“We are thrilled to welcome Jane Lynch as host of the DGA Awards for the very first time,” said Barclay. “I have known Jane for years, and have envied her quick wit – and her extraordinary height. She always makes the job of directing her a joy, and I look forward to her helping us honor the year’s best in film and television.”
Jane Lynch cut her theatrical teeth at The Second City, Steppenwolf Theatre and in many church basements all over the greater Chicago-land area, helping her become the comedic talent she is today. She is perhaps best known for her role as the iconic Sue Sylvester on Glee, for which she has earned an Emmy and a Golden Globe. Some of her other recent television credits include Party Down, Lovespring, Desperate Housewives and Weeds as well as the last season of The L Word, and recurring roles on Two and a Half Men, Criminal Minds and The New Adventures of Old Christine.
Recent film credits include A.C.O.D, Three Stooges, Wreck-It Ralph, Julie & Julia, Shrek Forever After, The Post Grad Survival Guide, Paul and Brownie Masters. Past film work includes For Your Consideration, A Mighty Wind and Best in Show, as well as Role Models, The Rocker, Spring Breakdown, the animated film Space Chimps, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Walk Hard, Talladega Nights, The 40-Year Old Virgin, Celeste and Bam Bam, Suffering Man's Charity, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Sleepover, and Surviving Eden. Lynch performed last summer in the Broadway production of Annie as Miss Hannigan, and in addition to her current role on Glee, Lynch hosts game show Hollywood Game Night, which was recently renewed for a second season. Lynch’s 2011 autobiography Happy Accidents topped numerous national best seller lists.
Although Lynch has hosted a number of awards shows (including the Emmys in 2011), this will be Lynch’s first time hosting the DGA Awards. She is also the first woman to ever do so.
The DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film has traditionally been one of the industry’s most accurate barometers for who will win the Best Director Academy Award; only seven times since the DGA Awards began in 1948 has the Feature Film winner not gone on to win the corresponding Academy Award.
Nominations for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film will be announced on January 7, 2014; nominations for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television and Commercials will be announced on January 9, 2014; and nominations for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries will be announced on January 13, 2014. BMW is the Exclusive Automotive Sponsor of the 66th Annual DGA Awards.
