Jane Anderson

Place of birth: California
Fame for: Writing

Biography

Jane Anderson grew up in the Bay Area of Northern California where her father, an inventor and electronics engineer, was one of the early entrepreneurs of Silicon Valley. Passionate about the theater, Ms. Anderson dropped out of college after two years and moved to New York City to become an actress. She was cast in the New York premiere of David Mamet's "Sexual Perversity in Chicago", which ran for over a year and put Mamet on the map. Later she turned to writing and performing her own material in cabarets and comedy clubs. She moved to Los Angeles in the early 80's where she began to write for film and television and, ironically, also discovered her voice as a serious playwright. Her career as a film director began in the late 90's when actor and producer Jodie Foster gave Ms. Anderson the opportunity to direct the film adaptation of her play "The Baby Dance", which received multiple honors and awards. Her plays have been produced Off-Broadway and in theaters around the country, including Actors Theater of Louisville, The McCarter Theater, Long Wharf, ACT, the Geffen Theater and The Pasadena Playhouse. Her published plays: "Looking for Normal", "The Baby Dance", "Defying Gravity", "Smart Choices for the New Century", "Lynette at 3AM" and "The Last Time We Saw Her . Her most recent play, "The Quality of Life", premiered at the Geffen Playhouse and was directed by Ms. Anderson.