Joan Cusack (born October 11, 1962, in New York City) is an American actress who spent four decades building a reputation as one of Hollywood's most reliable character performers. She earned two Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress - for Working Girl (1988) and In & Out (1997) - and won a Primetime Emmy in 2015 for her role as Sheila Jackson on Shameless. She is perhaps best known to general audiences as the voice of cowgirl Jessie in Pixar's Toy Story franchise, a role she reprised in the fifth installment in 2026.
The film Toy Story 5, in which Cusack once again lends her voice to Jessie, had its world premiere on June 9, 2026 in Hollywood and was released in cinemas on June 19, 2026.
Cusack returned to the red carpet after eleven years - first at the London event for Toy Story 5 (May 28) and then at the world premiere in Los Angeles.
Toy Story 5 is also Cusack's first acting role in the last six years - she last appeared in the series Homecoming in 2020.
The actress explained in interviews why she distanced herself from Hollywood: since 2014 she has been running a home accessories store Judy Maxwell Home in Chicago.
Tim Allen revealed in an interview that Toy Story 5 revolves primarily around the character of Jessie, not Woody or Buzz.
