Allison Janney is an American actress, best known for her role on the tv series The West Wing. Allison Janney was born in Dayton, Ohio, the daughter of Macy and Jervis Spencer, and has two brothers.

Allison Janney attended The Miami Valley School in Dayton, and the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. At Kenyon College, she studied under Paul Newman.

Allison Janney went on to study drama at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.