Mary Lynn Rajskub (sometimes credited as
Marylynn Rajskub) () (born
June 22 1971) is an
American actress,
artist and
stand-up comedian of
Czech and
Irish descent.
Career
Rajskub's most notable role is
CTU tech analyst
Chloe O'Brian on
24, which she joined in 2003 at the start of the show's third season. Her character was a hit with viewers and critics and was one of the few cast members to return in the show's fourth season. After being a regular guest star for two seasons, Rajskub became a main cast member in the show's fifth season. She is now lead female, with top billing second only to
Kiefer Sutherland. Rajskub and Sutherland appeared briefly as their
24 characters in a 2007 episode, "
24 Minutes", of the FOX TV animated series
The Simpsons.
She became one of the original cast members of
Mr. Show, and also had roles on
The Larry Sanders Show,
Home Movies,
Veronica's Closet, the US version of
The Sketch Show,
NewsRadio, and
24.
She appeared in
Kelsey Grammer's
The Sketch Show on
Fox Television,
King of Queens as a character named "Priscilla", a waitress at a pirate-themed kiddie restaurant in an episode of
Newsradio ("The Secret of Management"), and in numerous films including
Mysterious Skin,
Legally Blonde 2,
Sweet Home Alabama,
Dude, Where's My Car?,
Man on the Moon,
Punch-Drunk Love,
The Anniversary Party,
Firewall,
Little Miss Sunshine, music videos for
Beck and
Weezer, as well as portraying a blind girl in the film
Road Trip.
She is also a skilled
guitar player and was part of a comic duo (with
Karen Kilgariff) called Girls Guitar Club. In 2006, she made a cameo appearance in "Partings", the
6th season finale of
Gilmore Girls, where she played a
troubadour looking for her big break. (Rajskub had previously appeared on
Gilmore Girls as the female lead in
A Film by Kirk, a
short film made by the character
Kirk Gleason).
Rajskub has volunteered as an actress with the
Young Storytellers Program. She has an educational background as a painter, having attended the
San Francisco Art Institute.
She has been nominated twice for a
Screen Actors Guild Award; once in 2005, and again in 2007 for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
Personal life
Born and raised in
Trenton, Michigan, Rajskub later moved to
Los Angeles where she worked as a waitress in a
Hard Rock Cafe and as a ticket-taker at the Beverly Center movie theater before becoming an actress.
Her son, Valentine Anthony, was born on July 24, 2008, two weeks past Mary Lynn's due date weighing 9 pounds, 5 ounces.
Rajskub dated the renowned music producer
Jon Brion for 5 years until they broke up in the fall of 2002. During her time on
Mr. Show, she was also dating
David Cross, leaving the show when they broke up after after the second season.
Selected filmography
