Jan Maxwell (born November 20, 1956) is an American stage and television actress. She is a five-time Tony Award nominee and two-time Drama Desk Award winner.

Maxwell made her Broadway debut in 1989, as an understudy in the musical City of Angels. She received her first Tony nomination in 2005 for the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Her other nominations were for Coram Boy in 2007, Lend Me a Tenor and The Royal Family both in 2010, and Follies in 2012. Her nominations in two separate categories in 2010, made her only the fourth actress to achieve two nominations in a single year. Her 2012 nomination for "Follies" made her only the second actress to receive a Tony nomination in all four acting categories. Her other Broadway credits include, Dancing at Lughnasa (1992), A Doll's House (1997), The Sound of Music (1998) and The Dinner Party (2001).

Maxwell has appeared in films and television shows such as I Am Michael with James Franco, Neil LaBute's Billy and Billie (2014-15), The Divide (2014), The Good Wife (2014), and Gossip Girl (2009-2011). From 1994-2003, she appeared in four episodes of the NBC drama Law & Order, each time as a different character.

Biography

She is the daughter of former First District Judge Ralph B. Maxwell (who served in North Dakota from 1967–1978) and Elizabeth Maxwell, a lawyer for the EPA. She attended West Fargo High School, West Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead State University. She has a son, Will Maxwell-Lunney (born 1995).