Jean Smart

Jean Smart stars as Arlane Hart, Debra Newell’s devoutly religious mother who preaches forgiveness, in Bravo’s scripted anthology Dirty John. The series reunites Smart with Bana, who she previously starred alongside in the film Lucky You.

Winner of three Emmy® Awards with an additional five nominations for her work on Fargo, Harry’s Law, Frasier, The District, 24, and Samantha Who, Smart has also made her presence known on the big screen and garnered an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her critically acclaimed performance in the Miramax feature film Guinevere. On stage, she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Last Summer at Bluefish Cove and received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress for her starring role on Broadway opposite Nathan Lane in The Man Who Came to Dinner. In 2016, she also received a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Album for her work on Patience and Sarah. Most recently, Smart starred in Paul Feig’s film A Simple Favor, Dan Fogelman’s Life Itself, Brampton’s Own, and Senior Moment. Notably, she was seen starring in The Accountant and the second season of Fargo on FX, for which she won a Critics’ Choice Award and was nominated for an Emmy® Award. On TV, Smart also stars in FX series, Legion.

During her career, Smart has showcased her talents alongside numerous top Hollywood actors including Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama, Steve Martin in Bringing Down the House, Mark Wahlberg in I Heart Huckabees, Zach Braff and Peter Sarsgaard in Garden State, Bruce Willis in The Kid, Robert De Niro and Martin Landau in Mistress, and Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in The Odd Couple II. Other recent film work includes Great Hope Springs with Meryl Streep, Barry Munday with Patrick Wilson and Judy Greer, Youth in Revolt with Michael Cera, and the dark comedy Miss Meadows opposite Katie Holmes and James Badge Dale.