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