Jane Lynch became known in Christopher Guest's mockumentary films such as
Best In Show but
she found international fame as Sue Sylvester, the mean cheerleading coach in the musical TV show Glee. Born in Illinois, Jane studied theatre at Cornell University and later became one of only two women to join the acclaimed comedy troupe The Second City which has been home to comedy greats such as Bill Murray, Joan Rivers, and Amy Poehler.
Here
she honed her comical and improvisational skills, and by the late 1980s began to star in films such as
Vice Versa and
The Fugitive with Harrison Ford.
TOP 10 WOMEN IN COMEDY After a supporting role in Judd Apatow's The 40-Year-Old Virgin, she began to get noticed more and soon found herself starring comedies including
Talledega Nights, Role Models, and
Wreck-It Ralph.
In 2009 Jane was cast as a cast member of a new TV show called
Glee. Her third time on TV playing a sports coach, Jane won rave reviews and
in 2012 won her first Emmy award for Outstanding Supporting Actress. She was also nominated in 2011 and 2013.
Openly gay, Jane married her partner in 2010 but the couple divorced in 2013.
In 2011 Jane released her memoirs which revealed that she had battled alcoholism and detailed her successes in battling the addiction. In 2012, Lynch was featured with Martin Sheen, Jamie Lee Curtis, her
Glee co-star
Chris Colfer and
Brad Pitt in a performance of Dustin Lance Black's play,
8.