How Kristen Johnston Overcame Addiction and Found Her Voice

 

Who is Kristen Johnston?

Kristen is an American actress, perhaps still best known as Sally Solomon in the TV sitcom “3rd Rock from the Sun” (1996-2001), and as Holly Franklin in “The Exes” (2011-2015), among many other popular roles that she’s had in her career.

Kristen Johnston Wiki: Age, Childhood, and Education

Kristen Angela Johnston was born on 20 September 1967, in Washington D.C., USA, the daughter of Rod Johnston, an American attorney and Republican politician who served six years in the Wisconsin State Senate; there’s no information about her mother.

Kristen grew up in Wisconsin, where she went to Whitefish Bay High School, but spent most of her teens traveling to Sweden and South America as an exchange student.

After high school, she enrolled at New York University, from which she obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama. During her time at the university, she appeared in numerous plays in various theaters.

Career Beginnings

Johnston’s early career was a mix of theater and television work. She made her television debut in the short film “The Orkly Kid” in 1985, while in 1994, she was seen in an episode of the soap opera “As the World Turns”.

In addition to her television work, Johnston continued pursuing theater roles; she appeared in several productions off-Broadway and at regional theaters before landing her breakout role in the play “The Lights” in 1993. Her performance in the play earned her critical acclaim and a Drama Desk Award nomination, and caught the attention of casting directors.

“3rd Rock from the Sun” Success

The series followed a group of aliens from the planet “Solinthar” who come to Earth on a research mission. They take on human form, and pose as a family while trying to understand human behavior.

Kristen Johnston played the role of Sally Solomon, the military officer of the alien group; her character was known for her physical strength, sarcastic wit, and love for the human race. The show also starred John Lithgow as the leader of the alien group, Dick Solomon, and co-stars French Stewart and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as other members of the group.

The show quickly became one of the most popular sitcoms on television, and its longevity is a testament to its popularity, as it lasted for six seasons and over 130 episodes; Kristen won two Emmy Awards for her role in the show.

Continued Success

While on “3rd Rock from the Sun”, Kristen worked on several other notable projects. She played the character of Ivana Humpalot in the 1999 film “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me”, a spy comedy and a sequel to the 1997 film “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery”, with Mike Myers in the lead role.

Following the end of “3rd Rock from the Sun”, Kristen continued her career in a stunning fashion – in 2005 she appeared in six episodes of the popular medical drama series “ER” as Eve Peyton the head nurse at County General Hospital.

Four years later, she starred in the romantic comedy film “Finding Bliss”, which tells the story of a struggling film editor named Jody, played by Leelee Sobieski, who lands a job at an adult film studio run by the eccentric and demanding Irene Fox, played by Kristen.

From 2011 to 2015, Kristen played the role of Holly Franklin, a divorce attorney and the roommate of three recently divorced men, in the TV Land sitcom “The Exes”. The series co-starred Donald Faison, Wayne Knight, David Alan Basche and Kelly Stables, and although the series didn’t win any major awards, it earned positive critiques and a devoted fan base.

To speak further of her accomplishments, while in “The Exes”, Kristen also featured in such films as “Bad Parents” (2012) and “Lovesick” (2014)

Kristen Johnston’s success continued with her role as Tammy Diffendorf on the hit CBS sitcom “Mom”. (2018-2021). She joined the show in its fifth season as a guest star, but her performance as a hard-working woman was so well-received that she was brought back as a recurring character in the show’s sixth season, and then promoted to a main cast member in seasons seven and eight. “Mom” follows the lives of a group of women who are navigating their recovery from addiction, and exploring the complexities of motherhood.

Also, in 2018 she starred as Psychic Sara in the romantic comedy film “For the Love of George”, starring Nadia Jordan and Rex Lee, among others. Two years later, she starred in the film “Small Town Wisconsin”, as Alicia, co-starring David Sullivan and Bill Heck.

To speak further of her accomplishments, she’s worked on several TV series in recent years. In 2022 she played the Widow Evelyn Higgins in “Our Flag Means Death”, and is known as She-Hulk in the podcast series “Marvel’s Wastelanders: Doom”. Moreover, she played May-May Montgomery in one episode of “The Righteous Gemstones” in 2023.

Stage Career

In addition to her success in “The Lights”, Kristen has made a few other notable appearances on stage. Some include “The Women” (2001-2022), then “Twelfth Night” (2002), while in 2004, she played Beatrice in the play “Much Ado About Nothing”. From 2007 to 2009, she was Lily Darnley in the play “So Help Me God”, for which she earned another Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Play.

“Is it possible disdain should die while she hath
such meet food to feed it as Signior Benedick?
Courtesy itself must convert to disdain, if you come
in her presence.”#ShakespeareSunday #MuchAdo

Kristen Johnston and Jimmy Smits, Much Ado About Nothing 2004 pic.twitter.com/4YGvIavRIc

— The Public Theater (@PublicTheaterNY) December 3, 2017

Net Worth

According to authoritative sources, Kristen Johnston’s net worth is estimated at $6 million, as of early 2023.

Personal Life, Dating, Married, Husband, Children

Kristen Johnston has been very secretive about her personal life. Since the 2000s, there has been no information about her relationship, while it’s known that she dated Ryan Reynolds for a year between 1999 and 2000.

In 2012 she published the autobiographical book “Guts: The Endless Follies and Tiny Triumphs of a Giant Disaster”, in which she writes about her struggles with alcohol addiction and pills, that started while she was in high school. She said that she drank two bottles of wine per evening, but that she’s managed to recover, and has been sober for five years.

She has launched a charity called SLAM (Sobriety, Learning, and Motivation), through which she mentors high school girls from New York City on addiction and issues with low self-esteem.

Appearance and Body Measurements

Kristen Johnston has blonde hair and green eyes. She’s known for her towering height and stands at 6ft (1.8m), approximately 170lbs (78 kgs), with vital statistics of 38-29-39, and bra size 36C.