Kathy Bates
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- June 28, 1948
- Birthplace
- Memphis, Tennessee, USA
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).
Filmography
- The Smack
The Smack TBA
as Babs
Rob Reiner – Scenes from a Life 2025
as Self
The Great Lillian Hall 2024
as Edith Wilson, Executive Producer
A Family Affair 2024
as Leila Ford
Summer Camp 2024
as Ginny Moon
Titanic: Stories from the Heart 2023
as Self (archive footage)
The Miracle Club 2023
as Eileen Dunne
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. 2023
as Sylvia Simon
Home 2021
as Bernadette
Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony 2021
as Self (archive footage)
Richard Jewell 2019
as Bobi Jewell
The Highwaymen 2019
as Ma Ferguson
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan 2019
as Barbara Haggermaker
On the Basis of Sex 2018
as Dorothy Kenyon
Krystal 2018
as Vera
Bad Santa 2 2016
as Sunny Soke
Complete Unknown 2016
as Nina
The Boss 2016
as Ida Marquette
The Great Gilly Hopkins 2015
as Maime Trotter
Boychoir 2015
as Headmistress
- Return to the 5 & Dime: An Interview with Ed Graczyk
Return to the 5 & Dime: An Interview with Ed Graczyk 2014
as Self – Stella Mae (archive footage)
Tammy 2014
as Lenore
- Cadaver
Cadaver 2012
as Beth
Reflections on Titanic 2012
as Self
Midnight in Paris 2011
as Gertrude Stein
You May Not Kiss the Bride 2011
as Bryan's Mother
A Little Bit of Heaven 2011
as Beverly Corbett
Valentine's Day 2010
as Susan
The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club 2009
as Pancho Barnes (Voice)
The Blind Side 2009
as Miss Sue
Chéri 2009
as Madame Peloux
Personal Effects 2009
as Gloria
Revolutionary Road 2008
as Mrs. Helen Givings
The Day the Earth Stood Still 2008
as Regina Jackson
Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys 2008
as Charlotte Cartwright
The Golden Compass 2007
as Hester (voice)
P.S. I Love You 2007
as Patricia
Fred Claus 2007
as Mother Claus
Bee Movie 2007
as Janet Benson (voice)
Christmas Is Here Again 2007
as Miss Dowdy (voice)
Guilty Hearts 2007
as The Judge
Charlotte's Web 2006
as Bitsy the Cow (voice)
Bonneville 2006
as Margene Cunningham
Relative Strangers 2006
as Agnes Menure
Failure to Launch 2006
as Sue
Rumor Has It... 2005
as Aunt Mitsy (uncredited)
Six Feet Under: In Memoriam 2005
as Herself
Ambulance Girl 2005
as Jane Stern, Director
Warm Springs 2005
as Helena Mahoney
Hansel and Gretel 2005
as Narrator (voice)
The Bridge of San Luis Rey 2004
as The Marquesa
The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing 2004
as Narrator (voice)
Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy 2004
as Siren / Sea Hag (voice)
Little Black Book 2004
as Kippie Kann
Around the World in 80 Days 2004
as Queen Victoria
Tupperware! 2004
as Narrator
Fargo 2003
Director
Celebrity Naked Ambition 2003
as Self (archive footage)
Declaration of Independence 2003
as Self
Misery Loves Company 2003
as Self
Love Liza 2002
as Mary Ann Bankhead
About Schmidt 2002
as Roberta Hertzel
Unconditional Love 2002
as Grace Beasley
Dragonfly 2002
as Mrs. Belmont
Making Rat Race 2002
as Herself
My Sister's Keeper 2002
as Christine Chapman
Rat Race 2001
as The Squirrel Lady (uncredited)
American Outlaws 2001
as Ma James
Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood 2000
as Frances Marion (voice)
Bruno 2000
as Mother Superior
Annie 1999
as Miss Agatha Hannigan
- Baby Steps
Baby Steps 1999
as Mrs. Mellon
Dash and Lilly 1999
Director
A Civil Action 1998
as Bankruptcy Judge (uncredited)
Moments of Discovery: The Making of Fried Green Tomatoes 1998
as Self
The Waterboy 1998
as Mama Boucher
The Effects of Magic 1998
as Raphaella, the Magic Bunny
Titanic: Breaking New Ground 1998
as Self
Primary Colors 1998
as Libby Holden
Swept from the Sea 1998
as Miss Swaffer
Titanic 1997
as Molly Brown
- Happy Birthday Elizabeth: A Celebration of Life
Happy Birthday Elizabeth: A Celebration of Life 1997
as Self
The War at Home 1996
as Maurine Collier
Diabolique 1996
as Det. Shirley Vogel
The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful 1996
as Self
The Late Shift 1996
as Helen Kushnick
The West Side Waltz 1995
as Mr. Goo
Angus 1995
as Meg Bethune
Talking With 1995
as Big Eight (segment "Rodeo"), Director
Dolores Claiborne 1995
as Dolores Claiborne
Curse of the Starving Class 1994
as Ella Tate
North 1994
as Alaskan Mom
A Home of Our Own 1993
as Frances Lacey
Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun 1993
as Lunar Mom
Used People 1992
as Bibby Berman
Hostages 1992
as Peggy Say
Prelude to a Kiss 1992
as Leah Blier
Fried Green Tomatoes 1991
as Evelyn Couch
At Play in the Fields of the Lord 1991
as Hazel Quarrier
Shadows and Fog 1991
as Prostitute
- The Road to Mecca
The Road to Mecca 1991
as Elsa Barlow
Misery 1990
as Annie Wilkes
White Palace 1990
as Rosemary
Dick Tracy 1990
as Mrs. Green
Men Don't Leave 1990
as Lisa Coleman
No Place Like Home 1989
as Bonnie Cooper
High Stakes 1989
as Jill
Roe vs. Wade 1989
as Jessie
Signs of Life 1989
as Mary Beth Alder
Arthur 2: On the Rocks 1988
as Mrs. Canby
My Best Friend Is a Vampire 1987
as Helen Blake
Summer Heat 1987
as Ruth
Murder Ordained 1987
as Bobbi Birk
The Morning After 1986
as Woman on Mateo Street
Johnny Bull 1986
as Katherine Kovacs
Two of a Kind 1983
as Furniture Man's Wife
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean 1982
as Stella Mae
Straight Time 1978
as Selma Darin
Taking Off 1971
as Audition Singer
Credits from TMDB.