Oscars 2018: Allison Janney dedicates her first win to deceased brother

Allison Janney won her first Oscar on Sunday for her supporting role as the demanding and abusive mother to Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding in the mockumentary I, Tonya.

Janney, 58, a seven-time Emmy winner, swept all major acting honours this season, including Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globe and BAFTA awards.

“I did it all by myself,” Janney said facetiously to laughter from the audience. “Nothing further from the truth.”

Janney plays LaVona Golden, the mother of U.S. Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding, in the independent comedy about the disgraced and troubled athlete who is best remembered for her role in a 1994 assault on rival skater Nancy Kerrigan.

Janney is most familiar to audiences from her roles on 2000’s White House television drama The West Wing and current TV comedy Mom” Her past film credits include supporting roles American Beauty, The Hours and Juno.

I, Tonya screenwriter Steven Rogers wrote the role of the hard-driving, foul-mouthed LaVona expressly for Janney, partly as a way for her to demonstrate her range.

“Steven Rogers, look what you did, look at what you did,” Janney said accepting the award. “You’re a brilliant writer. Thank you for the gift of LaVona. I did not see this coming. You did. …read more