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
The Blind Side (2009)
as Miss Sue
Bee Movie (2007)
as Janet Benson (voice)
Misery (1990)
as Annie Wilkes
Midnight in Paris (2011)
as Gertrude Stein
Charlotte's Web (2006)
as Bitsy the Cow (voice)
The Golden Compass (2007)
as Hester (voice)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
as Regina Jackson
Revolutionary Road (2008)
as Mrs. Helen Givings
Rat Race (2001)
as The Squirrel Lady (uncredited)
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
as Evelyn Couch
Dick Tracy (1990)
as Mrs. Green
Around the World in 80 Days (2004)
as Queen Victoria
White Palace (1990)
as Rosemary
The Waterboy (1998)
as Mama Boucher
P.S. I Love You (2007)
as Patricia
Richard Jewell (2019)
as Bobi Jewell
Failure to Launch (2006)
as Sue
Dolores Claiborne (1995)
as Dolores Claiborne
Dragonfly (2002)
as Mrs. Belmont
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023)
as Sylvia Simon
The Highwaymen (2019)
as Ma Ferguson
Valentine's Day (2010)
as Susan Milton
The Boss (2016)
as Ida Marquette
Rumor Has It... (2005)
as Aunt Mitsy (uncredited)
Fred Claus (2007)
as Mother Claus
A Family Affair (2024)
as Leila Ford
Bad Santa 2 (2016)
as Sunny Soke
A Civil Action (1998)
as Bankruptcy Judge (uncredited)
North (1994)
as Alaskan Mom
On the Basis of Sex (2018)
as Dorothy Kenyon
About Schmidt (2002)
as Roberta Hertzel
Annie (1999)
as Miss Agatha Hannigan
American Outlaws (2001)
as Ma James
Primary Colors (1998)
as Libby Holden
Celebrity Naked Ambition (2003)
as Self (archive footage)
Tammy (2014)
as Lenore
Shadows and Fog (1991)
as Prostitute
Straight Time (1978)
as Selma Darin
A Home of Our Own (1993)
as Frances Lacey
Two of a Kind (1983)
as Furniture Man's Wife
Chéri (2009)
as Madame Peloux
Summer Camp (2024)
as Ginny Moon
Little Black Book (2004)
as Kippie Kann
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2019)
as Barbara Haggermaker
Diabolique (1996)
as Det. Shirley Vogel
The Miracle Club (2023)
as Eileen Dunne
Used People (1992)
as Bibby Berman
Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys (2008)
as Charlotte Cartwright
Warm Springs (2005)
as Helena Mahoney
The Great Gilly Hopkins (2015)
as Maime Trotter
Personal Effects (2009)
as Gloria
Relative Strangers (2006)
as Agnes Menure
Summer Heat (1987)
as Ruth
The Great Lillian Hall (2024)
as Edith Wilson
The Late Shift (1996)
as Helen Kushnick
A Little Bit of Heaven (2011)
as Beverly Corbett
The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004)
as Narrator (voice)
Swept from the Sea (1998)
as Miss Swaffer
Love Liza (2002)
as Mary Ann Bankhead
The Morning After (1986)
as Woman on Mateo Street
Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony (2021)
as Self (archive footage)
Complete Unknown (2016)
as Nina
Boychoir (2015)
as Headmistress
Krystal (2018)
as Vera
Guilty Hearts (2007)
as The Judge
You May Not Kiss the Bride (2011)
as Bryan's Mother
Prelude to a Kiss (1992)
as Leah Blier
Signs of Life (1989)
as Mary Beth Alder
Unconditional Love (2002)
as Grace Beasley
Bonneville (2006)
as Margene Cunningham
Roe vs. Wade (1989)
as Jessie
Taking Off (1971)
as Audition Singer
Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy (2004)
as Siren / Sea Hag (voice)
The Smack (—)
as Babs
My Sister's Keeper (2002)
as Christine Chapman
My Best Friend Is a Vampire (1987)
as Helen Blake
Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood (2000)
as Frances Marion (voice)
Angus (1995)
as Meg Bethune
Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988)
as Mrs. Canby
Home (2021)
as Bernadette
Johnny Bull (1986)
as Katherine Kovacs
Rob Reiner – Scenes from a Life (2025)
as Self
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)
as Stella Mae
Reflections on Titanic (2012)
as Self
Declaration of Independence (2003)
as Self
Bruno (2000)
as Mother Superior
At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991)
as Hazel Quarrier
The War at Home (1996)
as Maurine Collier
Men Don't Leave (1990)
as Lisa Coleman
High Stakes (1989)
as Jill
Making Rat Race (2002)
as Herself
Baby Steps (1999)
as Mrs. Mellon
The Bridge of San Luis Rey (2004)
as The Marquesa
Christmas Is Here Again (2007)
as Miss Dowdy (voice)
Hostages (1992)
as Peggy Say
Murder Ordained (1987)
as Bobbi Birk
The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful (1996)
as Self
Talking With (1995)
as Big Eight (segment "Rodeo")
Titanic: Stories from the Heart (2023)
as Self (archive footage)
Misery Loves Company (2003)
as Self
No Place Like Home (1989)
as Bonnie Cooper
Cadaver (2012)
as Beth
Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun (1993)
as Lunar Mom
Happy Birthday Elizabeth: A Celebration of Life (1997)
as Self
Titanic: Breaking New Ground (1998)
as Self
Six Feet Under: In Memoriam (2005)
as Herself
Ambulance Girl (2005)
as Jane Stern
Curse of the Starving Class (1994)
as Ella Tate
Moments of Discovery: The Making of Fried Green Tomatoes (1998)
as Self
The Effects of Magic (1998)
as Raphaella, the Magic Bunny
The West Side Waltz (1995)
as Mr. Goo
Hansel and Gretel (2005)
as Narrator (voice)
Tupperware! (2004)
as Narrator
The Road to Mecca (1991)
as Elsa Barlow
Return to the 5 & Dime: An Interview with Ed Graczyk (2014)
as Self – Stella Mae (archive footage)
The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club (2009)
as Pancho Barnes (Voice)