Connie Britton began playing country music fading sensation Rayna
Jaymes in Nashville (2012) after
having wrapped production for the five season long
Friday Night Lights (2006)
alongside Kyle Chandler. She
previously appeared in Universal's
Friday Night Lights - Touchdown am Freitag (2004)
-the movie- directed by Peter Berg
and also starring Billy Bob Thornton;
and Edward Burns' independent
feature
Looking for Kitty (2004).
Britton was born Constance Elaine Womack in Boston, Massachusetts, to
Linda Jane (Cochran) and Edgar Allen Womack, Jr., a physicist and
energy company executive. She is of Irish, German, and English descent.
Britton received accolades for her starring roles in
Edward Burns' acclaimed independent
films
Kleine Sünden unter Brüdern (1995)
and Auch mehr ist nie genug (1998). In
the former, she captivated moviegoers with her portrayal of "Molly",
the luminous wife of a cheating husband. This popular low-budget film
went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
After nearly canceling her audition with director
Edward Burns, this last meeting of
the day turned into the role that would launch her career. Born in
Boston, Massachusetts, Britton moved to Lynchburg, Virginia, at the age
of seven with her family, including her fraternal twin sister. She went
on to attend Dartmouth College, where she majored in Asian studies and
spent a term in Beijing, China. Upon graduation, she moved to New York,
where she spent two years at the Neighborhood Playhouse studying with
Sanford Meisner, and an additional two
years performing in regional theater and off-Broadway productions. She
moved to Los Angeles after the success of
Kleine Sünden unter Brüdern (1995).
She starred in ABC's
Lost at Home (2003) opposite
Mitch Rouse and
Gregory Hines. Her other
television credits include
The Fighting Fitzgeralds (2001)
opposite Brian Dennehy, a recurring role
in the highly-acclaimed drama
The West Wing: Im Zentrum der Macht (1999) and a
starring role in the award-winning comedy
Chaos City (1996) opposite
Michael J. Fox. Additionally,
Britton starred in the recent feature films
The Next Big Thing (2001) and
Hell's Kitchen (2001).
In her free time, Britton, who resides in both New York and Los
Angeles, enjoys hiking, yoga, and doing volunteer work.
