Happy Birthday, Jane Lynch!

Jane Lynch, who plays the demonic cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester on Glee, turns 51 today. But though most people know her for that character, Lynch has a long list of other roles behind her. Here are 10 things you might not know about her:

Her Mother Wanted Her To Type

Lynch, who grew up in the Chicago suburb of Doulton, didn’t get much encouragement to enter showbiz. Her mother’s career advice: “Learn how to type!”

She's Co-Starred With Dogs Although Lynch worked on a number of television series throughout the 1990s, it was her part in the 2000 Christopher Guest movie Best In Show that won her a cult following. Lynch starred as butch lesbian dog trainer Christy Cummings. She also played a porn-star-turned-folksinger in Guest’s A Mighty Wind.

Her Big Break Came With Tony The Tiger Director Christoper Guest gave Lynch her first substantial movie roles when he saw her in a Frosted Flakes commercial.

As Sue Sylvester, She's A Strong Manager For her role as Sue Sylvester, Lynch won an Emmy in 2010 and a Golden Globe earlier this year. Sue, one of the most comically frightening characters on TV, unashamedly admits she controls her cheerleading squad, the Cheerios, “by creating an atmosphere of irrational, random terror.”

She Loves Playing Gay--And Straight The actress, who has always been out of the closet, has played a number of lesbian roles. In the Showtime series The L Word, she played Cybill Shepherd’s brash lover. She’s also played straight roles, like Julia Child’s sister in the movie Julie and Julia, co-starring Meryl Streep.

She Got Funny In Chicago After graduating from Cornell University with an MFA in drama, Lynch joined Chicago's Second City comedy troupe. Other members over the years have included Steve Carell and Tina Fey. Lynch and Carell worked together in The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

She married her partner, clinical psychologist Dr. Lara Embry, on May 31, 2010 at the Blue Heron Restaurant in Sunderland, Massachusetts.

She Adored Both Stars Of Grease Lynch and Embry have several pets, including a cat named Olivia. In all likelihood, little Olivia is named after Olivia Newton John, who guest starred as herself on Glee. Lynch has acknowledged having an adolescent crush on both Newton-John and John Travolta.

The Emmys Will Be A Lot Funnier With Her She’ll be hosting the Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 18, 2011 and is only the third woman to do so.