On "Ally", she's the nosy & gossipy assistant Elaine Vassal you can't help but love for everything - from quirky inventions (among them the face bra, remote-control flusher/seat warmer, multi-coloured condoms, ice goggles & cool cups) to the "Snappish" comments she makes to her wonderful interactions with various characters through which we find out an endless amount of information.
But back to reality for a second - Jane Krakowski (born Krajkowski; the "j" was dropped to make it pronouncable) was born in 1969 in Parsippany, New Jersey. As a kid, she danced and was very into art; From age 3 she'd accompany her parents to NYC every weekend to see every show & every play, and soon fell hopelessly in love with theatre. Casting directors saw she had a flare for the stage and real talent - which got her countless parts, including a small role in the 1983 hit "National Lampoon's Vacation", starring Chevy Chase, along with several gigs on soaps (one of which got her TWO Daytime Emmy noms!) and off-Broadway roles. At 18 came her big break - she landed a role on the Broadway production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "The Starlight Express". By 1990, she had several theatre credits under her belt and was working on more - including "Grand Hotel" & "Stepping Out". At the time she worked closely with (surprise!) both Calista Flockhart and Gil Bellows, and later on during the 1990s they would frequently meet on the NY stage. Another interesting bit - Jane's best friend roomed with Calista at Rutgers... awesome, huh?:)
In 1997, both Jane & Calista went to the "Ally" call, and beat the pre-audition jitters by hanging out together & wishing each other luck the morning of the audition. Both got the parts they wanted, and both parts turned out to be a great success.
Currently, Jane lives in LA and is working on upcoming films, and still making time to star in theatre productions as well.

~Jane Krakowski: Selected Credits~
FILM:
Viva Rock Vegas (2000) - Betty Rubble
Go (1999) - Irene
Dance with Me (1998) - Patricia
Hudson River Blues (1997)
Mrs. Winterbourne (1996) - Christine
Stepping Out (1991) - Lynne
Fatal Attraction (1987)
No Big Deal (1983)
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), Cousin Vicki

TV:
Ally McBeal (1997-?) - Elaine Vassal
Ally (1999) - Elaine Vassal
Due South (1996) - Katherine Burns (guest star)
Queen (1993) - tv miniseries - Jane
Women & Men 2: In Love There Are No Rules (1991) - Melba
When We Were Young (1989) - Linda
Serach for Tomorrow (1984 - 1986) - Rebecca TR Kendall

THEATRE:
Once Upon a Mattress (1996-97) - Broadway - Lady Larkin
Company (1995) - Br. - April
Stepping Out (1991) - Br. - ?
Grand Hotel (1990) - Br. - Flaemchen
Starlight Express (1987-89) - Br. - Dinah



See bios: Calista Flockhart -- Gil Bellows -- Courtney Thorne-Smith -- Peter MacNicol -- Portia de Rossi -- Lucy Liu -- Greg Germann -- Lisa Nicole Carson -- Jane Krakowski -- Vonda Shepard