Kathy Bates

Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two 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 horror film 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) and supporting roles in Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) and Titanic (1997); the latter, in which she portrayed Molly Brown, became the highest-grossing film to that point. Bates received Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nominations for her work in Primary Colors (1998) and About Schmidt (2002).

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