Kathy Bates
Biography
Kathy Bates is an American actress and director whose career has lasted more than fifty years. Born in Memphis, she attended Southern Methodist University for theater studies and then relocated to New York City to pursue acting. Her stage work included a Tony nomination for the play night, Mother and an Obie Award for Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. She broke through on screen as Annie Wilkes in Misery (1990), which won her the Academy Award for Best Actress. She received additional Oscar nominations for Primary Colors (1998), About Schmidt (2002), and Richard Jewell (2019). She also appeared in Titanic (1997), Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), Dolores Claiborne (1995), and The Waterboy (1998). On television, she won Emmys for Two and a Half Men and American Horror Story: Coven, and in 2024 she began playing the lead in Matlock. She has also directed for television and film.
78years old
Turns 79 on June 28in 259 days
- Born Memphis
- Star sign: CancerThe sign runs June 21 to July 22
- Kathleen Doyle Bates (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 71
- Career span
- 46 years1978 to 2024
First and latest
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A first
Kathy Bates was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2025 at age 77, making her the oldest person ever nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
Behind the award
Terrence McNally wrote Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune specifically for Kathy Bates, and she won an Obie Award for Best Actress for the 1988 production.
Behind the award
In 2012, Bates played the ghost of Charlie Harper in an episode of Two and a Half Men, and that guest appearance brought her a first Emmy Award after nine nominations.
A first
In 1979, Kathy Bates was the first to play Lenny in Crimes of the Heart, which opened at the Actors Theatre of Louisville.
Behind the camera
Kathy Bates made her feature film directorial debut with Have Mercy in 2006, in which she also co-starred with Melanie Griffith.
Kathy Bates movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
John Lee Hancock directed two of these films, Woody Allen two and Rob Reiner two. Stephen Tobolowsky appears in four of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Stephen Tobolowsky's page
Susan Sarandon's page
Dan Aykroyd's page
Shirley MacLaine's page
Rachel Weisz's page
Jessica Lange's page
John Lee HancockDirector, 2 films, 2009 to 2019
All films by John Lee Hancock
All films by Woody Allen
Box office
What Kathy Bates's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$5.6 billion
53 of the 71 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 71 films: 53 worldwide figure; 6 us gross only; 7 never in cinemas; 1 streaming, short cinema run; 4 figure not found.
- 53Worldwide figure
- 6US gross only
- 7Never in cinemas
- 1Streaming, short cinema run
- 4Figure not found
Top grosser
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 71% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$2.3B40.2% of the total
- 2$372M6.6% of the total
- 3$309M5.5% of the total
- 4$288M5.1% of the total
- 5$233M4.1% of the total
- 6$217M3.8% of the total
- 7$186M3.3% of the total
- 8$157M2.8% of the total
$1.6 billionfrom the other 45 films with a worldwide figure, 29% of the total
Awards
Eight awards and honors from 1991 to 2014, six of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 1991 | Best Actress | Misery | Won |
| Golden Globes | |||
| Awards | Won | ||
| Emmy Awards | |||
| 2014 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | American Horror Story: Coven | Won |
| 2012 | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Two and a Half Men | Won |
| SAG Awards | |||
| Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | Won | ||
| Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role | Won | ||
| Other honors | |||
| Mary Pickford Award | Won | ||
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.