Kathy Bates
Known for: Acting
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
Series
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Self
2019
Series
The Office
Jo Bennett
2005
Series
The Love Boat
Sally Allison
1977
Series
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest
2009
Series
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
1962
Series
The Daily Show
Self
1996
Series
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self - Guest
2015
Series
American Dad!
D.O. Rothy (voice)
2005
Series
American Horror Story
Delphine LaLaurie
2011
Series
American Horror Story
Ethel Darling
2011
Series
American Horror Story
Iris
2011
Series
American Horror Story
Agnes Mary Winstead
2011
Series
American Horror Story
Miriam Mead / Delphine LaLaurie
2011
Series
The View
Self
1997
Series
Two and a Half Men
Charlie Harper
2003
Series
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Self
2022
Series
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self - Guest
2003
Series
King of the Hill
Patrol Officer Jane Cooper (voice)
1997
Series
Great Performances
Self
1971
Series
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Self
2003
Series
The Big Bang Theory
Mrs. Fowler
2007
Series
L.A. Law
Charlotte Haley
1986
Series
Six Feet Under
Bettina
2001
Series
American Experience
Narrator (voice)
1988
Series
American Experience
Narrator
1988
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee / Presenter
1944
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self
1944
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee
1944
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Audience Member
1944
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Winner
1944
Series
St. Elsewhere
Polly Miller
1982
Series
3rd Rock from the Sun
Charlotte Everly
1996
Series
American Playhouse
Mary Beth Alder
1982
Film
Titanic
Molly Brown
1997
Series
Chelsea Lately
Self (archive footage)
2007
Series
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Self
2014
Series
Cagney & Lacey
1982
Series
Matlock
Madeline 'Matty' Matlock
2024
Series
Mike & Molly
Kay
2010
Series
Lip Sync Battle
Self
2015
Series
Chelsea
Self
2016
Series
China Beach
1988
Series
Harry's Law
Harriet 'Harry' Korn
2011
Series
The Oscars
Self
1953
Series
The Stand
Rae Flowers (uncredited)
1994
Series
FEUD
Joan Blondell
2017
Film
Bee Movie
Janet Benson (voice)
2007
Film
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Regina Jackson
2008
Film
The Blind Side
Miss Sue
2009
Film
Misery
Annie Wilkes
1990
Film
Midnight in Paris
Gertrude Stein
2011
Film
The Golden Compass
Hester (voice)
2007
Series
Off Script with The Hollywood Reporter
Self
2023
Film
Around the World in 80 Days
Queen Victoria
2004
Series
Disjointed
Ruth
2017
Film
P.S. I Love You
Patricia
2007
Film
Fried Green Tomatoes
Evelyn Couch
1991
Film
Charlotte's Web
Bitsy the Cow (voice)
2006
Film
Revolutionary Road
Mrs. Helen Givings
2008
Film
Rat Race
The Squirrel Lady (uncredited)
2001
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Christine Chapman
1951
Series
The Emmy Awards
Self
1949
Film
Richard Jewell
Bobi Jewell
2019
Film
Dragonfly
Mrs. Belmont
2002
Series
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories
Narrator (voice)
1992
Film
Fred Claus
Mother Claus
2007
Film
The Waterboy
Mama Boucher
1998
Film
Failure to Launch
Sue
2006
Film
Valentine's Day
Susan
2010
Film
On the Basis of Sex
Dorothy Kenyon
2018
Film
The Highwaymen
Ma Ferguson
2019
Series
Alice
Queen of Hearts
2009
Series
Scholastic Storybook Treasures: The Classic Collection
Film
A Family Affair
Leila Ford
2024
Film
Dolores Claiborne
Dolores Claiborne
1995
Film
Rumor Has It...
Aunt Mitsy (uncredited)
2005
Series
MADtv
Stuart's Grandma
1995
Film
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
Sylvia Simon
2023
Series
Stand Up to Cancer
Self
2008
Film
The Boss
Ida Marquette
2016
Film
Bad Santa 2
Sunny Soke
2016
Film
Dick Tracy
Mrs. Green
1990
Film
The Miracle Club
Eileen Dunne
2023
Film
Tammy
Lenore
2014
Film
Primary Colors
Libby Holden
1998
Film
Warm Springs
Helena Mahoney
2005
Film
White Palace
Rosemary
1990
Film
A Civil Action
Bankruptcy Judge (uncredited)
1998
Film
American Outlaws
Ma James
2001
Film
Chéri
Madame Peloux
2009
Film
A Little Bit of Heaven
Beverly Corbett
2011
Film
North
Alaskan Mom
1994
Series
Murder Ordained
Bobbi Birk
1987
Film
About Schmidt
Roberta Hertzel
2002
Film
You May Not Kiss the Bride
Bryan's Mother
2011
Film
Diabolique
Det. Shirley Vogel
1996
Film
The Great Gilly Hopkins
Maime Trotter
2015
Film
Home
Bernadette
2021
Film
Personal Effects
Gloria
2009
Film
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan
Barbara Haggermaker
2019
Film
A Home of Our Own
Frances Lacey
1993
Film
Men Don't Leave
Lisa Coleman
1990
Film
Complete Unknown
Nina
2016
Film
Summer Camp
Ginny Moon
2024
Film
Little Black Book
Kippie Kann
2004
Film
Celebrity Naked Ambition
Self (archive footage)
2003
Film
Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys
Charlotte Cartwright
2008
Film
Straight Time
Selma Darin
1978
Film
Prelude to a Kiss
Leah Blier
1992
Film
Annie
Miss Agatha Hannigan
1999
Film
Two of a Kind
Furniture Man's Wife
1983
Film
Krystal
Vera
2018
Film
Swept from the Sea
Miss Swaffer
1998
Series
Inside the Actors Studio
Self
1994
Film
My Best Friend Is a Vampire
Helen Blake
1987
Film
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
The Marquesa
2004
Film
Boychoir
Headmistress
2015
Film
The Great Lillian Hall
Edith Wilson
2024
Film
Shadows and Fog
Prostitute
1991
Film
Love Liza
Mary Ann Bankhead
2002
Film
Roe vs. Wade
Jessie
1989
Film
At Play in the Fields of the Lord
Hazel Quarrier
1991
Film
Arthur 2: On the Rocks
Mrs. Canby
1988
Film
Angus
Meg Bethune
1995
Film
Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy
Siren / Sea Hag (voice)
2004
Film
Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony
Self (archive footage)
2021
Film
Used People
Bibby Berman
1992
Film
Bruno
Mother Superior
2000
Film
The Morning After
Woman on Mateo Street
1986
Film
Summer Heat
Ruth
1987
Film
Rob Reiner – Scenes from a Life
Self
2025
Film
Relative Strangers
Agnes Menure
2006
Film
The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing
Narrator (voice)
2004
Film
No Place Like Home
Bonnie Cooper
1989
Film
Unconditional Love
Grace Beasley
2002
Film
The Late Shift
Helen Kushnick
1996
Film
Christmas Is Here Again
Miss Dowdy (voice)
2007
Film
The War at Home
Maurine Collier
1996
Film
Taking Off
Audition Singer
1971
Film
Bonneville
Margene Cunningham
2006
Film
Curse of the Starving Class
Ella Tate
1994
Film
My Sister's Keeper
Christine Chapman
2002
Film
The West Side Waltz
Mr. Goo
1995
Film
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
Stella Mae
1982
Film
Signs of Life
Mary Beth Alder
1989
Film
Titanic: Breaking New Ground
Self
1998
Return to the 5 & Dime: An Interview with Ed Graczyk
Self – Stella Mae (archive footage)
2014
Film
The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful
Self
1996
Film
Titanic: Stories from the Heart
Self (archive footage)
2023
Film
Declaration of Independence
Self
2003
Film
Guilty Hearts
The Judge
2007
Film
Making Rat Race
Herself
2002
Film
Reflections on Titanic
Self
2012
Film
Moments of Discovery: The Making of Fried Green Tomatoes
Self
1998
Film
Six Feet Under: In Memoriam
Herself
2005
Film
High Stakes
Jill
1989
Film
Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun
Lunar Mom
1993
Film
Tupperware!
Narrator
2004
Film
Hostages
Peggy Say
1992
Film
The Effects of Magic
Raphaella, the Magic Bunny
1998
Film
Murder Ordained
Bobbi Birk
1987
Film
Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood
Frances Marion (voice)
2000
The Road to Mecca
Elsa Barlow
1991
Baby Steps
Mrs. Mellon
1999
Film
Ambulance Girl
Jane Stern
2005
Film
Talking With
Big Eight (segment "Rodeo")
1995
Happy Birthday Elizabeth: A Celebration of Life
Self
1997
The Smack
Babs
Film
The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club
Pancho Barnes (Voice)
2009
Cadaver
Beth
2012
Film
Johnny Bull
Katherine Kovacs
1986
Film
Misery Loves Company
Self
2003
Film
Hansel and Gretel
Narrator (voice)
2005