Kristen Johnston Biography

Fast Facts

• Father is a former state legislator from Wisconsin
• Began a lucrative stage career with the Atlantic Theater Company, which was founded by David Mamet, after obtaining her degree in drama from New York University, landing noteworthy roles in various productions, including Overruled, As You Like It, Girl's Talk and Portrait of a Woman
• Feature film debut was in 1993's The Debt, which won Best Short at the Cannes Film Festival that year
• Breakout stage role was as a surly, drunken New Yorker in a Lincoln Center production of The Lights, which marked a turning point in her career, as a Carsey-Werner casting agent saw her and recommended for the role of Sally Solomon on 3rd Rock from the Sun
• Auditioned for the role of Sally several times in 1996 before eventually landing the part that would garner her three consecutive Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, as well as two wins, in 1997 and 1999
• Appeared on the cover of rock group Bad Religion's 1998 album No Substance
• Began teaching acting at NYU in 2009
• Released her memoir, Guts: The Endless Follies and Tiny Triumphs of a Giant Disaster in 2012; it revealed her battles with addiction and her recovery