Emmy #1

September 10, 2000

Allison made her Emmys debut at the 52nd Emmy Awards on September 10, 2000 wearing a gold sequin gown by Pamela Dennis. At 40 years old, Allison was a first-time nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, being recognized for her portrayal of C.J. Cregg on “The West Wing”.

Though she had recently won a SAG Award in March 2000 as part of the Best Cast/Ensemble award for her role in the film “American Beauty”, the 2000 Emmy Awards marked Allison’s first major individual award nomination and win of her career.

Allison won this Emmy for Season 1 of The West Wing over Nancy Marchand (“The Sopranos”), Holland Taylor (“The Practice”), Tyne Daly (“Judging Amy”), and her own cast-mate, Stockard Channing. As per supporting category rules, Allison submitted two Season 1 episodes for voter consideration; those episodes were “Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics” and “Celestial Navigation”. The award was presented by Matthew Perry, Allison’s future co-star on both “The West Wing” and “Mr. Sunshine”.

“The West Wing” won a total of 9 Emmys for the first season, including Allison’s as well as for Richard Schiff for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, and the main prize, Outstanding Drama Series.

Though Allison was well-known in theater circles and had a respected history as a character actress to this point, the 2000 Emmy Awards truly raised Allison’s industry profile - and marked probably the final time her last name would be mispronounced (as ‘Janey’) the way it was during the telecast.