Checking in with JANE LYNCH

Familiar and much-honored for her acting, Jane Lynch has established another identity by making it known that she’s game for games. The alumna of television’s “Glee” won a Primetime Emmy for playing Sue Sylvester on that series, but she has collected two more (out of her total of five to date) by using her caustic humor to put contestants through their paces. The current example of her filling that role is NBC’s “Weakest Link,” which moves to Mondays on May 20. Lynch starts each episode by putting eight players to the test, having them work together to answer questions and win money. As the contest progresses, players who contribute the least to the team’s success are voted out, with Lynch giving them this now-famous dismissal: “You are the Weakest Link. Goodbye.” Lynch’s ability to field such duties could be traced back to her career roots as a member of Chicago’s renowned Second City troupe, as one of only two women selected for the company at that time. She went on to do more improvisation on stage as a member of Annoyance Theater, where her roles included matriarch Carol in “The Real Live Brady Bunch.” By the time “Glee” premiered in 2009, Lynch had racked up considerable movie credits, ranging from “The Fugitive” (1993) to such Christopher Guest-directed satires as “Best in Show” (2000) and “A Mighty Wind” (2003). They typically showed off her quick wit and skill at repartee, and that, along with her “Glee” persona, made her NBC’s choice to host “Hollywood Game Night” in 2013. Involving celebrity guests in party games, that gig lasted until 2020 and earned Lynch dual Primetime Emmys — and dovetailed with the start of her “Weakest Link” work. Lynch had big shoes to fill, since the host of a 2001-02 version was Anne Robinson, who also presided over the original British version of the show and was renowned for her snarkiness. However, in maintaining her likability along with her sarcasm, Lynch has made the program very much her own vehicle — affirmed by the fact that four years in, she’s still “linked” to it. Birthdate: July 14, 1960 Birthplace: Evergreen Park, Ill. Current residence: Los Angeles Movie credits include: “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” “The Late Bloomer,” “Mascots,” “Afternoon Delight,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “The Three Stooges,” “Paul,” “Rio,” “Shrek Forever After,” “Post Grad,” “Julie & Julia,” “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs,” “Role Models,” “The Rocker,” “Space Chimps,” “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” “For Your Consideration,” “Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “The Aviator,” “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events,” “Sleepover,” “A Mighty Wind,” “Collateral Damage,” “Best in Show,” “What Planet Are You From?,” “Fatal Instinct,” “The Fugitive,” “Straight Talk,” “Vice Versa” Other television credits include: “Glee,” “Hollywood Game Night,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “Only Murders in the Building,” “Harriet the Spy,” “Arthur,” “The Good Fight,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Will & Grace,” “Manhunt: Unabomber,” “Angel From Hell,” “Portlandia,” “The Simpsons,” “Web Therapy,” “Saturday Night Live,” “Party Down,” “Psych,” “My Name Is Earl,” “American Dad!,” “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” “Boston Legal,” “Criminal Minds,” “Lovespring International,” “The L Word,” “Desperate Housewives,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “MDs,” “7th Heaven,” “Family Guy,” “The X-Files,” “The West Wing,” “Gilmore Girls,” “Judging Amy,” “Caroline in the City,” “3rd Rock From the Sun,” “Party of Five,” “Married … With Children”