Jan Maxwell

Jan Maxwell
Maxwell in 2010
Born
Janice Elaine Maxwell[1]

(1956-11-20)November 20, 1956
DiedFebruary 11, 2018(2018-02-11) (aged 61)
Alma materMoorhead State University
OccupationActress
Years active1989–2017
SpouseRobert Emmet Lunney
AwardsDrama Desk Award (2005, 2010)

Janice Elaine Maxwell (November 20, 1956 – February 11, 2018) was an American stage and television actress. She was a five-time Tony Award nominee and two-time Drama Desk Award winner. In a career spanning over thirty years, Maxwell was one of the most celebrated and critically acclaimed stage actresses of her time.

Maxwell made her Broadway debut in 1989, as an understudy in the musical City of Angels. She received her first Tony nomination in 2005 for the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Her other nominations were for Coram Boy in 2007, Lend Me a Tenor and The Royal Family both in 2010, and Follies in 2012.

Her nominations in two separate Tony Award categories in 2010, made her only the fourth actress to achieve two nominations in a single year. Her 2012 nomination for Follies made her only the second actress to receive a Tony nomination in all four acting categories. Her other Broadway credits include Dancing at Lughnasa (1992), A Doll's House (1997), The Sound of Music (1998) and The Dinner Party (2001).

Maxwell appeared in films and television shows such as I Am Michael with James Franco, Neil LaBute's Billy and Billie (2014–15), The Divide (2014), The Good Wife (2014), and Gossip Girl (2009–2011). From 1994-2003, she appeared in four episodes of the NBC drama Law & Order, each time as a different character. She also appeared in season 3 of Madam Secretary in 2016.

  1. ^ Gates, Anita (February 12, 2018). "Jan Maxwell, Celebrated Stage Actress, Is Dead at 61". The New York Times.