Jun 28, 1948

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Kathleen Doyle Bates is an Academy Award-winning American theatrical, film, and television actress, and a stage and television director. She is perhaps best known for her Oscar-winning performance in the 1990 thriller Misery, her role in Adam Sandler's cult classic The Waterboy and as Molly Brown in James Cameron's mega blockbuster Titanic.
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She performed in little-seen films such as Summer Heat and The Morning After, and guest-starred in television shows such as L.A. Law before land... ... (read more...) ing the role of obsessed fan Annie Wilkes, who holds her favorite author (played by James Caan) captive in the 1990 thriller Misery, which was based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. She received her first Academy Award nomination for that role, winning Best Actress. Soon after, she starred with Jessica Tandy in the acclaimed 1991 movie Fried Green Tomatoes. In 1995, she turned in another applauded portrayal as the title character in Dolores Claiborne, although she was surprisingly not nominated for an Oscar. She also excelled in her role as the acid-tongued "dustbuster" political advisor Libby Holden in the 1998 Primary Colors, which was adapted from the book in which political journalist Joe Klein recounted his experiences on the Presidential campaign trail in 1991-1992. For this performance, she received her second Academy Award nomination, for Best supporting actress, though she did not win. She was nominated again, in 2002, for About Schmidt, though again, she was denied the award.