Mary Lynn Rajskub

Mary Lynn Rajskub (pronounced /ˈraɪskʌb/; born June 22, 1971), sometimes credited as Marylynn Rajskub, is an American actress and artist, best known for her leading role as Chloe O`Brian on the Fox action-thriller 24. She became one of the original cast members of Mr. Show, and also had roles on The Larry Sanders Show, Home Movies, Veronica`s Closet, the US version of The Sketch Show, NewsRadio, and 24. She appeared in Kelsey Grammer`s The Sketch Show on Fox Television, King of Queens as a character named "Priscilla", a waitress at a pirate-themed kiddie restaurant in an episode of Newsradio ("The Secret of Management"), and in numerous films including Mysterious Skin, Legally Blonde 2, Sweet Home Alabama, Dude, Where`s My Car?, Man on the Moon, Punch-Drunk Love, The Anniversary Party, Firewall, Little Miss Sunshine, music videos for Beck and Weezer, as well as portraying a blind girl in the film Road Trip.

Rajskub was born and raised in Trenton, Michigan to a pipefitter father and a mother who worked as a pharmacist`s assistant. She is of Czech and Irish descent.[citation needed] Rajskub moved to Los Angeles where she worked as a waitress in a Hard Rock Cafe and as a ticket-taker at the Beverly Center movie theater before becoming an actress. Rajskub dated the renowned music producer Jon Brion for 5 years until they broke up in the fall of 2002. During her time on Mr. Show, she also dated David Cross, leaving the show when they broke up after the end of the second season. Her son, Valentine Anthony, was born on July 24, 2008, two weeks past Mary Lynn`s due date weighing 9 pounds, 5 ounces. She is currently with her boyfriend, a personal trainer, Matthew Rolph.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Lynn_Rajskub

Mary Lynn Rajskub Actress | Soundtrack | Writer - Date of Birth 22 June 1971, Detroit, Michigan, USA

Nickname Mare

Height 5' 6" (1.68 m)

Mini Bio (1) Mary Lynn Rajskub is an American actress, comedienne and singer who is best known as a co-star of Kiefer Sutherland on the popular television series 24 (2001).

She was born on June 22, 1971, in Detroit, Michigan, into a family of Irish, Czech, and Polish ancestry. She was brought up in Trenton, Michigan. In 1989 she graduated from Trenton High School, then attended Detroit's College for Creative Studies, majoring in painting, before she transferred to the San Francisco Art Institute, graduating as a painter. She also studied music and acting, and for a few years she performed as a stand-up comedian at various clubs and restaurants. In 1995, Rajskub made her debut on television, she was cast by David Cross as one of the original cast members of Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995). After her split from Cross, she left the show during its second season, and briefly took a job as a coffee brewer at Seattle's Best Coffee. In 1999 she joined the cast of 'Veronica's Closet' TV series, as Cloe, appearing in 15 episodes of the show.

As a skilled guitar player, Rajskub has been part of the comic duo called 'Girls Guitar Club' and appeared on the NBC's 'Late Friday' TV show. In the 2000s she has ventured into more dramatic roles, most notably her role as analyst Chloe O'Brian opposite Kiefer Sutherland on the popular TV series 24 (2001). She joined the show in 2003 at the beginning of the show's third season, then returned in the show's fourth season as a recurring cast member. Her character has been a hit with viewers and critics. Rajskub became a main cast member in the show's fifth season, then replaced Kim Raver as a female lead, with top billing second only to Kiefer Sutherland in the season of 2006 - 2007, until her character was arrested and skipped a few episodes in 2007.

While she has been mainly a television star, Rajskub also played bit parts on the big screen in Magnolia (1999), Man on the Moon (1999), Road Trip (2000), among her other works. She offered mesmerizing performances in Mysterious Skin (2004), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), and in Punch-Drunk Love (2002), then played a few more visible roles such as Janet Stone in Firewall (2006), opposite Harrison Ford, and as Pam in Little Miss Sunshine (2006). In 2006 Harrison Ford presented Rajskub with the Female Breakthrough Award for her "high concept comedic stage productions, as well as her TV and film acting skills." She was also nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Awards two times, in 2005, and in 2007.

Besides her work in film and on television, Mary Lynn Rajskub has been performing locally in Hollywood with her Girls Guitar Club show. Outside of her acting profession she is fond of art and is known as a regular visitor of LA's best museums, she also has been writing, painting and exhibiting her works at art shows and art auctions.

Mary Lynn Rajskub is currently residing in Los Angeles, California.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Steve Shelokhonov

Spouse (1) Matthew Rolph (1 August 2009 - present) (1 child)

Trade Mark (1) Deadpan face and comedic delivery

Part of the Girls Guitar Club comic duo, with Karen Kilgariff.

Formerly lived with composer/musician Jon Brion.

Thanked in the liner notes of Fiona Apple's 1999 CD "When the Pawn..."

Has played two different characters named "Chloe": on Veronica's Closet (1997) and on 24 (2001).

Her last name is pronounced "Rice-Cub."

Is a stand-up comedian, and performs at comedy clubs around L.A.

1989 Graduate of Trenton High School, Trenton, Michigan.

Attended Detroit's College for Creative Studies, majoring in painting, before she transferred to the San Francisco Art Insitute.

Is an avid and prolific painter.

Owns a poodle named Claire.

Is of Czech and Irish origin.

Named her cockapoo "Emmy" after 24 (2001) won the award.

Is currently performing a one woman show called "Complications of Purchasing a Poodle Pillow.".

24 (2001) co-creator and producer Joel Surnow created the role of Chloe for Mary Lynn after he saw her performance in Punch-Drunk Love (2002).

Wrote and starred in a short film called "The Hitman.".

She auditioned for the part of Pam in The Office (2005). The part was later given to Jenna Fischer.

When the producers rebooted 24 (2001) after Day 3, she and Kiefer Sutherland were the only cast members to return as regulars in Day 4. Carlos Bernard, Reiko Aylesworth, and Dennis Haysbert returned during Day 4 as guest stars.

She is thanked in the liner notes of Nina Gordon's 2000 CD "Tonight and the Rest of My Life".

Mary Lynn and her boyfriend, Matthew Rolph, became the parents of a boy, Valentine Anthony Rolph, on July 24, 2008. Val weighed in at 9 lbs. 5 oz.

Though originally hired for only four installments of 24 (2001), her character Chloe ultimately spent six years on the series during which Rajskub married and had her first child.

I have to paint at least two times a week, and there's not enough time in the day to do everything. - on art and acting

I'm not married and I don't think that's going to work out for me. I'm not even bitter, I'm just exhausted. - on marriage and relationships

I think that the choice is clear, Oprah Winfrey. You can see a lot of similarities. We're both geniuses, we're both incredibly wealthy, and we've both started schools in Africa (On who would play herself in a movie on her life).

I like America. I think it's pretty cool. I got into acting to avoid politics of any sort so I could remain in a fantasy world.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0707476/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

Mary Lynn Rajskub With a quiet exterior and a unique array of facial expressions that hint at something hilarious simmering beneath the surface, actress/comedian Mary Lynn Rajskub, born June 22nd, 1971, has come a long way since joining the cast of Mr. Show back in 1995. A Detroit native whose entry into the comedy scene wasn't entirely intentional, the former performance artist decided to try her hand at humor when a non-comedic performance at the San Francisco Art Institute elicited unexpected laughs from the audience. Subsequently realizing the absurdity inherent in overly serious performance art, Rajskub soon adjusted her act to become a parody of performance art. The unique take on live comedy quickly caught on with audiences, and shortly thereafter, Rajskub was approached by Bob Odenkirk and David Cross and asked to join the cast of their upcoming HBO stream-of-consciousness comedy series Mr. Show. A somewhat bitter falling out with series co-creator Cross found Rajskub departing from the series after a year to take a job at Seattle's Best Coffee, but her career as a caffeine dealer would quickly come to an end when Garry Shandling caught wind of her act.

Subsequently cast as the enthusiastic but somewhat awkward talent booker on The Larry Sanders Show, Rajskub also began to branch out into feature territory with supporting roles in such films as Bury Me in Kern County and the mockumentary The Thin Pink Line (both 1998). Blink-and-you'll-miss-her roles in such high-profile releases as Man on the Moon and Road Trip were quick to follow, with a small but memorable turn as a bubble-wrapped cult member in Dude, Where's My Car? preceding yet another fleeting appearance in the "Fiction" segment of director Todd Solondz's Storytelling. By this point, Rajskub had expanded her presence on television with a recurring role in Veronica's Closet, and after appearing with Girls Guitar Club bandmate Karen Kilgariff in the independent drama The Anniversary Party, she made a move back to the small screen with the ill-fated sketch comedy series The Downer Channel. If that series didn't last long, Rajskub didn't need to worry since appearances in such features as Punch-Drunk Love, Sweet Home Alabama, and Legally Blonde 2 found her slowly drifting toward more substantial roles on the silver screen. After becoming a frequent player in the 2003-2004 season of the wildly popular television series 24, Rajskub took an ominous turn with her role as Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme in the 2004 made-for-television remake Helter Skelter.

In 2006 she took on supporting roles in the Academy Award winning comedy drama Little Miss Sunshine, and director Christine Jeffs slice-of-life comedy drama Sunshine Cleaning. The continued to deliver solid supporting performances in 2008's Julie & Julia, and 2011's Safety Not Guaranteed.

Biography by Jason Buchanan [-]

http://www.allmovie.com/artist/mary-lynn-rajskub-p264343