Kathy Bates
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Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actress and director. She has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, she studied theatre at the Southern Methodist University before moving to New York City to pursue an acting career. She landed minor stage roles before being cast in her first on screen role in Taking Off (1971). Her first Off-Broadway stage performance was in the 1976 production of Vanities. Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, she continued to perform on screen and on stage, and garnered a Tony Award nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Play in 1983 for her performance in 'night, Mother, and won an Obie Award in 1988 for her performance in Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. Bates' performance as Annie Wilkes in the tense psychological thriller Misery (1990) marked her Hollywood breakthrough, winning her the Academy Award for Best Actress. Further acclaim came for her starring role in Dolores Claiborne (1995), The Waterboy (1998), and supporting roles in Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) and Titanic (1997). Bates received subsequent Oscar nods in the Best Supporting Actress category for her work in Primary Colors (1998), About Schmidt (2002), and Richard Jewell (2019). Bates' television work has resulted in 14 Emmy Award nominations, including two for her leading role on the NBC series Harry's Law (2011–12). She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her appearance on the ninth season of Two and a Half Men (2012) and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for her portrayal of Delphine LaLaurie on the third season of American Horror Story (2013). She also received accolades for her portrayal of Miss Hannigan in the 1999 television adaptation of Annie. Her directing credits include several episodes of the HBO television series Six Feet Under (2001–03) and the television film Ambulance Girl (2005).
Known for
Credits
Titanic (1997)
as Molly Brown
Bee Movie (2007)
as Janet Benson (voice)
The Blind Side (2009)
as Miss Sue
The Golden Compass (2007)
as Hester (voice)
Misery (1990)
as Annie Wilkes
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
as Regina Jackson
Midnight in Paris (2011)
as Gertrude Stein
Richard Jewell (2019)
as Bobi Jewell
P.S. I Love You (2007)
as Patricia
Failure to Launch (2006)
as Sue
Revolutionary Road (2008)
as Mrs. Helen Givings
Valentine's Day (2010)
as Susan
Charlotte's Web (2006)
as Bitsy the Cow (voice)
A Family Affair (2024)
as Leila Ford
The Highwaymen (2019)
as Ma Ferguson
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
as Evelyn Couch
Around the World in 80 Days (2004)
as Queen Victoria
Fred Claus (2007)
as Mother Claus
The Waterboy (1998)
as Mama Boucher
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023)
as Sylvia Simon
Rumor Has It... (2005)
as Aunt Mitsy (uncredited)
Primary Colors (1998)
as Libby Holden
Bad Santa 2 (2016)
as Sunny Soke
On the Basis of Sex (2018)
as Dorothy Kenyon
Little Black Book (2004)
as Kippie Kann
Dragonfly (2002)
as Mrs. Belmont
The Boss (2016)
as Ida Marquette
Dolores Claiborne (1995)
as Dolores Claiborne
Dick Tracy (1990)
as Mrs. Green
Rat Race (2001)
as The Squirrel Lady (uncredited)
About Schmidt (2002)
as Roberta Hertzel
Summer Camp (2024)
as Ginny Moon
Personal Effects (2009)
as Gloria
A Civil Action (1998)
as Bankruptcy Judge (uncredited)
Prelude to a Kiss (1992)
as Leah Blier
The Miracle Club (2023)
as Eileen Dunne
White Palace (1990)
as Rosemary
A Little Bit of Heaven (2011)
as Beverly Corbett
American Outlaws (2001)
as Ma James
The Great Gilly Hopkins (2015)
as Maime Trotter
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2019)
as Barbara Haggermaker
Shadows and Fog (1991)
as Prostitute
A Home of Our Own (1993)
as Frances Lacey
North (1994)
as Alaskan Mom
Tammy (2014)
as Lenore
Reflections on Titanic (2012)
as Self
You May Not Kiss the Bride (2011)
as Bryan's Mother
Straight Time (1978)
as Selma Darin
The Great Lillian Hall (2024)
as Edith Wilson
Diabolique (1996)
as Det. Shirley Vogel
Chéri (2009)
as Madame Peloux
Swept from the Sea (1998)
as Miss Swaffer
Complete Unknown (2016)
as Nina
Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys (2008)
as Charlotte Cartwright
Men Don't Leave (1990)
as Lisa Coleman
Two of a Kind (1983)
as Furniture Man's Wife
Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988)
as Mrs. Canby
Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy (2004)
as Siren / Sea Hag (voice)
The Bridge of San Luis Rey (2004)
as The Marquesa
The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004)
as Narrator (voice)
Boychoir (2015)
as Headmistress
Annie (1999)
as Miss Agatha Hannigan
Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony (2021)
as Self (archive footage)
The War at Home (1996)
as Maurine Collier
My Best Friend Is a Vampire (1987)
as Helen Blake
The Late Shift (1996)
as Helen Kushnick
Relative Strangers (2006)
as Agnes Menure
Unconditional Love (2002)
as Grace Beasley
My Sister's Keeper (2002)
as Christine Chapman
Rob Reiner – Scenes from a Life (2025)
as Self
Warm Springs (2005)
as Helena Mahoney
The Morning After (1986)
as Woman on Mateo Street
Home (2021)
as Bernadette
Krystal (2018)
as Vera
Celebrity Naked Ambition (2003)
as Self (archive footage)
At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991)
as Hazel Quarrier
The Effects of Magic (1998)
as Raphaella, the Magic Bunny
Curse of the Starving Class (1994)
as Ella Tate
Love Liza (2002)
as Mary Ann Bankhead
Christmas Is Here Again (2007)
as Miss Dowdy (voice)
Baby Steps (1999)
as Mrs. Mellon
Used People (1992)
as Bibby Berman
Summer Heat (1987)
as Ruth
Six Feet Under: In Memoriam (2005)
as Herself
The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful (1996)
as Self
No Place Like Home (1989)
as Bonnie Cooper
Angus (1995)
as Meg Bethune
The West Side Waltz (1995)
as Mr. Goo
Titanic: Stories from the Heart (2023)
as Self (archive footage)
Taking Off (1971)
as Audition Singer
Bonneville (2006)
as Margene Cunningham
Murder Ordained (1987)
as Bobbi Birk
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)
as Stella Mae
Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood (2000)
as Frances Marion (voice)
Cadaver (2012)
as Beth
Roe vs. Wade (1989)
as Jessie
Making Rat Race (2002)
as Herself
Moments of Discovery: The Making of Fried Green Tomatoes (1998)
as Self
Declaration of Independence (2003)
as Self
Happy Birthday Elizabeth: A Celebration of Life (1997)
as Self
Tupperware! (2004)
as Narrator
Return to the 5 & Dime: An Interview with Ed Graczyk (2014)
as Self – Stella Mae (archive footage)
Titanic: Breaking New Ground (1998)
as Self
Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun (1993)
as Lunar Mom
Guilty Hearts (2007)
as The Judge
Bruno (2000)
as Mother Superior
Signs of Life (1989)
as Mary Beth Alder
The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club (2009)
as Pancho Barnes (Voice)
The Road to Mecca (1991)
as Elsa Barlow
Ambulance Girl (2005)
as Jane Stern
High Stakes (1989)
as Jill
Talking With (1995)
as Big Eight (segment "Rodeo")
Hansel and Gretel (2005)
as Narrator (voice)
Hostages (1992)
as Peggy Say
Misery Loves Company (2003)
as Self
The Smack (—)
as Babs
Johnny Bull (1986)
as Katherine Kovacs