Connie Britton

American actress Connie Britton is most known for her work on several television series, most notably Ellen, Spin City, 24, and most recently, Friday Night Lights.

Constance Womack, known popularly as Connie Britton, was born March 6, 1967 in Boston, Massachusetts. By the time she was seven years old, Britton and her family relocated to Lynchburg, Virginia. She pursued her secondary education at Dartmouth College where she majored in Asian Studies. She graduated in 1989.

After school, she moved to New York City to increase her chance at winning acting jobs. She spent the next two years at the Neighborhood Playhouse where she studied under Sanford Meisner. Her onstage debut came with The Early Girl opposite Cooper Lawrence.

Receiving positive reviews, Britton spent the next two years in off-Broadway productions. In 1995, she won her first role in a film. It was The Brothers McMullen, which Edward Burns wrote, directed, and starred in alongside Shari Albert, Maxine Bahns, and Jennifer Jostyn. Although it was a small production, the film earned a following and proved successful.

Playing off her newfound exposure, Britton moved to Los Angeles. Her first recurring role on a television series came in 1995 with the sitcom Ellen, which starred comedienne Ellen DeGeneres.

But it was 1996 that would offer her the first shot at major exposure. She won a lead role in the comedic political series Spin City opposite Michael J Fox, Michael Boatman, Richard Kind, Alan Ruck, and Heather Locklear. Britton stayed with the show from 1996 to 2000.

She bounced around film and television until securing her next recurring role, which came with the one season comedy The Fighting Fitzgeralds. Her costars were Brian Dennehy, Justin Louis, Constance Zimmer, and Abigail Mavity.

She is also recognized by fans for her stint on The West Wing with Allison Janney, Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, and Stockard Channing as well as 24 with Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Elisha Cuthbert.

In 2004, she starred opposite Billy Bob Thornton, Lucas Black, Jay Hernandez, and Tim McGraw in the Peter Berg directed Friday Night Lights. The film was successful enough to warrant a television series spin-off wherein Britton basically reprised her role. The television series debuted in 2006 and proved successful in its first year. Commissioned for a second season, Britton stars with Blue Deckert, Minka Kelly, and Kyle Chandler.

Others may know her for the lead role in the 2006 film The Last Winter with Ron Perlman and James LeGros.

In her personal life, Britton was married to John Britton from 1991 to 1995, when they divorced. They had no children.

She currently splits her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she enjoys everything from yoga and hiking to volunteering.