Jane Kaczmarek already had a long and fruitful acting career comprised of roles on stage and screen, but it was her role as harried mother Lois on the hit Fox sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle” that finally placed her firmly in the spotlight two decades after her initial foray into television. An attractive and versatile dark-haired player who routinely turned in noteworthy performances, Kaczmarek had about her an air of determined self-possession that she molded around her characters, so that her regal socialites rang as true as her underprivileged scrappers. One result of this was exceptionally realistic portrayals; another was that she was frequently cast as older and more accomplished or embittered women. Kaczmarek grew up in Wisconsin and followed her acting dreams despite her traditional upbringing and initial, more practical plans to be a schoolteacher. She studied at the University of Wisconsin, Madison where she performed in school productions and became acquainted with fellow acting hopeful Tony Shalhoub, who encouraged the young woman to follow his lead to Yale’s School of Drama. There she further honed her skills, and racked up Yale Repertory credits.
