A strong wife and mother who relocates to a small town in Texas that is football obsessed. A country music singer who is trying to chase fame and success while working out her personal life. Connie Britton is known for playing two major roles in her acting career: Tami Taylor in Friday Night Lights and Rayna James in Nashville. (Of course, she’s also famous for her gorgeous long hair.)
But the actress has been appearing in movies and TV shows for decades, with her first role in the 1995 film The Brothers McMullen. Here are 10 roles that Connie Britton played that you forgot about.
Ellen
It’s easy to think that The Ellen DeGeneres Show has always been on the air, but before the show’s premiere in 2003, Ellen DeGeneres had a sitcom from 1994 to 1998. Ellen’s character had a bookstore, and the series also featured Jeremy Piven and Maggie Wheeler (who played Janice on Friends).
Connie Britton was in three episodes of Ellen in 1995 and 1996. She played a character named Helen. This is definitely a Connie Britton role that many people forgot about as it was a while ago and wasn’t as memorable as her later work.
Spin City
Many people loved the series Spin City which ran for six seasons from 1996 to 2002. Michael J. Fox played NYC’s Deputy Mayor (and Charlie Sheen did for seasons five and six). The series also starred Heather Locklear and Carla Gugino.
We might not remember but Connie Britton was on this show, too. She played Nikki Faber, who was an accountant, for four seasons. Fans of the star will definitely want to go back and re-watch this funny series to see one of her earlier roles.
The West Wing
The West Wing is one of the most praised and respected TV dramas. Created by wordsmith Aaron Sorkin, the series portrayed a president (Martin Sheen) and his staff as they dealt with political and personal changes. The show ran from 1999 to 2006 for seven seasons. Other stand-outs on the show are Allison Janney as Press Secretary C.J. Cregg, Bradley Whitford as Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman, and of course, Rob Lowe as Sam Seaborn, the Deputy Communications Director.
In 2001, Connie Britton was in four episodes of the show as a character named Connie Tate, a consultant on Martin Sheen’s campaign. This is another role that her fans have probably forgotten about but it would be fun to check out her scenes again.
The Life Coach
Every actor and actress seems to have a few film credits to that name that are either low-budget independent films or movies that otherwise slipped by even their most loyal fans. The 2005 movie The Life Coach might be in that category. It’s considered part of the mockumentary genre and is about someone who works as a, well, life coach to famous people.
It turns out that Connie Britton has played a few characters that share her first name, and she played Connie in The Life Coach. If you haven’t heard of it, you’re probably not alone there. Another famous face is in this movie: Lauren Graham played Dr. Sue Pegasus.
The Fighting Fitzgeralds
Connie Britton’s role as Sophie on The Fighting Fitzgeralds is most likely another role that you forgot about because you might not have even known about this show at all. A sitcom that lasted for only 10 episodes in 2001, it followed a quirky family. It turns out that it was created by a famous face: Edward Burns and his brother, Brian Burns.
It’s hard to know if this show has anything in common (besides just the last name) with the 2012 film The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, also starring Connie Britton and also written and directed by Edward Burns (who also acts in it).
Women In Trouble
For a while, it seemed like it was a trend for indie films to feature various characters and stories that were only tied together near the end. The 2009 movie Women In Trouble, written and directed by Sebastian Gutierrez, is about a few different women (who are, as the title suggests, probably not doing all that well).
Connie Britton’s character is Doris, who takes an elevator ride with Elektra Luxx (Carla Gugino), a porn star, and they get trapped in it.
Lost At Home
Before she became famous, Connie Britton starred in another TV show that many may not have known existed. She played Rachel Davis on Lost At Home, a sitcom that only got four episodes in April 2003.
The main storyline? Rachel is upset with her husband, Michael (Mitch Rouse), who has been working too hard in the advertising industry to care enough about his family. She wants him to shape up or it’s time for them to split up. It doesn’t really sound like enough plot to carry a show… which might explain how short-lived it was.
This Is Where I Leave You
The 2014 film adaptation of This Is Where I Leave You (based on the book by Jonathan Tropper, who also penned the screenplay) is a dark comedy about a family coming to terms with their dad’s passing.
The movie stars Jason Bateman and Tina Fey as siblings, along with Adam Driver as the younger brother. Some people might have forgotten that Connie Britton is actually in this movie, too: she plays Adam Driver’s girlfriend, a character named Tracy Sullivan.
24
TV drama 24 has countless fans, and there is often talk of spin-offs, but so far nothing much has happened in that department. The series follows agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) and ran from 2001 until 2010.
Even the biggest fans of the exciting, action-packed series might have missed Connie Britton’s appearance on the show for a few episodes. She played Diane Huxley in 2006 for six episodes. (Fans of the actress will note that her hair looks particularly fabulous on this show.)
A Nightmare On Elm Street
While it might be surprising to see Connie Britton in a horror movie, she did play Vivien Harmon in season one of American Horror Story (and did an amazing job).
She also played Dr. Gwen Holbrook in the 2010 remake of A Nightmare On Elm Street. Her character has a daughter, Nancy (Rooney Mara), and Gwen gets tragically murdered by Freddy Krueger. Now that Halloween is right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to rewatch this movie… mostly just to see the great Connie Britton.
