Everything We Know About Allison Janney

Allison Janney is tall. Like — exceptionally tall. Six feet tall, to be precise. Throughout her career, her height sometimes got in the way. "I felt like my career started late and I think it was because of my height — and maybe some of my confidence issues," she confessed to NPR in 2014, adding, "It's made me definitely more of a character actress in terms of my love of doing comedy."

As the actress told InStyle in 2018, her height is inherited. Her father is "6 foot 1 or 2," while her mother, as Janney put it, "was tall; some people shrink when they get older, I'm told." Apparently, she was around 5 foot 9 at her tallest. "She was known for her legs," Janney said. "She used to be an actress and got a review specifically focused on her beautiful legs. It was amazing."

Like her parents, Janney has some very, very long legs. However, she didn't inherit her mother's famous dancer's legs. "I got my father's legs but some of my mother's shape," she said, adding, "I think my legs are better-looking than my father's."