Kathy Bates
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).
Filmography (160 Appearances)
The Smack
Rob Reiner – Scenes from a Life
Matlock
The Great Lillian Hall
A Family Affair
Summer Camp
Off Script with The Hollywood Reporter
Titanic: Stories from the Heart
The Miracle Club
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Home
Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony
Richard Jewell
The Highwaymen
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan
On the Basis of Sex
Krystal
Disjointed
FEUD
Bad Santa 2
Complete Unknown
Chelsea
The Boss
The Great Gilly Hopkins
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Lip Sync Battle
Boychoir
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Return to the 5 & Dime: An Interview with Ed Graczyk
Tammy
Cadaver
Reflections on Titanic
American Horror Story
Midnight in Paris
You May Not Kiss the Bride
A Little Bit of Heaven
Harry's Law
Mike & Molly
Valentine's Day
The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club
Alice
The Blind Side
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Chéri
Personal Effects
Revolutionary Road
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys
Stand Up to Cancer
The Golden Compass
P.S. I Love You
Fred Claus
Bee Movie
Christmas Is Here Again
The Big Bang Theory
Guilty Hearts
Chelsea Lately
Charlotte's Web
Bonneville
Relative Strangers
Failure to Launch
Rumor Has It...
Six Feet Under: In Memoriam
Ambulance Girl
Warm Springs
The Office
American Dad!
Hansel and Gretel
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing
Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy
Little Black Book
Around the World in 80 Days
Two and a Half Men
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Celebrity Naked Ambition
Declaration of Independence
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Misery Loves Company
Love Liza
About Schmidt
Unconditional Love
Dragonfly
Making Rat Race
My Sister's Keeper
American Outlaws
Rat Race
Six Feet Under
Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood
Bruno
Annie
Baby Steps
A Civil Action
Moments of Discovery: The Making of Fried Green Tomatoes
The Waterboy
The Effects of Magic
Titanic: Breaking New Ground
Primary Colors
Swept from the Sea
Titanic
The View
Happy Birthday Elizabeth: A Celebration of Life
King of the Hill
The War at Home
The Daily Show
Diabolique
The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful
The Late Shift
3rd Rock from the Sun
The West Side Waltz
MADtv
Angus
Talking With
Dolores Claiborne
Curse of the Starving Class
Inside the Actors Studio
North
The Stand
Tupperware!
A Home of Our Own
Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun
Used People
Hostages
Prelude to a Kiss
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories
Fried Green Tomatoes
At Play in the Fields of the Lord
Shadows and Fog
The Road to Mecca
Misery
White Palace
Dick Tracy
Men Don't Leave
No Place Like Home
High Stakes
Roe vs. Wade
Signs of Life
American Experience
Arthur 2: On the Rocks
China Beach
My Best Friend Is a Vampire
Summer Heat
Murder Ordained
Murder Ordained
The Morning After
L.A. Law
Johnny Bull
Two of a Kind
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
St. Elsewhere
Cagney & Lacey
Straight Time
The Love Boat
Taking Off
Great Performances
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Oscars
Hallmark Hall of Fame
The Emmy Awards