Carl Reiner and Robert De Niro. Mr. Reiner was very chatty and delightful, but I learned that if you want Robert De Niro to like you, don't speak at all, and he'll be friendly to you. If you're chatty and ask him dumb questions that he's been asked a million times, he'll be quiet. If you're quiet too, he'll be conversant with you. We'd done Cop Land (1997) together, and because I was quiet on both sets, I think he felt comfortable being nice to me.

(2007, on filming Mystery Men (1999)) It was very long hours and very little got accomplished. It was one of those alleged blockbusters that was overbudgeted and overhyped. It went from being a great script when it was sent to me, to being-in my opinion-a fairly mediocre non-event. But it was nice to get paid that much to sit around. I have no idea what they were trying to do (with the film), but they sure didn't accomplish it.

(2007, on Wet Hot American Summer (2001)) That was the best time I ever had doing a project, and also the drunkest. I fell down a lot, due to the wet terrain and the heavy drinking.

(2007, on The Ben Stiller Show (1992)) I remember every single thing about that, and miss that year of my life terribly, because everything was so new and exciting. The only downside was that it was such a good experience in television, and I didn't understand that most experiences in television are not like that. That show and Larry Sanders completely spoiled me. It was the opposite of baptism by fire. It was baptism by sweet, creamy chocolate. Then I went on to do other TV that fucking sucked, and I didn't understand why the environment outside of Stiller and Sanders was so shitty. Again, I don't think I help myself by pointing out how not fun most of my TV gigs were.

(2007, on Reality Bites (1994)) That was my first experience with a studio film. I didn't understand what was going to happen, or why the hours were so long. I know Ben [Stiller] was not thrilled with me there. He also didn't like my attitude during rehearsal, because I hate to rehearse. He sort of fired me, but luckily I was rehired because Winona [Ryder] stepped in on my behalf. Let's put it this way: I don't have a good work ethic. I have a real casual relationship with hours. I don't understand why, in entertainment, the hours are as long as they are. It seems like everything takes forever, and no one can tell you why exactly. You don't know where the time goes, and I find that it's not the most productive use of my time. I tend to make that clear, and people don't like that too much...(The film)is not really my cup of tea-it never was-but I live near NYU, and there are young people I meet every year who go nuts over that when they recognize me, and rave about Reality Bites (1994). I think it means a lot more to people younger than me. I was not the target audience. I was 29 playing a 21-year-old, so I don't think I understand why younger people like it.

(2007, on NewsRadio (1995)) I think I failed miserably on NewsRadio (1995). I was very nervous because of the calibre of the cast-especially Dave Foley-so I think I did a terrible job. I got it because of [creator] Paul Simms, who was one of the head writers on Larry Sanders. It's one of those things where once you're connected, you get to stay connected for a few years. Once you're not connected, you just don't get asked to do anything. I don't say that bitterly, because I'm truly grateful for the opportunities I did have, but it's strange how quick it comes and how quickly it can end sometimes.

(2007, on her career in film) I don't think Hollywood was trying to do anything with me. In fact, they lost interest pretty quick. I think I got lucky, briefly, in the '90s, and it just so happened that those movies were the opportunities that came my way. Then it just kind of stopped. You get pigeonholed if you don't look a certain way. I don't know what happened, really. I think I got older and drank too much. Then I got sober and worked at Air America for two years. Now I don't know what's gonna happen next.

I don't know that there's many people who really do know me that much anymore. I think for a brief time during the Team America: World Police (2004) era, when that movie came out, I guess I was known more for it, because they made a puppet of me and blew its head off. That's the most famous I've ever been, by the way; that I would be in the company of George Clooney's puppet. They gave me far too much credit, celebrity-wise. I was a bit flattered by that.

We can laugh at Donald Trump. But when prideful ignorance and homophobia and misogyny and xenophobia become accepted political rhetoric, that's not funny to me.