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Jayne Atkinson (born February 18, 1959) is an English-born American film, theatre and television actress. She is perhaps best known for the role of Karen Hayes on 24 as well as her Tony Award-nominated roles in The Rainmaker and Enchanted April. She is also known for appearing in the CBS drama, Criminal Minds as BAU Section Chief Erin Strauss. Jayne Atkinson was born in Bournemouth, Hampshire (now Dorset, England), but her family moved to the United States when she was 9 years old. She grew up in Hollywood, Fla. and graduated from Pine Crest School where she was elected Homecoming Queen in... MORE

Jayne Atkinson (born February 18, 1959) is an English-born American film, theatre and television actress. She is perhaps best known for the role of Karen Hayes on 24 as well as her Tony Award-nominated roles in The Rainmaker and Enchanted April. She is also known for appearing in the CBS drama, Criminal Minds as BAU Section Chief Erin Strauss. Jayne Atkinson was born in Bournemouth, Hampshire (now Dorset, England), but her family moved to the United States when she was 9 years old. She grew up in Hollywood, Fla. and graduated from Pine Crest School where she was elected Homecoming Queen in 1977. She attended Northwestern University (BA Communications, 1981), where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega and a sorority sister of Laura Innes; and the Yale Drama School. After working in regional theatres, Atkinson appeared off-Broadway in the Manhattan Theatre Club's production of Bloody Poetry in 1987. She made her Broadway debut the same year in a revival of Arthur Miller's All My Sons. Subsequently, she landed title roles in more stage productions, which include Henry VIII, Tru, and The Art of Success. She earned a Drama Desk Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in The LESS