She majored in Asian studies with a concentration in Chinese at Dartmouth College, and studied at the Beijing Normal University[10] in Beijing during her freshman summer with Kirsten Gillibrand, who is now a U.S. Goodwill Ambassador", "Connie Britton Named UN Goodwill Ambassador", "Connie Britton named goodwill ambassador for United Nations Development Program", "49 Celebrities Honor 49 Victims of Orlando Tragedy | Human Rights Campaign", "Pulse Orlando shooting scene a popular LGBT club where employees, patrons 'like family, "New HBO Limited Series THE WHITE LOTUS From Mike White Debuts July 11", "Chart Moves: 'Nashville' Nets Year's Best Sales Week for TV Soundtrack on Billboard 200", "2013 Top 40 Compilation Albums Archive - 13th April 2013", "Music of Nashville (Season 1, Volume 2) [Soundtrack]", "2013 Top 40 Compilation Albums Archive - 1st June 2013", "Music of Nashville Season One: The Complete Collection [Soundtrack, Box Set]", "Hot Country Songs Week of November 10, 2012", "Bubbling Under Hot 100 Week of November 10, 2012", "Star of Texas Award -Friday Night Lights", "Ellen Barkin, Connie Britton Among NY Women in Film and Television's 2013 Honorees", "2019 Golden Globe Nominations Full List: Lady Gaga Scores for A Star Is Born", "Critics' Choice Awards 2019: The Americans, American Crime Story Versace Lead Nominations", The Interviews: An Oral History of Television, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Connie_Britton&oldid=1023017663, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Online Film & Television Association Award, This page was last edited on 13 May 2021, at 20:57. [3], Britton starred as Tami Taylor on the NBC/DirecTV drama series Friday Night Lights from 2006 to 2011. [50], While at Dartmouth in the late 1980s, Britton studied Chinese and lived for a summer in Beijing with future US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “In her scene, she gave a speech to the troops during a show. You can have it! [37] That same year, she had co-starred in the comedy-drama Seeking a Friend for the End of the World opposite Steve Carell and Keira Knightley. After The Brothers McMullen, Britton was cast as Heather in a recurring role in the ABC sitcom Ellen, and starred as Cammie Barbash in the unsold Fox pilot Pins and Needles. By: Naveen Rao - Published: January 4, 2018 at 7:33 am | Last Updated: [15], While studying at the Neighborhood Playhouse, Britton (then Womack) made her New York theatrical debut in Caroline Kava's The Early Girl at The Courtyard Playhouse. Constance Elaine Britton (née Womack; born March 6, 1967)[2] is an American actress, singer, and producer. [32] However, in June 2016, CMT picked up the series for a fifth season. [45][46][47] In 2017, guest starred as Ally in the Showtime comedy series SMILF. The twist was only revealed on Thursday night, but already, Connie Britton has explained why she left Nashville — and yes, that means she's really leaving. Former Nashville co-stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere have fallen out of touch since their professional relationship ended. 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. Connie was the perfect host for the perfect line-up… If she felt like leaving the show, we would find a way for her to leave the show.” The real problem was finding a good enough and plausible reason to explain her exit. She met investment banker John Britton at Alpha Delta House at Dartmouth College. By Leigh Blickley ”Nashville” shook fans to the core last week after killing off their main character Rayna Jaymes in a shocking, and heartbreaking, death scene. [41] That same year, she co-starred in the action comedy American Ultra opposite Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart; Sharon Stone had originally been cast in her part.[42][43][44]. "[19] She was first cast opposite Billy Bob Thornton in the film version of the series, Friday Night Lights (2004). Britton’s decision to quit the show was met with support from its creators, who lobbied on her behalf to get Lionsgate TV and the network to let her go, even though she was still under contract. #BetterMakeRoom! My Chinese these days is real, real shaky. It was so awesome.” [4] Britton played seasoned prostitute Laurel opposite Cooper Lawrence, who played Joan. She focuses her advocacy efforts on eradicating extreme poverty, fighting exclusion and empowering women. [19] The show ran for five seasons from October 3, 2006 to February 9, 2011. [39] Britton returned to Austin, Texas, where Friday Night Lights was filmed, to co-star opposite Harry Connick Jr. and fellow actors and musicians Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett and Kris Kristofferson in the Christmas family drama Angels Sing. Britton made her feature film debut in the independent comedy-drama film The Brothers McMullen (1995), and the following year, she was cast as Nikki Faber on the ABC sitcom Spin City. Talking about their attempts to come up with logical ideas, Herskovitz said, “After painful deliberation, we realized there was no alternative to the character dying.” Even though removing Rayna from the show was painful, the writers relished the challenges of taking the story into a new and uncharted territory. Connie’s parents are Edgar Allen Womack Jr. and Line Jane Womack. After graduating, Britton spent two more years working in off-Broadway theatre productions. [24] Unfortunately for The Harmons, the new house they purchase quickly reveals itself to be haunted. [19], On April 2, 2014, Britton became the 10th Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Development Programme, the anti-poverty agency of the UN. ‘Nashville‘ star Connie Britton is no stranger to singing in public, but the roles that made her famous on shows like ‘Spin City’ and ‘Friday Night Lights’ didn’t focus on her voice. Does “Empire” Come on Tonight? Britton's performance, while well received, nearly got her ousted from the Neighborhood Playhouse program, which prohibited students from taking professional employment during their course of study. After much brainstorming, the show’s creators decided to kill off Britton’s character. She also appeared in the romantic comedy-drama No Looking Back (1998) and the mystery comedy-drama Looking for Kitty (2004), both directed by Edward Burns. Connie Britton Talks 'Devastating' Nashville Twist ('There Wasn't Any Alternative'), Teases Rayna's 'Return' By Michael Ausiello / February 23 2017, 7:01 PM PST Courtesy of CMT For a cool $15.99 million, you can currently snag the six-acre estate that doubled as the home of Rayna James (AKA Connie Britton) on the ABC and CMT series Nashville. We will miss ya, Connie! Even though Connie Britton had enormous success as Rayna Jaymes in the TV show Nashville, she felt creatively hemmed by the middle of season 5. In 2006, she had a recurring role in the Fox espionage thriller 24 in the fifth season as Diane Huxley, a landlady and a brief girlfriend of Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland). [citation needed], In November 2011, Britton adopted a son, Eyob "Yoby" Britton, from Ethiopia. “Nashville” ended its run Thursday night on CMT after six seasons and the show’s former lead, Connie Britton, made an appearance.Britton’s character, country singer Rayna James, had been killed off from complications from a car accident in Season 5.. Why did Rayna fire Liam? [9][10][11] She spent her early years in Rockville, Maryland. [5] She reprised her role for the eighth season of the show, Apocalypse. The country music drama ripped everyone’s hearts out on Thursday’s episode, when one of its … What happened to Connie Britton on Nashville? 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