Jayne Atkinson

Jayne Atkinson is an American actress with a long and successful career on stage, television, and film. Born on February 18, 1959, in Binghamton, New York, Atkinson grew up in a family of educators and studied at Northwestern University, where she earned a degree in communications. She then went on to study acting at the Yale School of Drama, where she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree.

Atkinson began her professional acting career in the theater, making her Broadway debut in the 1985 production of "All My Sons" opposite Richard Kiley and Michael Learned. She continued to work on Broadway throughout the 1980s and 1990s, appearing in productions such as "The Art of Success" (1989), "Ivanov" (1997), and "Enchanted April" (2003), for which she earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play.
In addition to her work on stage, Atkinson has also had a successful career in television and film. She made her film debut in the 1987 movie "Satisfaction" and went on to appear in films such as "Free Willy" (1993), "The Village" (2004), and "Syriana" (2005). On television, she has appeared in numerous shows, including "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "24," "Criminal Minds," and "House of Cards," for which she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
Despite her success in film and television, Atkinson has remained committed to the theater throughout her career. In 2005, she starred in the Broadway production of "The Rainmaker" opposite Woody Harrelson, and in 2010, she appeared in the Broadway revival of "The Miracle Worker" as Kate Keller, for which she received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play.
Most recently, Atkinson has been seen on television in the Netflix series "House of Cards," where she played the role of Secretary of State Catherine Durant from 2013 to 2018. She also appeared in the 2019 film "Blow the Man Down" and the television series "Madam Secretary."

In addition to her work as an actress, Atkinson is also a dedicated teacher and mentor. She has taught acting at the Yale School of Drama, the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, and the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University. She has also served as a mentor to young actors through the Sundance Institute's Theatre Lab and the Ojai Playwrights Conference.