Who is Janel Moloney? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Janel Wallace Moloney

Age: 54 Years, 54 Year Old Females

Partner: Marcelo Zarvos

Born Country: United States

Actresses American Women

Height: 5'8" (173 cm), 5'8" Females

Notable Alumni: Purchase College

U.S. State: California

City: Los Angeles

More Facts

education: Purchase College

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Childhood & Personal Life

Janel Wallace Moloney was born on October 3, 1969, in Woodland Hills, California. She graduated from ‘El Camino Real Charter High School,’ Los Angeles, and received training in acting at ‘SUNY Purchase’ in New York.

She is actress Christine Ebersole’s niece. She lives with her partner Brazilian pianist and composer Marcelo Zarvos. The couple has two sons, Julian Francis Zarvos, born in 2010; and Fernando Luca Zarvos, born in 2012.

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Career

Janel Moloney began her acting career in the 1990s with guest roles on TV shows like ‘The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.’ (1993), ‘Bakersfield P.D.’ (1993), ‘ER’ (1995), ‘Murder, She Wrote’ (1995), and ‘Sports Night’ (1998). Between 1991 and 1992, Moloney worked in three TV movies - ‘To Save a Child’, ‘…And Then She Was Gone,’ and ‘Double Edge’.

She started her feature film career during the 1990s, playing small parts in the movies, such as ‘Dream Lover’ (1993), ‘Safe’ (1995), ‘Wild Bill’ (1995), ’Til There Was You’ (1997), ‘Desperate Measures’ (1998), and ‘The Souler Opposite’ (1998).

Though Moloney made gradual progression during the 90s, she landed the role of a lifetime right before the end of the century. Her character ‘Donnatella Moss’ in the political drama ‘The West Wing’ completely turned her career around. In 1999, at the beginning of the show, Donna’s character was conceptualised as a guest star, but she appeared on every episode of season 1. Moloney made it to the main credits from season 2 onward. The show revolved around a few members of the senior staff closest to the President in the ‘West Wing’ of the ‘White House.’ Her character ‘Senior Assistant’ to the ‘Deputy Chief of Staff’ was sketched out as someone who is ambitious but not shrewd and someone who could deliver beyond her scope of duties.

Moloney received the ‘Primetime Emmy Award’ nomination for ‘Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series,’ in 2002 and 2004. While she was on the show, Moloney appeared in the film ‘Bang Bang You’re Dead,’ in 2002, and starred in a TV film ‘Amber Frey: Witness for the Prosecution,’ in 2005.

After the show’s finale in 2006, Moloney had a five-episode appearance on Showtime’s crime drama series ‘Brotherhood,’ in 2007. In the next few years, she made a few guest appearances on television shows, such as ‘House, M.D.’ (2008), ‘30 Rock’ (2008), ‘Law & Order: Criminal Intent’ (2009), and ‘The Good Wife’ (2013).

Her next big role came in the critically acclaimed HBO mystery series ‘The Leftovers,’ in 2014. She stayed with the show for all the three seasons.

Moloney has constantly maintained her presence on television; her recent projects include ‘Alpha House’ (2014), ‘The Blacklist’ (2015), ‘American Crime’ (2017), and ‘Law and Order: Special Victims Unit’ (2018).

Janel Moloney Biography