Jean Smart achieves major career resurgence through ‘Hacks’

American actress Jean Smart has experienced a significant career resurgence in her seventies, primarily driven by her role as Deborah Vance in the comedy series ‘Hacks’. Her performance has earned her four Primetime Emmy Awards, along with multiple Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and Critics Choice Awards.

Smart first gained widespread recognition for her role as Charlene Frazier Stillfield on the CBS sitcom ‘Designing Women’ in the 1980s. Born in Seattle, Washington, she studied at the University of Washington before building a career in regional theater and television.

If Smart wins Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series at the upcoming Emmy Awards, she will tie Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the most acting Emmy wins by a performer, with eight total wins. She would also become the first woman to win an Emmy for every eligible season of the same series.