Janeane Garofalo is an American comedienne and actress. She became well known during the nineties for a series of appearances in films such as "The Truth About Cats and Dogs", "Reality Bites", "Bye Bye Love" and "Now & Then". She is also known for her conversational stand up comedy style, and since the turn of the millennium she has become more politically active for Liberal causes.
Janeane Garofalo was born in Newton, New Jersey in the year 1964. Her birthday is the twenty eighth of September. After attending Providence College and graduating with a major in history and American studies, Janeane Garofalo was named the "Funniest Person in Rhode Island" in a Showtime comedy contest and pursued a stand up comedy career. Her first television appearance was in 1992 on the critically acclaimed but short lived "Ben Stiller Show" (a show that also helped to launch the careers of Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, who would go on to write and star in the popular sketch comedy program "Mr. Show"). Janeane Garofalo was a member of the Saturday Night Live cast for six months during the 1994-1995 season, but left because of reported sexism and terrible material. Her film career also reached its peak during the mid nineties, on the strength of films like "The Truth About Cats and Dogs" (which she has since said she dislikes) and "Reality Bites". She has had small character roles in many movies, including "Dogma", "The Cable Guy" and "Mystery Men".
As of early 2007 Janeane Garofalo continues to appear in movies, with recent roles such as "Ratatouille" and "Wonderland". She is also co-host of "The Majority Report", a liberal talk show on Air America Radio and has made frequent appearances since the turn of the millennium in support of Democratic candidates and antiwar demonstrations.