Jessica St. Clair is an American actress and improvisational comedian from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. With frequent collaborator Lennon Parham, she co-created and co-starred in NBC's Best Friends Forever and USA Network's Playing House. She currently is a lead voice on the Adult Swim animated comedy Royal Crackers.
Jessica St. Clair | |
|---|---|
| Born | Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Middlebury College |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Life and career edit
St. Clair was born in Princeton, New Jersey[1] and raised in Westfield, New Jersey, where she attended Westfield High School, graduating as part of the class of 1994.[2] Her first major television work was as a regular panelist on the VH1 series Best Week Ever, offering comedic insights on pop culture and the news of the week.[3] She co-starred in the short-lived ABC sitcom In the Motherhood in 2009.
St. Clair has gained notice for her frequent guest appearances (often alongside performing partner Lennon Parham) on podcasts such as Comedy Bang! Bang!, in which she plays the show's teenage intern Marissa Wompler. In 2015, St. Clair and Parham spun off their characters in a new Earwolf podcast called WOMP It Up!, with St. Clair as host Marissa Wompler and Parham co-hosting as Marissa's teacher Miss Listler. Frequent guests on the podcast include Brian Huskey as Marissa's stepdad Seth and Jason Mantzoukas as Marissa's former flame Eric "Gutterballs" Gutterman. The podcast ran through the summer of 2015, returning after a hiatus on November 16, 2015. Beginning in 2021, St. Clair and June Diane Raphael started their own podcast, The Deep Dive on the Earwolf network.
St. Clair and Parham created and starred in the NBC comedy series Best Friends Forever, which premiered on April 4, 2012, and aired for one season, followed by Playing House, which premiered on USA on April 29, 2014, and concluded its third and final season in July 2017.
St. Clair has played recurring roles on television shows such as Veep, Weeds, The McCarthys, Marry Me, American Housewife, Worst Week and United States of Tara. She also played the role of Suzanne, the long-suffering wife of host Forrest MacNeil on the Comedy Central series Review. St. Clair's notable work in film includes supporting roles in Bridesmaids, She's Out of My League, Afternoon Delight and Enough Said.
St. Clair had a recurring role on the Netflix comedy series Space Force as structural engineer and civil contractor Kelly King.[4][5] Beginning in 2023, she began voicing Deb Hornsby on the Adult Swim animated comedy Royal Crackers, currently in its second season.
In 2024, St. Clair and Casey Wilson teamed up to write and narrate the audiobook The Art of Small Talk, which includes interviews with Amy Poehler, Colin Quinn, Malcolm Gladwell, Tony Hale, and June Diane Raphael, among others.[6]
Personal life edit
St. Clair is married to playwright and poet Dan O'Brien.[7] They have a daughter.[8]
In 2015, St. Clair said that she and Lennon Parham had both learned Transcendental Meditation.[9] In 2017, St. Clair revealed that she had undergone treatment for breast cancer after being diagnosed in September 2015,[10] and this was incorporated into the third season of Playing House when her character Emma was similarly diagnosed.
Filmography edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Terrorists | Jennifer Castle | |
| 2006 | For Your Consideration | Hula Balls Spokeswoman | |
| 2007 | Trendsetters | Julie Campbell | Short film |
| 2008 | College Road Trip | Ms. Prince | |
| 2009 | Stay Cool | Darcy Portola | |
| 2009 | The Condom Killer | Connor's Mother | Short film |
| 2009 | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. | Selleck Customer, Wife | |
| 2009 | Taking Chances | Reporter | |
| 2009 | It's Complicated | Wedding Specialist | |
| 2010 | She's Out of My League | Debbie | |
| 2010 | The Big Dog | Lena | Short film |
| 2010 | The Red Roof Inn Chronicles | Herself | Short film; also writer |
| 2010 | Life As We Know It | Beth | |
| 2011 | Bridesmaids | Whitney | |
| 2012 | Wanderlust | Deena Schuster | |
| 2012 | The Dictator | Denise | |
| 2013 | Afternoon Delight | Stephanie | |
| 2013 | Enough Said | Cynthia | |
| 2015 | Addicted to Fresno | Kristen | |
| 2017 | The House | Wall Street Guy - Reba | |
| 2018 | Dog Days | Ruth | |
| 2020 | Like a Boss | Kim | |
| 2020 | Superintelligence | Leslie |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Colin Quinn Show | Various | 3 episodes |
| 2003–2004 | The Smoking Gun TV | Correspondent | Series regular |
| 2004 | Things I Hate About You | Juror | Episode: "Patrick and Renee" |
| 2005 | Lies and the Wives We Tell Them To | TV pilot | |
| 2007 | The IT Crowd | Jen | unaired TV pilot |
| 2007 | Samantha Who? | Valerie | Episode: "The Wedding" |
| 2007 | UCB Comedy Originals | Episode: "Action 5 News!"; also producer | |
| 2008–2009 | Worst Week | Sarah | 6 episodes |
| 2009 | United States of Tara | Tiffany St. Claire | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | In the Motherhood | Emily | Series regular |
| 2009 | Labor Pains | Pregnancy Class Instructor | TV movie |
| 2009 | Hank | Peggy | Episode: "Yard Sale" |
| 2010 | The Life & Times of Tim | Kelly / Friend (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Notes from the Underbelly | Violet | Episode: "Spinning Out of Control" |
| 2010 | Sons of Tucson | Marcia Teel | Episode: "Sally Teel" |
| 2010 | Weeds | Rebekkah | 3 episodes |
| 2011 | Parks and Recreation | Denise Burkiss | Episode: "Road Trip" |
| 2011 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Anna | Episode: "The Divorce" |
| 2011 | Love Bites | Chloe | 3 episodes |
| 2011 | How to Be a Gentleman | Pam | Episode: "How to Attend Your Ex-Fiance's Wedding" |
| 2012 | Best Friends Forever | Jessica Black | Lead role (6 episodes); also co-creator, writer, executive producer |
| 2013 | The Office | Casey Dean | Episode: "A.A.R.M." |
| 2013–2014 | Veep | Dana | 4 episodes |
| 2014–2017 | Review | Suzanne MacNeil | 20 episodes |
| 2014–2017 | Playing House | Emma Crawford | Lead role (26 episodes); also co-creator, writer, director, executive producer |
| 2014–2015 | The McCarthys | Katrina | 6 episodes |
| 2014–2015 | Marry Me | Julie | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Miss Polite | Episode: "Mark Duplass Wears a Striped Sweater and Jeans" |
| 2015 | Key & Peele | Amy | Episode: "Killer Concept Album" |
| 2015 | Sofia the First | Athena (voice) | Episode: "The Secret Library" |
| 2016–2017 | Animals. | Kaitlin / Egg (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2017–2019 | American Housewife | Chloe Brown Mueller | 12 episodes |
| 2017 | Portlandia | Squirrel (voice) | Episode: "Separation Anxiety" |
| 2017 | Teachers | June Harris | Episode: "Held Back" |
| 2017 | Angie Tribeca | Mrs. Claire Farnsworth | Episode: "Welcome Back, Blotter" |
| 2017–2022 | Bob's Burgers | Nancy / Joanne / Ms. Padaro (voice) | 3 episodes |
| 2017–2019 | Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ | Leatha Benet | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | Tangled: The Series | Pizzazo (voice) | Episode: "Great Expotations" |
| 2018 | Grace and Frankie | Lauren | Episode: "The Death Stick" |
| 2019 | Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television | Captain Lade'e | 6 episodes |
| 2019 | Arrested Development | Anita Bramwell | 2 episodes |
| 2019–2022 | American Dad! | Connie Robinson, Additional Characters (voice) | 5 episodes |
| 2019 | Man with a Plan | Kelly | Episodes: "Clean Country Living", "The Intervention(s)" |
| 2019 | Bless This Mess | Stacey | Episode: "The Grisham Gals" |
| 2020–2022 | Avenue 5 | Mia | Recurring role; 15 episodes |
| 2020 | Space Force | Kelly King | Recurring role; 5 episodes |
| 2020 | Close Enough | Joy (voice) | Episode: "First Date/Snailin' It" |
| 2020 | Central Park | Deb Dalyrumple (voice) | Episode: "A Fish Called Snakehead" |
| 2020–2021 | The Goldbergs | Dolores | Recurring, seasons 7–8 |
| 2023 | How I Met Your Father | Megan | Episode: "The Reset Button" |
| 2023 | A Million Little Things | Amelia | Episode: "Think Twice" |
| 2023 | History of the World, Part II | Sarah | Episode: "III" |
| 2023–present | Royal Crackers | Deb Hornsby (voice) | Lead role |
| 2023 | Based on a True Story | Lipinski Sister #2 | 4 episodes |
| 2024 | Night Court | Heather | season 2 episode 6 "Wrath of Comic-Con" |
References edit
- ^ "The JV Club with Janet Varney : Jessica St. Clair". jvclub.libsyn.com.
- ^ Carpien, Sara (18 June 2014). "Westfield Native Jessica St. Clair Talks About Her Hit Show, Playing House, and Hometown Inspiration". TAPinto. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
St. Clair, who graduated Westfield High School in 1994, has fond memories of growing up in Westfield and weaves them into the storyline in unique, and sometimes specific, ways.
- ^ "Latest Celebrity Gossip, Celebrity News, Entertainment News - VH1". VH1 News. Archived from the original on November 16, 2007.
- ^ Reimann, Tom (October 23, 2019). "'Space Force' Cast Adds Noah Emmerich, Fred Willard, and Jessica St. Clair". Collider. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 23, 2019). "'Space Force': Noah Emmerich, Fred Willard & Jessica St. Clair Join Cast Of Netflix Comedy Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- ^ Barilla, Chris (2024-03-21). "Casey Wilson and Jessica St. Clair's Trailer for The Art of Small Talk Audiobook". People.com. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
- ^ "Weddings: Jessica St. Clair, Dan O'Brien". The New York Times. 16 July 2006. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- ^ Ossad, Jordana (11 October 2013). "Jessica St. Clair Welcomes Daughter Isobel Kelly". E! News. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- ^ Corridan, Kara (2015). "A Convo with Two Really Cool Moms". Parents. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
Lennon's husband worked at a school where they taught transcendental meditation and took time out of the school day to meditate. … So Lennon and I learned meditation ... through the David Lynch Foundation, and we try and meditate at least once a day.
- ^ "Actress Jessica St. Clair Opens Up About Her Breast Cancer Diagnosis". Stand Up To Cancer. May 9, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
