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Born on June 28, 1948 in Memphis, Tennessee, Kathy Bates moved to New York City in the '70s to pursue a career in acting. Her first appearance was in the 1971 comedy, Taking Off, and she wouldn't received another film offer until 1978 when she starred alongside Dustin Hoffman in Straight Time. Since then, Bates has had acting and directorial credits in over 200 films, shows and broadway plays!
Check out more on the illustrious career of Kathy Bates...
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Let's be real: any Stephen King novel to movie adaption is always terrifying. So when Kathy Bates was cast in the 1990 film Misery, she portrayed the frightening "Annie Wilkes" and garnered much praise for her performance! It was her breakthrough role in Hollywood, and she received an Academy Award for Best Actress.
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In 1996, Kathy portrayed Jay Leno's manager, Helen Kushnick, in the TV film The Late Shift. The film is based loosely on the network politics of late-night programming of the '90s, specifically after the death of Johnny Carson. She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as receiving her first Emmy Award nomination under the same category! Additionally, she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor.
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Kathy Bates starred alongside Jessica Tandy, Mary-Louise Parker and Mary Stuart Masterson in the 1991 film Fried Green Tomatoes. The film was a box office success, having earned over $119 million against an $11 million budget! It's one of Bates most famous roles where she plays an unhappy housewife of the 1940's named "Evelyn". Bates received both a Golden Globe and BAFTA nomination for her role.
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Kathy received her first Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role in Primary Colors. The 1998 comedy-drama film is directed by Mike Nichols, and was based off of the novel Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics. Kathy stars opposite John Travolta, Billy Bob Thornton, Emma Thompson and Maura Tierney. Other nominations for Bates included an Emmy, BAFTA, Golden Globe and a SAG Award win for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role!
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In 1999, Kathy starred in the Disney television adaptation of Annie, where she portrayed "Miss Hannigan", the antagonist and tyrannical head of the orphanage. Her part garnered her several nominations once again, including an Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG award.
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Although Kathy Bates had appeared in a few episodes of the NBC comedy The Office, it wasn't until the series Harry's Law that she finally landed her first leading TV role. In the show, she played "Harriet "Harry" Korn", a premier patent lawyer. While the show only lasted for 2 seasons, it was long enough for Kathy to be nominated for both an Emmy and a SAG award!
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Kathy starred opposite Jack Nicholson in the 2002 comedy-drama film, About Schmidt. She grabbed everyone's attention in the movie by filming a nude tub scene! She told Hello! magazine: "People either laugh or cheer. [...] I think there are a lot of women in the audience who are thrilled to see a real woman up on the screen in all her glory."
Again, she was nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe and SAG Award for Best Supporting Actress.
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More recently, Kathy Bates has been the face of FX's horror anthology series 'American Horror Story'. She appeared in 58 episodes from 2013-2018! Additionally, she's also won a Primetime Emmy Award for her part in 'American Horror Story: Coven', the third season of the haunting series.
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Kathy Bates never ceases to amaze us in her powerful, yet sometimes daunting roles. With other movie appearances including Titanic or The Waterboy, Kathy has shown us she can truly star in anything! And her numerous awards can speak for themselves. We're excited to see what part she'll play next!
Kathy Bates is one of the most iconic female leads of Hollywood! She's been in the business since the 1970's and is the recipient of an Academy Award, as well as multiple Emmy's and Golden Globe Awards, just to name a few!
Check out more on Kathy Bates career right here!