Rounding out her Awards Season on a high the likes of a perfect Triple Axel, Allison Janney has won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance of LaVona Harding in “I, Tonya.” Janney is a first-time nominee and helms a career with over 100 credits. A large presence in film and television, she has been nominated for over ten Emmy Awards, and won seven. Janney is an alum of critically acclaimed shows and films such as “The Help,” “The West Wing,” and “Juno,” to name a few. Janney’s career spans nearly thirty years and has worked with many of her fellow nominees including Sam Rockwell, Octavia Spencer, and Meryl Streep.
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Prior to becoming an actor, Janney trained, somewhat ironically, until she was 17 years old to be a figure skater. Following an accident that injured her leg, she shifted her focus to later become an actor, and it has surely paid off as seen by her extensive screen credits and this years’ performance. For many of her scenes in “I, Tonya,” Janney had to become accustomed to a bird resting on her shoulder for so many of her scenes. For her performance, she portrayed LaVona Harding over a 20 year period.
As with her previous acceptance speeches, Janney thanked her good friend, and writer of “I, Tonya,” Steven Rogers. Rogers wrote the role of LaVona with Janney specifically in mind for the part. In a category of strong performances from fellow nominees Laurie Metcalf, Mary J. Blige, Lesley Manville, and Octavia Spencer, Janney has swept awards seasons with critically acclaimed performance. She has won major awards for her performance including her first Film Independent Spirit Award. For “I, Tonya,” she has also won a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, BAFTA, and Critics Choice Award.
