Kathy Bates

Kathleen Doyle Bates was born on June 28, 1948, in Memphis, Tennessee, the youngest of three daughters of mechanical engineer Langdon Bates and homemaker Bertye Kathleen Bates. Her paternal grandfather, Finis L. Bates, was a lawyer and author. Bates graduated early from White Station High School in 1965 and completed her theater studies at Southern Methodist University in 1969, where she also joined the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. She relocated to New York City in 1970 to pursue acting and later trained at the William Esper Studio for the performing arts in Manhattan.

Her early years in New York were marked by financial struggle. To support herself, Bates worked odd jobs, including a stint as a cashier at the Museum of Modern Art, while taking on minor stage roles. Her first on-screen appearance came in Miloš Forman's comedy Taking Off in 1971, where she was credited as "Bobo Bates." She continued performing on stage throughout the 1970s, including work with Wayside Theatre on Tour in 1973. Her first Off-Broadway role came in the 1976 production of Vanities. In 1979, she originated the role of Lenny in the premiere production of Crimes of the Heart at the Actors Theatre of Louisville.

Bates established her Broadway presence between 1980 and 1983, appearing in four productions: Lanford Wilson's Fifth of July, Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Goodbye Fidel, and 'night, Mother. The Robert Altman-directed Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean in 1982 featured her alongside Karen Black and Cher. Her performance in 'night, Mother, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Marsha Norman, earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Play in 1983, and the production ran for more than a year. During this same period, she made television appearances on series including The Love Boat, Cagney & Lacey, St. Elsewhere, and several soap operas such as The Doctors, All My Children, and One Life to Live.

Following her Broadway work, Bates continued to find success Off-Broadway. In 1988, Terrence McNally wrote Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune specifically for her, and her performance earned her an Obie Award for Best Actress. That same year, she succeeded Amy Irving in the Off-Broadway production of The Road to Mecca.

Her transition to film accelerated with her lead role in the 1990 psychological thriller Misery, based on Stephen King's novel, in which she portrayed Annie Wilkes. The performance won her the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama. The American Film Institute later ranked Annie Wilkes as the 17th most iconic villain in film history. Bates followed that breakthrough with Fried Green Tomatoes in 1991, which earned her a BAFTA Award nomination, and Dolores Claiborne in 1995, another Stephen King adaptation for which she received a Saturn Award nomination. She appeared in James Cameron's Titanic in 1997, portraying socialite Molly Brown, and received her second Academy Award nomination for her role as political advisor Libby Holden in Primary Colors in 1998. Additional Oscar nominations followed for About Schmidt in 2002 and Richard Jewell in 2019. Her other film credits include The Waterboy, Revolutionary Road, The Blind Side, Midnight in Paris, and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Bates also built a substantial television career. She received her first Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Helen Kushnick in HBO's The Late Shift in 1996, a role that also brought her a Golden Globe Award win and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She went on to win two Primetime Emmy Awards, one for playing the Ghost of Charlie Harper in Two and a Half Men in 2012 and another for her portrayal of Delphine LaLaurie in American Horror Story: Coven in 2013. Additional Emmy nominations came for The Late Shift, Annie, Six Feet Under, Warm Springs, Harry's Law, American Horror Story: Freak Show, and American Horror Story: Hotel. Beginning in 2024, she stars as the titular lead in the CBS series Matlock, a role for which she also received an Emmy nomination.

Beyond acting, Bates began directing television in 1995, with early credits including episodes of Great Performances, Homicide: Life on the Street, and NYPD Blue. After undergoing a double mastectomy and developing lymphedema, she became a spokesperson for the Lymphatic Education and Research Network. Her accolades across stage, film, and television include an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Tony Award nomination, and two BAFTA Award nominations.