If you’ve seen any episode of the TV sitcom Friends then you know the character Janice Goralnik and would recognize her now as Maggie Wheeler. She was the on-and-off love interest of the character Chandler Bing played by Matthew Perry who passed away in October 2023.
Maggie Wheeler has been active in the entertainment industry for over 40 years. She has starred in many productions including Ellen from 1994 to 1996 where she played Anita, The Addams Family as the voice of Trudy Pickering, and many more.
In addition to her acting stints, Wheeler is a voiceover artist for animations, and a choir director, singer, and songwriter.
Let’s Look At More Information About Her And What She’s Been Up To in Recent Times
1. Maggie Wheeler was Born Jewish
The Friends actress was born Margaret Emily Jakobson into a secular Jewish family on July 17, 1961. Her mother is Barbara, a writer, and her father John Jakobson was a member of the New York Stock Exchange. She and her siblings were born in Manhattan and grew up to be very creative.
2. She Began to Sing at the Age of 7
As a singer and songwriter, Maggie’s love for music and singing began when she was a child and under 10 years old.
When she was 7 years old, her parents began sending her to Camp Killooleet located in Vermont which was owned by John Seeger. John is the brother of the legendary folk singer, Peter Seeger.
Maggie described her love for the camp by calling it ‘inspirational’ and it indeed set precedence for her love of and involvement in music now.
3. She Started in the Entertainment Industry with Voice Acting
It will interest you to know that the nasal voice of Janice Litman in the sitcom Friends isn’t her real voice.
Maggie Wheeler’s background in voice acting affords her many different accents and voices she uses in portraying characters.
Her first job as an actress came in the form of voice acting where she voiced for the animation company Rankin/Bass. She was the voice behind all the female characters in the superhero cartoon, Silverhawks. She also voiced all the characters in The Comic Shop series.
Before her stint as a voice-over actress, Maggie started as a voice-over artist for radio shows on CBS Records and even MTV.
Since her breakout as a voice actress, she has gone on to voice for more animation projects such as; Captain Underpants, Sterling Acher on FX, Glenn Martin DDS, Barbie of Swan Lake, Justice League, Batman, Lilo & Stitch, and several chickens in Dr. Dolittle 3.
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4. Her First On-camera Movie was in the Early 1980s
Maggie Jakobson’s first movie appearance on camera was in 1982’s Soup for One, per her IMDB page. After that, she featured in some other TV series and films but it wasn’t until the 1990s that she got her big break. Her role in Friends is unarguably one of her most famous roles as the character Janice Goralnik.
As Janice, she played the role of one of the lead characters, Chandler Bing’s recurring love interest. Chandler was played by actor Matthew Perry who passed away on October 28, 2023.
Janice had 19 recurring episodes in the ten seasons of the sitcom. She was well known for her catchphrase ‘Oh my gawd’ and her hilarious laughter which she created for that role.
While playing Janie, she simultaneously played the role of Linda in the American sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond albeit auditioning for the role of Debra Barone. Linda was a friend of Debra in the series.
Maggie has over 70 acting credits to her name, including voice acting, TV and film roles.
5. She’s a Wife and Mother
Margaret Jakobson got married to Daniel Borden Wheeler on October 20, 1990, in Los Olivos, California. They have been married for 34 years and have 2 children as part of their small family.
Daniel Wheeler is an award-winning sculptor whose sculptures are unique with parts that can be manipulated. His work is a creative means of expressing himself and it revolves around ceremonial objects.
The couple’s first child is a young woman named Juno Wheeler who was born in 1995. Maggie was pregnant with Juno when she finished shooting the first season of Friends.
When the New Year’s Day actress was 8 months pregnant, the showrunners of Friends called her to come to portray the role of a married and pregnant Janice to spite her onscreen love interest, Chandler.
Daniel and Maggie’s second child, another girl named Gemma was born 5 years later, in the year 2000.
6. Wheeler is the Director of the Golden Bridge Community Choir
To answer the question of what Maggie Wheeler has been up to or what she is doing now, the answer is ‘a lot’.
Acting is still a huge part of her life as she explicitly stated that she loves her acting job. However, in her rollercoaster life as an actress, she has music to help let out her creativity. Therefore, she also takes time to focus on her role as the Director of the Golden Bridge Community Choir.
The Golden Bridge Community Choir is a non-auditioned, inter-generational choir that has its base in Los Angeles. It has been in existence for almost 2 decades with Maggie actively playing an important role in the community.
Her love for music has made her do a lot in the music space which includes writing and performing songs.
She loves gospel songs and often teaches or composes those, however, her prowess isn’t restricted to just that genre. The actress is also a fan of West and Southern African music as well as music from Australia and Asia.
Maggie Wheeler says she draws inspiration for music from all over the world and doesn’t just rely on one sound or rhythm.
Her love for making music has made her start up a few music groups in her lifetime including an acappella group called ‘Sons and Daughters’. She also teaches musical workshops known as ‘Singing in the Stream’.
7. Maggie Wheeler is an Author
In 2023, Maggie Emily Wheeler added another hat to her many hats by authoring a children’s book.
Ebeneezer Finds A Reason is the actress’s first ever published book and it tells the story of a young shrew with a sneezing problem.
The book is suitable for children from 3 years old and even adults and the aged. The illustrations of the book are courtesy of M.Kyle Hollingsworth and the book has a QR code to an audiobook recording by Maggie as well as an original song of hers.
