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Jean Smart earned her fourth Emmy nomination in 2006 for her portrayal of the troubled First Lady on FOX's award-winning dramatic series hit 24, starring Kiefer Sutherland. Smart is already a two-time Emmy Award winner, having garnered consecutive Emmy Awards, in 2000 and 2001, in the category of Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her appearances on Frasier. She was previously Emmy nominated for her guest role on the drama series The District.

In addition to winning her first Emmy Award in 2000, Smart was also honored that year for her work on the Broadway stage and on the big screen. She received a nomination for an Independent Spirit Award for her role in the feature film Guinevere, and also gained a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in The Man Who Came to Dinner, opposite Nathan Lane.

Smart was most recently seen in the acclaimed independent films Garden State, written and directed by Zach Braff, and David O. Russell's I Heart Huckabees. Her additional film credits include Bringing Down the House, with Steve Martin and Queen Latifah; Sweet Home Alabama, starring Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas and Patrick Dempsey; Jon Turteltaub's The Kid, with Bruce Willis; Snow Day, opposite Chevy Chase; The Odd Couple II; The Brady Bunch Movie; Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey; Flashpoint; and Protocol.

Smart first became known to television audiences with her starring role in the popular sitcom Designing Women. In addition, she has starred on a number of longform television projects, including Audrey's Rain, A Change of Heart, A Stranger in Town, Scarlett, The Yearling, The Yarn Princess and A Place at the Table. Smart also earned praise for her portrayal of infamous serial killer Aileen Wournos in the CBS movie Overkill.

Smart earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree at the University of Washington before beginning her career on the stage. After performing in regional theatres around the country, she moved to New York, where she made her Broadway debut in Piaf. She also appeared off-Broadway in Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award and later won a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award. Smart's theatre repertoire also includes the Los Angeles presentation of Marvin's Room, the off-Broadway production of Nicky Silver's Fit to Be Tied, Laughing Wild, and the San Francisco production of It Had to Be You, opposite her husband, Richard Gilliland.