Television Janes Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jane Lynch

Jane Lynch had a storied career before she landed the part as a cheerleading squad coach who antagonized the school's glee club in "Glee." Lynch grew up in Illinois and was part of the Second City improv troupe. She had memorable roles on films such as "The Fugitive" (1993) and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" (2005) and in television shows including "Arrested Development" and "Criminal Minds." She has also frequently worked with director Christopher Guests on his rockumentary-style movies. "Glee" ran on the Fox network from 2009 to 2015.

Answer: Jane Russell

Jane Russell guest-starred on "Death Valley Days" and other television shows after a great career in film. Her beauty garnered great attention when she appeared in "The Outlaw" in 1943. She starred in a few film noirs, then took on the role of Dorothy Shaw in the popular film "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953) with Marilyn Monroe.

Answer: Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda was famous for many reasons before she took on a starring role in "Grace and Frankie." Born into a famous family, she started on the stage, then moved to movies; she earned her first Oscar for playing a prostitute in Klute (1971), then took on more comedic roles.

She became famous for her political activism in the 1960s, and then again in the 1980s for exercise videos. She earned multiple nominations for her portrayal of Grace on Netflix's "Grace and Frankie" with Lily Tomlin.

Answer: Jane Kaczmarek

Before landing the role of a hotheaded mother in "Malcolm in the Middle" in 2000, Wisconsin native Jane Kaczmarek worked steadily with guest roles on such shows as "St. Elsewhere," "Scarecrow and Mrs. King," "L.A. Law," and "Cybil." She earned multiple nominations and awards as Lois on the sitcom "Malcom in the Middle," which also starred Bryan Cranston.

Answer: Jane Curtin

Before co-starring on the CBS sitcom "Kate & Allie," Jane Curtin had already become famous as one of the original cast members of "Saturday Night Live" where she originated several characters and anchored the "Weekend Update" news segment. She starred with Susan St. James as two single mothers in "Kate & Allie;" Curtin earned two Emmy awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in that show.

Answer: Jane Pauley

Jane Pauley studied forensic debate in high school, which she credits for helping her work her way up the career ladder in journalism. She began co-hosting on NBC's morning news program, "Today," from 1976 to 1989, first with Tom Brokaw and then with Bryant Gumbel.

She was popular with news colleagues as well as fans, who protested her replacement by Deborah Norville. She continued as a correspondent on several news shows over the years, and in 2016, she took on the host role on CBS Sunday Morning.

Answer: Jane Seymour

Long before she played Dr. Quinn, Jane Seymour had multiple theater and film roles. Unlike most of the other Janes in this quiz, Seymour was not born one: her birth name was Joyce Penelope Wilhelmina Frankenberg. Born in London, Seymour studied acting at the Tring Park School for the Performing Arts in Hertfordshire.

In addition to being an busy actor, Seymour has written books and designed jewelry for Kay Jewelers.

Answer: Jane Leeves

Before she co-starred on "Frasier" as Niles Crane's love interest, Jane Leeves paid her dues in Hollywood, with one-off roles on "Murder, She Wrote," "My Two Days," "Murphy Brown," "Who's the Boss?" and "Seinfeld." Leaves grew up in West Sussex and studied ballet, which helped her get a role as a dancer on "The Benny Hill Show." She was a fan and critical favorite as Daphne Moon on "Frasier," and she earned multiple awards and nominations.

Answer: Jane Krakowski

Jane Krakowski starred as Jenna Mulroney on "30 Rock" from 2006 to 2013. Some viewers had already known her from her memorable performance as Elaine Vassal, Ally McBeal's coworker on "Ally McBeal" (Fox, 1997-2002). Krakowski, a New Jersey native, has also studied dancing and singing. She released a debut album of cover songs in 2010 called "Laziest Gal in Town."

Answer: Jane Levy

Jane Levy played a teenager in "Suburgatory" which ran on ABC from 2011 to 2014. Born in California, Levy studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York before moving to L.A. to take more acting jobs, including a role on Showtime's "Shameless." She has also acted in several independent films. In 2018, she appeared in Hulu's Castle Rock as the niece of Jack Torrance.