Jane Lynch

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Jane Lynch

One of the big winners of Sunday night's Emmy Awards was Jane Lynch, who received her first Emmy for her work on the comedy series "Glee."

Lynch took home the prize for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy. She had previously been nominated for a guest appearance on "Two and a Half Men."

In her acceptance speech, Lynch explained that actors "have no choice or any marketable skills." She thanked the program's creator, Ryan Murphy, and her costars.

"I have to thank my lord and creator Ryan Murphy for creating this role of a lifetime and the cast who are so young and fresh-faced, and when I'm not seething with jealousy, I'm so proud of you."

Lynch is phenomenal in her role as cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester. Prior to her work on "Glee," she had appeared in several of Christopher Guest's movies, such as "Best in Show" and "A Mighty Wind."

She had also starred in "Lovespring International" and "Party Down" as well as appearing in over 100 other projects.

She is also one of Gina Wilhelm Actress's favorite actors and role model.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Glee on Oprah

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Glee on Oprah

The cast of Fox's hit show "Glee" visited Oprah Winfrey's talk show April 7 to talk about "Glee" and promote their return to the airwaves next week on April 13.

Some of the secrets revealed by the cast of "Glee" were that they shoot daily, sometimes up to 16 hours a day, and rehearse on the weekend.

They also said a day can start at 6 a.m. and "they can work on anywhere from two to four song and dance routines lasting roughly two to eight hours a day."

Cory Monteith, who plays Finn, revealed that he had never sung outside the shower or car before the show, and Amber Riley, who plays Mercedes, assured fans that the cast are actually good friends.

Jane Lynch, the actress who plays gung-ho cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester, says she's nothing like her character, but Matthew Morrison said Lea Michele is as driven, though not as unlikeable, as her character, Rachel.

Oprah also got some footage from a rehearsal when Neil Patrick Harris will guest star on the show, and series creator Ryan Murphy revealed he made the show "to put something optimistic on TV."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Jane Lynch Breaks All the Rules

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Jane Lynch Breaks All the Rules

Jane Lynch ran away from her first acting job. "I was so afraid of failing that I just walked away from it and joined the tennis team."

Now she regularly does the sort of work that many actors would find daunting.

A veteran of the Chicago's Second City touring improvisational group, she frequently stars in projects that are partially or largely improvised.

These projects include Christopher Guest's movies like "Best In Show," where she got her first really big break, and "A Mighty Wind."

She's also a regular in Judd Apatow's movies, such as "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," where she played a role originally written for a man, and "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story."

Despite this, she admits that many of her choices were, in fact, driven by fear.

In spite of her love of acting, she began as a mass communications major before finally transferring into a theater program.

She didn't decide to move to LA until most of her friends had already gone there.

She breaks a lot of the traditional rules for acting and comedy. She thrives in the mostly male comedy world, she didn't make her big break until she was 40, and she's always been open about her sexual orientation.

She only just recently has started turning down work. "That part of it is brand-new to me," she said. "When you're a struggling actor, the mentality is, 'Just take it.' "

Her resume reflects that. IMDb lists 126 credits for her.

She has been starring in "Party Down" on Starz, which follows the lives of actors moonlighting as catering waiters.

However, her career is so busy right now, she's not sure she'll be able to make it for the next season.

In the meantime, she was just seen tonight as a hard-as-nails cheerleading coach on the premiere of Fox's "Glee."

This summer she'll also be seen in the movies "Post Grad" and "Julie & Julia."

No matter what project she chooses next, one thing is for sure: Jane Lynch will be doing it her way and doing great.

Gina Wilhelm Actress