Megan Mullally was born ...:
... on November 12, 1958, in Los Angeles an actor father (Carter Mullally, Jr., a Paramount contract player) and a model mother.
Growing up with Megan:
Her L.A. home was a breeding ground for acting bugs, and Megan was bit by one early, studying ballet and acting throughout her life. She spent her summers in Los Angeles, but the family moved to the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, when Megan turned seven. She attended Northwestern University, majoring in English Literature and Art History.
Megan's First Job:
Megan quickly fell into the acting crowd in Chicago and left Northwestern before graduation to pursue acting full-time. She worked in Chicago theater for the better part of a decade before moving to Los Angeles in 1981.
The Early Years:
It only took two weeks for Megan to land an agent, signing with the William Morris Agency soon after arriving in L.A. Soon she was appearing in small television and movie roles. Four years before becoming a regular on Will & Grace, Megan made her Broadway debut in Grease alongside The View's Rosie O'Donnell.
As Karen Walker on Will & Grace, Megan became a familiar face across America and snagged Emmys in 2000 and 2006 - as well as nominations in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Becoming a Talk Show Host:
After the success of Will & Grace, Megan decided to turn her attention to daytime television. An accomplished singer and dancer, Megan wanted to create a talk show like the variety programs that inspired her in her youth: Merv Griffin and Mike Douglas in particular. Thus, The Megan Mullally Show was born.
Key Moment in Her Career:
Does taking the role of Karen Walker count? Surely it has had the most impact, allowing Megan to create the kind of show and capture the sorts of opportunity she desires most. But what about deciding to pursue acting at the moment she did, before graduating Northwestern? That could have made all the difference in the world.
Or maybe this show was a key moment in her career, since its all-too short life may decide whether she sticks with the variety show genre for a large part of her career - or returns to acting and comedy or singing.
And Just For Fun:
- Had guests roles on Seinfeld, Frasier, Wings, Ned & Stacey, and Mad About You
- Opened her own one-woman show, Sweetheart in L.A. in 1999
- Used a falsetto to voice Karen Walker on Will & Grace – except for the pilot episode
- Was a call girl in Risky Business
- Has voiced several cartoons, including The Flintstones, Batman: The Animated Series, King of the Hill and Teacher’s Pet
- Is an accomplished singer fronting her own group, The Supreme Music Program
- Lives in West Hollywood with two poodles, Willa and Elmo
- Her show was the first of three new talk shows in 2006 to debut -- and to be canceled. The Greg Behrendt Show was also canceled, and The Rachael Ray Show has gone on to become one of the more successful new talk shows in recent years.
