Mary Lynn Rajskub

Actress

Birthday June 22, 1971

Birth Sign Cancer

Birthplace Detroit, Michigan, U.S.

Age 52 years old

Nationality United States

Height 1.68 m

#9298 Most Popular

1971

Mary Lynn Rajskub (born June 22, 1971) is an American actress and comedian who is best known for portraying Chloe O'Brian in the action thriller series 24 and Gail the Snail in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Rajskub was a regular cast member on HBO's Mr. Show with Bob and David, appeared in The Larry Sanders Show, Brooklyn Nine Nine, and Veronica's Closet, and such films as Dude, Where's My Car?, Firewall, Sweet Home Alabama, Punch-Drunk Love, Mysterious Skin, Little Miss Sunshine, Sunshine Cleaning, Safety Not Guaranteed, and The Kings of Summer, among others.

Rajskub was raised in Trenton, Michigan, having moved there from Detroit.

Along with two older sisters, she is the daughter of Betty and Tony Rajskub, a pharmacist's assistant and a pipefitter respectively.

One of her childhood inspirations was the television series Moonlighting.

Rajskub attended the Center for Creative Studies and later the San Francisco Art Institute.

During the early nineties, she often performed at various open mics in San Francisco.

She later moved to Los Angeles working as a waitress in a Hard Rock Cafe.

Rajskub's first part was as an Oompa-Loompa in a community theater production of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and her first starring role was Raggedy Ann.

1996

In 1996 she appeared in music videos for the songs "The Good Life" by Weezer and "The New Pollution" by Beck.

Rajskub was one of the original cast members of Mr. Show with Bob and David.

From 1996–1998, she had a recurring role on the HBO series The Larry Sanders Show as booking assistant Mary Lou Collins, appearing in 18 episodes.

She would later have a recurring, semi-regular role on the short-lived but hit 90's sitcom Veronica's Closet, playing Chloe in 15 episodes.

2003

Her most notable role is CTU systems 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.

By the end of the series, she was the lead female, with top billing second only to Kiefer Sutherland.

Her character also had the honor of saying the final words of the series in the season 8 series finale.

2005

Rajskub 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.

She guest-starred on Flight of the Conchords episode "Prime Minister" as Karen, an Art Garfunkel fanatic.

She guest-starred as "Gail the Snail" in an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia titled "The Gang Gives Frank an Intervention", and reprised the role in the ninth-season finale, "The Gang Squashes Their Beefs," and season thirteen's "The Gang Beats Boggs: Ladies Reboot."

2006

In 2006, she made a cameo appearance in "Partings", the 6th season finale of Gilmore Girls, where she played a trobairitz 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.) She 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.

2007

Rajskub and Sutherland appeared briefly as their 24 characters in a 2007 episode, "24 Minutes", of the Fox animated series The Simpsons.

2009

In 2009, she also appeared in the film Julie & Julia as Sarah, one of Julie Powell's close friends.

2010

In 2010, Rajskub performed stand-up on John Oliver's New York Stand Up Show.

In June 2010, she appeared in the "Lovesick" episode during the second season of the USA series Royal Pains.

From July through October 2010, she performed in her solo show, Mary Lynn Spreads Her Legs, at the Steve Allen Theater in Los Angeles.

Reviewer F. Kathleen Foley of the Los Angeles Times wrote "that cheerfully vulgar title sums up the overall tone, which is often breezily obscene".

The show, written by Rajskub with help from director/developer Amit Itelman, was inspired by Rajskub's experiences with pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood.

2011

In January 2011, Rajskub guest-starred in the episode "Our Children, Ourselves" on the second season of ABC's Modern Family.

In the fall of 2011, Rajskub appeared in the short-lived sitcom How to Be a Gentleman. Also in 2011, Rajskub's web series, Dicki, began airing on My Damn Channel.

Dicki is based on a number of people that Rajskub grew up with in and around Michigan.

The title character is a 40-year-old woman who lives at home with her parents, makes crafts, and takes her art seriously.

Dicki has been one of My Damn Channel's most successful web series to date.

The first season concluded in November 2011, but a second season is currently in development.

2013

In August 2013, it was announced that she would reprise her Chloe O'Brian role in the 2014 limited series 24: Live Another Day.

Rajskub appeared in Kelsey Grammer's The Sketch Show on Fox Television, The King of Queens as a character named Priscilla, 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, Weezer and Sheryl Crow, as well as portraying a blind woman in the film Road Trip.

Rajskub was part of a comic duo (with Karen Kilgariff) called Girls Guitar Club.