Jane Krakowski was born on October 11, 1968, in Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey. She grew up surrounded by the performing arts — her mother was a college theater instructor, and her father a chemical engineer who also performed. As a result, her passion for performance was shaped from childhood, having begun ballet classes at age 4. She went on to study at the Professional Children’s School in New York City and the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.

Krakowski launched her career as a teenager, landing her first major film role in National Lampoon’s Vacation and later featured on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow. She broke into the mainstream with her role as Elaine Vassal in Fox’s Ally McBeal, then cemented her TV legacy as Jenna Maroney on NBC’s 30 Rock.

Beyond television, Krakowski is a celebrated stage performer. She won a Tony Award for her role in the Broadway revival of Nine and a Laurence Olivier Award for Guys and Dolls in London’s West End. Since 2021, she has been the host of Fox’s hit game show revival Name That Tune.