Jean Smart won the Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series on Monday, September 14, for the fifth and final season of “Hacks”. She received the award for her portrayal of Deborah Vance for the fifth consecutive time, one award for each season of the series, which premiered in 2021.
Eight Emmys and the “Hacks” journey
The character combines a determination to hold on to the status she built in a male-dominated field with a need to adapt to changes in the profession. Vance’s journey intersects with that of young writer Ava Daniels, played by Hannah Einbinder, turning their professional relationship into a clash between two generations. The role parallels Smart’s own career, taking her from a veteran actress with a long-standing presence to the star of an entire series at an age when the roles available to women in Hollywood typically become fewer.
Jean Elizabeth Smart, American actress, born in 1951 in Seattle
American actress
- 1951
Born in Seattle
Jean Elizabeth Smart was born in Seattle in 1951 and studied theater at the University of Washington, graduating in 1974. She began working on Seattle stages and at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival before moving to New York and Los Angeles. Despite periods of professional instability, she continued to rely solely on acting.
- 1986
Breakthrough with “Designing Women”
Her first major public breakthrough came in 1986, when she played Charlene Frazier on the comedy series “Designing Women”. She was reluctant to commit to a long-running television production after her theater experience, but stayed on the series for five seasons before trying to break away from the mold associated with the character. Smart later moved between comedy, drama, theater, film and television.
- 2015
Dramatic role in “Fargo”
A limited appearance on “Frasier” earned her two Emmys for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series. She then played Martha Logan on “24” and returned to comedy in “Samantha Who?”, winning another Emmy. In 2015, she played Floyd Gerhardt in “Fargo”, the head of a crime family.
- 2021
Accepting the role of Deborah
She was offered the role of Deborah Vance in 2021, but hesitated because she was not part of the stand-up comedy world and feared she would not convince audiences that the character had decades of stage experience. The launch of “Hacks” coincided with the sudden death of her husband, actor Richard Gilliland, in March 2021, after more than three decades of marriage.
Dramatic roles that reshaped her career
Despite the acclaim she received, Smart said offers stopped for a time after the role, linking it to her age at a point when the performance had demonstrated her ability to play different dramatic characters. She later returned in projects including “Legion”, “Watchmen” and “Mare of Easttown”, continuing to move away from her early comedic image.
“Mare of Easttown” began airing weeks later, followed by “Hacks”. Smart was confronting the loss of her life partner while undergoing the biggest professional transition of her career and continuing to raise their two sons.
That period was described as the “Jane renaissance”, although Smart had never stopped working since beginning her career in the 1970s. The fundamental change was the greater space the industry gave her, culminating in her starring role in “Hacks” and winning an Emmy for each of its five seasons.
