MISERY (Thriller)

Kathy Bates won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance as Stephen King's psychotic Paul Sheldon fan, Annie Wilkes, in the suspenseful thriller, "Misery".

ABOUT KATHY BATES (1946 - )

Born Kathleen Doyle-Bates on June 28, 1948 in Memphis, Tennessee, Kathy Bates is the youngest of three girls and goes by "Bobo" to those closest to her. In 1991 she married Tony Campisi, having lived together for the previous twelve years, and the two spent the next six years as husband and wife until their divorce in 1997. Despite her stature, only 5'3", Bates is anything but diminutive. In fact, it is her strong personality that has become a trademark for many of her successful roles. Bates knows how to make an impression and leave you hungry for more; whether it's her psychotic rendition of Annie Wilkes in MISERY or her savvy humor as an aristocrat in TITANIC.

Kathy Bates began her long road to stardom at Southern Methodist University where she received her BFA in Theatre in 1969. Upon graduation, Bates began a lengthy career as a stage actress, where she is most notably at home, on Broadway. In 1983 she was nominated for the Tony's Best Actress Award for her performance in NIGHT-MOTHER. What's more, playwright Terrence McNally specifically crafted the role of Frankie, of the 1987 off-Broadway production "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune", with Bates in mind. Needless to say, she nailed it.

But when it came time to take the play to the big screen Bates was unreasonably passed up with a much younger Michelle Pfeiffer selected to play the role. That same year however, Bates received her major motion breakthrough was when she starred as Annie Wilke's in the 1990 Stephen King rendition of MISERY. Not only did Bates win an Oscar for her villainous lead, but she was ranked #17 in the American Film Institute's list of “100 Years of the Greatest Screen Villains”. It seems alls well that ends well after all.

Her next major motion role as a downtrodden housewife in 1992's FRIED GREEN TOMATOES placed Bates alongside stars like Jessica Tandy. Bates was gaining both exposure and experience and was doing so with the utmost grace and realism. She was attune to playing her roles with a naturalness that lacked all signs of artifice or forced emotion. It's her take-it-or-leave-it acting style that made her the perfect fit for the role of Dolores Claiborne in 1995's DOLORES CLAIBORNE, which further proliferated Bates trademark as an actress whose roles focused on "women living on the edge", of sanity most likely.

But Bates hasn't limited herself to remaining in front of the camera. In 2003 she helped direct FARGO (TV) after building a resume via her involvement in the direction of 1999's DASH AND LILY, and multiple episodes of 2001's SIX FEET UNDER. Bates has also tried her hand at producing, with 2004's INGRATE, as well as composing, with 1997's TAKING OFF.

What with a resume loaded full of accomplishments that equates to nothing short of star-status, Kathy Bates is, if nothing else, real. She plays her roles with a grit and honesty that would make most people blush. Be it her nude scenes in 1991's AT PLAY IN HTE FIELDS OF THE LORD or 2002's ABOUT SCHMIDT, or her zealous portrayal of a psychotic, Bates proves that whatever the vehicle, she will catch your attention. What's more, she'll make you look her in the eye while doing so.

*Currently, Bates is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors.

Kathy Bates' other credits include:

TAKING OFF (1971)
STRAIGHT TIME (1978)
SUMMER HEAT (1987)
ARTHUR 2 - ON THE ROCKS (1988)
MEN DON'T LEAVE (1990)
DICK TRACY (1990)
HIGH STAKES (1989)
WHITE PALACE (1990)
PRELUDE TO A KISS (1992)
SHADOWS AND FOG (1992)
USED PEOPLE (1992)
CURSE OF THE STARVING CLASS (1994)
DIABOLIQUE (1996)
THE WAR AT HOME (1996)
SWEPT FROM THE SEA (1997)
TITANIC (1997)
PRIMARY COLORS (1998)
THE WATERBOY (1998)
BABY STEPS (1999)
BRUNO (2000)
RAT RACE (2001)
AMERICAN OUTLAWS (2001)
LOVE LIZA (2002)
DRAGONFLY (2002)
ABOUT SCHMIDT (2002)
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE (2002)
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (2004)
LITTLE BLACK BOOK (2004)
THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY (2004)
3 & 3 (2005)
RUMOR HAS IT (2005)
HAVE MERCY (2006)
SOLACE (2006)
FAILURE TO LAUNCH (2006)
RELATIVE STRANGERS (2006)
BONNEVILLE (2006)
CHARLOTTE'S WEB (2006)
CHRISTMAS IS HERE AGAIN (2007)
BEE MOVIE (2007)
FRED CLAUS (2007)
THE GOLDEN COMPASS (2007)
P.S. I LOVE YOU (2007)
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (2008)
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (2008)
CHERI (2009)
PERSONAL EFFECTS (2009)
THE BLIND SIDE (2009)
VALENTINE'S DAY (2010)

Kathy Bates' television credits include...

ALL MY CHILDREN (series) (1970)
NO PLACE LIKE HOME (1989)
ROE VS WADE (1989)
JOHNNY BULL (1986)
MURDER ORDAINED (1987)
HOSTAGES (1993)
THE STAND (mini-series) (1994)
THE LATE SHIFT (1996)
THE WEST SIDE WALTZ (1995)
ANNIE (1999)
MY SISTER'S KEEPER (2002)

Kathy Bates in FRIED GREEN TOMATOES (1991)

Kathy Bates in RAT RACE (2001)

Kathy Bates in TITANIC

THE KATHY BATES ACTING REVIEW