| Janet Varney | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 16, 1976 Arizona, United States |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Partner | Chris Hardwick |
Janet Varney (born February 16, 1976) is an American comedic actress best known for being the current hostess of TBS's Dinner and a Movie.
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Varney was born in Arizona. She is an alumna of San Francisco State University.
Varney was co-host of The Hollywood Show with Brian Unger, a recurring player on Norm Macdonald's sketch show Back to Norm and an ensemble player on Crossballs, all for Comedy Central. She also starred in the short-lived Fox Comedy "Happy Hour." In 2007, Varney appeared in the short films Random Acts of Kindness, Die Hardly Working, Eternal Waters, Worldly Possession, The Losers, Keep Off Grass, and Dress For Success which were made during the reality show On the Lot. She has recently appeared as recurring character "Bev" for the web series Back on Topps with Randy and Jason Sklar. Starting in 2008, she began starring in the HBO television series Entourage, playing television producer Amy Miller who works alongside Eric and Charlie. And very recently was in a movie called "Best Player" starring opposite Jerry Trainor and Jennette McCurdy.
In 2005, Varney replaced Lisa Kushell as the hostess of the TBS cooking and entertainment show, Dinner and a Movie. Since then, she has appeared, alongside host Paul Gilmartin and chef Claud Mann, in each episode introducing movies and injecting humor during the preparation of a creative dinner to go with some theme of the movie.
Varney has written and performed several comedic audio commentaries for films along with fellow SF Sketchfest co-founder Cole Stratton. These appear on the Rifftrax website under the "Rifftrax Presents" branding, as being officially sanctioned by Rifftrax founder and "Mystery Science Theater 3000" alum, Michael J. Nelson.
She has performed in Rifftrax commentaries for the following films:
Varney is the co-founder, creative director and producer of SF Sketchfest, The San Francisco Comedy Festival and is also the co-founder of the San Francisco sketch group Totally False People. She performed with the Los Angeles and San Francisco-based group Sequel 4000. She was in a relationship with comedian Chris Hardwick from 2004 to 2011. [1] She has guest hosted the "Matt Smith" episode of his Nerdist podcast, along with Matt Mira and Hardwick himself.
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 2011 | Best Player | Tracy Saunders | |
| 2009 | Still Waiting... | Haley | |
| 2008 | Bill | Amelia | |
| 2008 | Drillbit Taylor | Attractive Woman Driver | |
| 2007 | Dante's Inferno | Intercom | |
| 2007 | American Fork | Joleen | |
| 2004 | Catwoman | Party Girl | |
| 2003 | Stuck | Jane |
| Year | Title | Role |
| 2012 | The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra | Korra |
| 2009 | Entourage | Amy Miller |
| 2009 | Better Off Ted | Female Lawyer |
| 2009 | Bones | Maureen Perot |
| 2008 | Chocolate News | Trina Johns |
| 2008 | Psych | Mindy Howland |
| 2008 | Man Stroke Woman | Various characters |
| 2007 | How I Met Your Mother | Stacey Gusar |
| 2007 | On the Lot | Actress |
| 2007 | Worldly Possession | Nancy Bates |
| 2007 | Eternal Waters | Lead |
| 2007 | Die Hardly Working | Heroin |
| 2007 | Halfway Home | Kimberly Costas |
| 2007 | The Weekend | Madelaine |
| 2007 | The Untitled Rob Roy Thomas Project | Ellie Tennant |
| 2006 | Home Purchasing Club | Debbie Driscoll |
| 2006 | What About Brian | Carol |
| 2006 | Happy Hour | Molly |
| 2006 | Love, Inc. | Glenda |
| 2006 | Free Ride | Megan |
| 2005 | Back to Norm | Christine Macdonald |
| 2005–present | Dinner and a Movie | Hostess |
| 2005 | The Hollywood Show | Co-Host |
| 2004 | Crossballs: The Debate Show | Various Characters |