Joan Cusack Career Summary
Feb 3, 2026
Joan Mary Cusack (born October 11, 1962) is an acclaimed character actress known for her distinctive voice and offbeat comedic timing. Her portrayals of neurotic yet endearing characters have earned her numerous accolades, including nominations for two Oscar Awards and five Primetime Emmy Awards, winning once in 2015.
Cusack received nominations for the Best Supporting Actress for her roles in the comedy-drama Working Girl (1988) and the romantic comedy In & Out (1997). Her other starring roles include those in Toys (1992), Addams Family Values (1993), Nine Months (1995), Cradle Will Rock (1999), Where the Heart Is (2000), Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), School of Rock (2003), and Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008).
She has also provided the voice of Jessie in the Toy Story franchise (1999–present), for which she won an Annie Award, and Abby Mallard in Chicken Little (2005).
Cusack was a cast member on the comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1986. She starred on the Showtime hit drama comedy series Shameless (2011–2015) as Sheila Jackson, a role for which she received five consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning for the first time in 2015. She is the sister of actress Ann Cusack and actor John Cusack.
usack was born Joan Mary Cusack on October 11, 1962, in New York City and was raised in Evanston, Illinois.[3] Her mother, Ann Paula “Nancy” Cusack (née Carolan; 1929–2022), was a former mathematics teacher and political activist. Her father, Dick Cusack (1925–2003), was an actor and filmmaker, and two of her four siblings, Ann and John, are actors. Her family is of Irish Catholic descent.
Cusack is an alumna of the University of Wisconsin–Madison (1984), where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in English.Cusack has twice been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Working Girl (1988) and In & Out (1997).
She has appeared with her brother John in ten movies: Class (1983), Sixteen Candles (1984), Grandview, U.S.A. (1984), Broadcast News (1987), Say Anything… (1989), Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), Cradle Will Rock (1999), High Fidelity (2000), Martian Child (2007), and War, Inc. (2008).
In the film Addams Family Values (1993), she played psychotic serial killer Debbie Jellinsky, who marries and kills rich men. She also starred in the short-lived ABC sitcom What About Joan? in 2001 and the hit film Arlington Road (1999). For many years, Cusack was also the commercial spokeswoman for U.S. Cellular. One of Cusack’s best-known roles was the principal of Horace Green Elementary School, Rosalie ‘Roz’ Mullins, in School of Rock (2003). She also voiced Jessie in the Pixar hits Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Toy Story 4 (2019), and played Dr. Burton, the therapist of Charlie (Logan Lerman), in the teen film The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012). She also played Erin’s mom in the final episode of NBC’s The Office.
Cusack was cast member on the NBC sketch show Saturday Night Live in its eleventh season (1985–86) with fellow cast members and future stars such as Robert Downey Jr., Damon Wayans, and Anthony Michael Hall. Her recurring characters on SNL included Salena, a socially inept girl who tries to ask out her boyfriend, Biff (played by Jon Lovitz), who is also socially inept. In addition, she did celebrity impersonations of Brooke Shields, Jane Fonda, and Queen Elizabeth II.
She has been nominated four times for the American Comedy Award in the category of Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture and has won three times, for Runaway Bride (1999), In & Out (1997), and Working Girl (1988). She has also won the New York Film Critics Circle Award and the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress for In & Out.[citation needed]
Cusack narrates the public-TV animated series Peep and the Big Wide World. In September 2010, Cusack guest-starred on NBC’s Law & Order: SVU.
She also appeared as Justice Strauss in Netflix’s adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events, which premiered in 2017.
Cusack ppeared as the Tin Foil Lady in the Netflix movie Let It Snow, which was released in November 2019.
In 2010, Cusack joined the Showtime drama/comedy Shameless as Sheila Jackson, the mother of Karen Jackson (Laura Slade Wiggins). The first season premiered on January 9, 2011, and had its first finale March 27, 2011.
Cusack replaced actress Allison Janney, who portrayed the role in the first edit of the pilot episode. Janney took the role with the understanding the character would be less prominent on the show, but when producers decided to increase the character’s screen presence, she was forced to pull out of the part to honor her series commitment on the ABC comedy Mr. Sunshine.
Cusack has received critical acclaim for her performance, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series nominations in 2011, 2012, and 2013, as well as a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014 and 2015, winning in the latter year.
Cusack married attorney Richard Burke in 1996. They have two sons.
Cusack owns a home in Three Oaks Township, Michigan, and lives in Chicago, Illinois.
Since 2011, Cusack has owned Judy Maxwell Home, a gift shop in Old Town, Chicago. The shop is named after Streisand’s character in What’s Up Doc? Cusack’s favorite movie.
Filmography
1980 Cutting Loose
My Bodyguard Shelley
1983 Class Julia
1984 Sixteen Candles Geek Girl #1
All Together Now Linda Parker
Grandview, U.S.A. Mary Maine
1987 The Allnighter Gina
Broadcast News Blair Litton
1988 Stars and Bars Irene Stein
Married to the Mob Rose
Working Girl Cyn
1989 Say Anything… Constance Dobler Uncredited
1990 Men Don’t Leave Jody
My Blue Heaven Hannah Stubs
1991 The Cabinet of Dr. Ramirez Cathy Also writer
1992 Hero Evelyn Laplante
Toys Alsatia Zevo
1993 Addams Family Values Debbie Jellinsky
1994 Corrina, Corrina Jonesy
1995 Nine Months Gail Dwyer
Two Much Gloria
1996 Mr. Wrong Inga Gunther
1997 Grosse Pointe Blank Marcella Mayes
A Smile Like Yours Nancy Tellen
In & Out Emily Montgomery
1999 Arlington Road Cheryl Lang
Cradle Will Rock Hazel Huffman
Runaway Bride Peggy Flemming
Toy Story 2 Jessie Voice
2000 High Fidelity Liz
Where the Heart Is Ruth Meyers
2002 It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie Rachel Bitterman
2003 School of Rock Rosalie Mullins
Looney Tunes: Back in Action Mother
2004 Raising Helen Jenny Portman
The Last Shot Fanny Nash
2005 Ice Princess Joan Carlyle
Chicken Little Abby Mallard Voice
2006 Friends with Money Franny
2007 Martian Child Liz Gordon
2008 War, Inc. Marsha Dillon
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Miss Lucinda Bond
2009 Confessions of a Shopaholic Jane Bloomwood
Toys in the Attic Madam Curie Voice; English dub
My Sister’s Keeper Judge De Salvo
Acceptance Nina Rockefeller
2010 Toy Story 3 Jessie Voice
2011
Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil Verushka
Mars Needs Moms Milo’s Mom Voice; Also motion-capture
Hawaiian Vacation Jessie Voice; Short film
Small Fry
Arthur Christmas Mission Control Elf Voice
2012 Partysaurus Rex Jessie Voice; Short film
The Perks of Being a Wallflower Dr. Burton
2014 Welcome to Me Dawn Hurley
2015 The End of the Tour Patty Gunderson
Freaks of Nature Peg Parker
2016
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping Tilly Friel
‘2017
Snatched Barb
Unicorn Store Gladys
The Christmas Train Agnes
2018 Instant Family Mrs. Howard
2019 Toy Story 4 Jessie Voice
Let It Snow Tin Foil Woman
Klaus Mrs. Tammy Krum Voice
2026
Toy Story 5 Jessie Voice; In production
Television
1985–1986 Saturday Night Live Various Characters 17 episodes
2000 Sesame Street Herself 1 episode
72nd Academy Awards Jessie Voice; Television special
2001–2002 What About Joan? Joan Gallagher Lead role
2004–2011 Peep and the Big Wide World Narrator Voice; Main role
2010 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Pamela Burton Episode: “Locum”
2011–2015 Shameless Sheila Jackson Recurring role (seasons 1–5)
2011 Phineas and Ferb Glenda Wilkins Voice; Episode: “Last Train to Bustville”
2013 The Office Erin’s Biological Mother Episode: “Finale”
Toy Story of Terror! Jessie Voice; Television special
2014 Toy Story That Time Forgot
2016–2019 The Stinky & Dirty Show Red Voice; 8 episodes
2017, 2019 A Series of Unfortunate Events Justice Strauss 4 episodes
2020 Homecoming Francine Bunda 3 episodes
Video games
Year Title Voice role Notes
1999 Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue Jessie
2005 Chicken Little Abby Mallard Archive recordings
2006 Chicken Little: Ace in Action
2010 Toy Story 3: The Video Game Jessie
2011 Kinect: Disneyland Adventures
2012 Kinect Rush: A Disney–Pixar Adventure
2016 Disney Magic Kingdoms Initial release; voice lines were later removed in an update
2023 Disney Speedstorm
My Oscar Book:
Oscar Alert
Joan Cusack has been nominated twice for then Best supporting actress, both times in comedies directed by Mike Nichols, for “Working Girl” in 1988 and for “In & Out” in 1997.
In 1988, Cusack competed for the Supporting Actress Oscar with Geena Davis who won for Kasdan’s serio comedy “The Accidental Tourist,” Frances McDormand in the political thriller “Mississippi Burning,” Michelle Pfeiffer in the costume drama “Dangerous Liaisons,” and Sigourney Weaver, also for “Working Girl.”
In 1997, Cusack lost the Supporting Oscar to Kim Basinger, who won for Curtis Hanson’s noir policier, “L.A. Confidential.”
