An extremely talented actress who has brought a variety of different roles to life on the big screen, Joan Cusack has won over audiences all over the world in the span of her 30-year career. Below we’ll take a look at her early life/background, accomplishments in film and television, and personal life.
Walk Through the Article
Biography
Born in New York City on October 11th, 1962, Joan Cusack’s father was another notable name in the industry. Dick Cusack is famous for his screenwriting abilities, creating scripts for some of the most highly praised films like The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford and While You Were Sleeping starring award-winning actress, Sandra Bullock. Because of this, Joan was accustomed to being around celebrities, introduced to the atmosphere of film production from early on.
Although she was born in the Big Apple, the Cusacks soon moved to Evanston, Illinois and it was there that Joan first discovered her love of improvisation and theatre, the early foundation of her soon-to-be acting career. She performed in small roles at the local theatre and was involved in different workshops and productions, her drama teachers noticing all the while her obvious creative gift.
Her next academic move included attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she earned a Bachelors in English; this is a school whose alumni are represented in a variety of notable roles from professional poker players to politicians and even astronauts. The University of Wisconsin-Madison was where several famous players of the strategic table game first learned the importance of patience and focus and where, at the same time, Cusack garnered her gift for acting.
After her college career ended, the award-winning actress finally got her big break by becoming a cast member of the hit late-night comedic sketch show, Saturday Night Live. She stayed on for only one year but was an instant sensation and left a lasting impression on the television series. It wasn’t long until she was landing important roles in blockbuster films like Sixteen Candles and School of Rock. She’s never received an Oscar although she was nominated twice for her exceptional performances in Working Girl and the comedy, In & Out.
The actress is also no stranger to successful voice performances either. Cusack was highly praised for her performances in Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, and Toy Story 4, giving life to Pixar’s famous cowgirl character, Jessie. Her voice is extremely recognizable and fits perfectly with the franchise’s star-studded cast which also included Tom Hanks and Tim Allen as Woody and Buzz. She’s also famous for her role in the hit Netflix drama, Shameless, in which she plays Sheila.
Husband and Personal Life
In 1996, Joan Cusack married Richard Burke and, unlike many other Hollywood couples, they have been happily together ever since. Their bond is one that others in the industry should look up to. Burke, not to be confused with Monica’s Richard of the same name on the hit series Friends, is the successful president and CEO of Envoy Global, a global immigration services company founded in 1998.
Net Worth
Although we don’t see her as a leading actress in a lot of films nowadays, Cusack’s career earned her a net worth of $20 million. The 58-year-old’s latest roles include starring as Mrs. Howard in Instant Family (2018) and as the voice for Mrs. Tammy Krum in Klaus (2019).
Interesting Facts
One interesting fact about the actress is that she is the sister of famous actor John Cusack, a fellow performer as well as screenwriter and producer. Although they share a last name, many don’t realize they are related. The pair have been in a whopping 10 movies together over the course of their careers.
