1995–2005: Early work

While studying at the Neighborhood Playhouse, Britton (then Womack) made her New York theatrical debut in Caroline Kava's The Early Girl at The Courtyard Playhouse.^[3] Britton played seasoned prostitute Laurel opposite Cooper Lawrence, who played Joan. Britton's performance, while well received, nearly got her ousted from the Neighborhood Playhouse program, which prohibited students from taking professional employment during their course of study. After graduating, Britton spent two more years working in off-Broadway theatre productions. In 1995, Britton made her feature film debut in Edward Burns's comedy-drama The Brothers McMullen.^[17] She moved to Los Angeles after the film's success.^[3]

After The Brothers McMullen, Britton was cast as Heather in a recurring role in the ABC sitcom Ellen, and starred as Cammie Barbash in the unsold Fox pilot Pins and Needles. Britton was one of two finalists for the part of Dorothy Boyd opposite Tom Cruise in Cameron Crowe's romantic comedy-drama Jerry Maguire (1996), but lost the role to Renée Zellweger.^[18] In 1996, she began co-starring as Nikki Faber in the ABC sitcom Spin City opposite Michael J. Fox.^[3] Her character was written out of the show when Charlie Sheen replaced Fox. She also appeared in the romantic comedy-drama No Looking Back (1998) and the mystery comedy-drama Looking for Kitty (2004), both directed by Edward Burns. In 2001, she co-starred opposite Chris Eigeman and Jamie Harris in the romantic comedy The Next Big Thing. She later co-starred in the independent films The Life Coach, Special Ed, The Lather Effect and The Last Winter.

After leaving Spin City, Britton had a recurring role as Maggie Kimble Hume in the short-lived CBS crime drama The Fugitive. In 2001, she played Gertrude Temple, Shirley Temple's bad mother in the ABC television film Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story, based on Temple's 1988 autobiography.^[19] In the same year, she starred as Sophie Fitzgerald in the short-lived NBC sitcom The Fighting Fitzgeralds.^[20] In 2001, Britton also had a recurring role in the NBC political drama The West Wing in the third season, appearing in the two-part premiere titled "Manchester" and the sixth episode titled "Gone Quiet" as Connie Tate, a member of Bruno Gianelli's team. In 2002, she returned to ABC and starred as Rachel Davis in the short-lived sitcom Lost at Home. In 2006, she had a recurring role in the Fox espionage thriller 24 in the fifth season as Diane Huxley, a landlady and a brief girlfriend of Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland).

2006–2011: Further recognition

Britton co-starred opposite Kyle Chandler in the NBC/DirecTV drama series Friday Night Lights as Tami Taylor, the wife of a head football coach Eric Taylor (Chandler), who becomes a high school guidance counselor.^[21] The show ran for five seasons from October 3, 2006, to February 9, 2011. During that time, Britton developed a devoted following for her performance – described by The New York Times as "something of an icon, a 40-something sex symbol and role model."^[21] She was first cast opposite Billy Bob Thornton in the film version of the series, Friday Night Lights (2004).^[22] For her role in the show, she was nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2010 and 2011, for TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama in 2007 and 2008, and was awarded Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama in 2010.^{[citation needed]}

In 2009, Britton co-starred opposite Carla Gugino and her Friday Night Lights co-star Adrianne Palicki in the comedy Women in Trouble, and co-starred opposite Jackie Earle Haley, Kyle Gallner and Rooney Mara in the 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street as Dr. Gwendoline "Gwen" Holbrook.^[23] In 2011, she co-starred opposite Pamela Adlon in the romantic comedy Conception.^[24] She appeared on the WBEZ radio reading show This American Life's 429th episode, "Will They Know Me at Home?", in which she performed monologues from David Finkel's nonfiction book The Good Soldiers.^[25]

In 2011, Britton starred in the first season in the FX horror drama American Horror Story. She played Vivien Harmon, who relocates with her family to California after a series of tragic marital and family issues.^[26] Unfortunately for The Harmons, the new house they purchase quickly reveals itself to be haunted. For this role she was nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie in 2012. Britton had stated when she wrapped American Horror Story she would be taking a couple of months off to be with her new adopted son, but that she would then begin to re-focus on developing her FX drama collaboration with David O. Russell, but the project went into "development hell".^[27]

2012–present: Continued success

On March 6, 2012, Britton signed on to star in and produce the ABC/CMT musical drama series, Nashville created by Academy Award winner Callie Khouri. The series ran on ABC and CMT for six seasons from October 10, 2012, to July 26, 2018. She played Rayna Jaymes, a 40-year-old renowned country singer whose stardom is beginning to fade.^[28][29][30] Britton's performance received critical praise,^[31][32][33] and she was nominated for a fourth time for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama for the first time for this role.^[6][21] Britton, for her part, said that the most nerve-wracking part of her role, at least in the beginning, was the singing the role requires of her. The show was cancelled in May 2016 by ABC.^[34] However, in June 2016, CMT picked up the series for a fifth season.^[35] In February 2017, Britton left Nashville during the fifth season,^[36] but returned for the series finale in July 2018 as a guest star.^[37]

In 2012, Britton co-starred opposite Edward Burns in the comedy-drama The Fitzgerald Family Christmas.^[38] The film was met with positive reviews from critics.^[39] That same year, she had co-starred in the comedy-drama Seeking a Friend for the End of the World opposite Steve Carell and Keira Knightley.^[40]

In 2013, Britton co-starred opposite Aubrey Plaza in the comedy The To Do List, where she played the mother of Plaza's character.^[41] Britton returned to Austin, Texas, where Friday Night Lights was filmed, to co-star opposite Harry Connick Jr. and fellow actors and musicians Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett and Kris Kristofferson in the Christmas family drama Angels Sing. In 2014, Britton co-starred opposite Adam Driver as a cougar therapist in the comedy-drama This Is Where I Leave You, based on Jonathan Tropper's 2009 best-selling novel.^[42]

In 2015, she co-starred opposite Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler and Olivia Cooke in the comedy-drama Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and based on Jesse Andrews'‍ 2012 novel of the same name, a wry coming-of-age story about Greg (Mann), a teenage oddball forced to befriend Rachel (Cooke), a classmate with leukemia. She played Greg's mother.^[43] That same year, she co-starred in the action comedy American Ultra opposite Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart; Sharon Stone had originally been cast in her part.^[44][45][46]

In 2016, Britton reunited with American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy in his miniseries American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson as Faye Resnick.^[47][48][49] In 2017, guest starred as Ally in the Showtime comedy series SMILF. Also in 2017, Britton starred in the comedy-drama film Beatriz at Dinner and the biographical drama Professor Marston and the Wonder Women. In 2018, she co-starred in the comedy-drama film The Land of Steady Habits.

Also in 2018, Britton starred as emergency dispatcher Abby Clark in the first season of the Fox procedural drama 9-1-1, her third collaboration with Ryan Murphy.^[50] The same year, she returned to American Horror Story for the eighth season, Apocalypse, reprising her role as Vivien Harmon. She also co-starred opposite Eric Bana as Debra Newell in the Bravo true crime anthology series Dirty John, for which she received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film.^[7] In 2019, she played Roger Ailes' wife in the drama film, Bombshell. Her later film credits include Promising Young Woman (2020), Joe Bell (2020), Breaking (2022), and Luckiest Girl Alive (2022).^[51][52]

Britton starred as Nicole Mossbacher in the first season of HBO anthology series, The White Lotus in 2021, receiving Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie nomination (lost to her co-star Jennifer Coolidge).^[53] In 2023, she reunited with Friday Night Lights showrunner Jason Katims in the Apple TV+ drama series, Dear Edward based on the novel of the same name by Ann Napolitano.^[54][55] Also in 2023, Britton will appear in the dark comedy film Winner playing the role of Reality Winner's mother.^[56]

Politics

Britton is a supporter of the Democratic Party. She publicly supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 United States presidential election and opposed the candidacy of Donald Trump.^[63][64][65] Britton endorsed U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, her college roommate at Dartmouth, in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries and appeared with her at campaign events.^[66] She also backed Alabama Democrat Doug Jones for the U.S. Senate in 2017.^[67][68]

On April 2, 2014, Britton became the 10th Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Development Programme, the anti-poverty agency of the UN. She joins celebrities such as Antonio Banderas, Maria Sharapova, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo in the role of UNDP Goodwill Ambassador. She focuses her advocacy efforts on eradicating extreme poverty, fighting exclusion and empowering women.^{[69][70][71][72]}

In June 2016, the Human Rights Campaign released a video in tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting; in the video, Britton and others told the stories of the people killed there.^[73][74]

Britton encouraged Twitter followers who planned to vote in Georgia's 2021 U.S. Senate races to make sure their ID met the state's requirements, listing valid forms of ID and citing VoteRiders as a resource for questions or help.^[75]

Film

Television

Albums

Singles

• ^ADid not enter the Hot 100 but charted on Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles.