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