Multi-talented Kathleen Doyle Bates was born on June 28, 1948, and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. She is the youngest of three girls born to Bertye Kathleen for which she won an Emmy as Ethel Darling. Divorced from her husband since 1997, Kathy has been the Executive Committee Chair of the Actors Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors.
Born at 11:12am-CDT.
Her two older sisters appeared briefly in Primary Colors .
Is the youngest of three daughters of Langdon Doyle and Bertye Kathleen Bates.
Did her first ever nude scene at age 43 in At Play in the Fields of the Lord . She disrobed again for About Schmidt .
Lived with ex-husband Tony Campisi for 12 years before marrying him.
Has two older sisters: Patricia Bates and Mary Bates.
Attended and graduated from White Station High School in Memphis, Tennessee.
Received her Bachelors degree in Fine Arts for Theatre from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
Her Oscar-winning role as Annie Wilkes in Misery was ranked #17 on the American Film Institutes villains list of the 100 years of The Greatest Screen Heroes and Villains.
Was nominated for Broadways 1983 Tony Award as Best Actress (Play) for "night, Mother".
Playwright Terrence McNally originally wrote the role of Frankie in "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune" for Bates. Johnny was played by Kenneth Welsh in the 1987 Off-Broadway production that starred Bates.
Member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Actors Branch) [1998-2007].
Auditioned for the role of Janet Wood on "Threes Company" , which ultimately went to Joyce DeWitt. Bates says she was relieved she did not get the role because, after auditioning, she felt she really did not want it.
Her performance as Annie Wilkes in Misery is ranked #77 on Premiere magazines 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.
Often mistaken for comedienne Roseanne Barr , who in turn has spoofed Bates role as Annie Wilkes in Misery in a "Saturday Night Live" sketch.
Is an artist and writer and hopes to someday write and illustrate her own childrens book. Has spoken at award ceremonies for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
In 2005, she and the rest of the chief creative team behind the "American Experience" documentary "Tupperware!" which aired on PBS were awarded the (George Foster) Peabody Award for excellence in electronic (i.e. television and radio) media. It was the 64th presentation of the internationally-renowned prize.
Is close friends with Adam Sandler , Jack Nicholson , Elizabeth Perkins , John Travolta , Meryl Streep , Kate Winslet and Oprah Winfrey.
Donated $1 million to Hurricane Katrina victims.
With her role in The Family That Preys , she was the first white actress to have a lead role in a Tyler Perry movie.
Has said Dolores Claiborne is her favorite film role.
Warren Beatty originally offered her a small role in his film Reds , however she was unable to obtain an international visa for her to film her role overseas. He kept contact with her and gave the role of a stenographer to Bates in his follow up Dick Tracy .
She was the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Actress in a horror/thriller for her role as Annie Wilkes in Misery .
Bates grandfather, Memphis attorney Finis Langdon Bates, wrote the book "The Escape and Suicide of John Wilkes Booth" in 1907. It is said to be Bates non-fiction account of hearing a deathbed confession from a man who claimed to be Abraham Lincolns assassin, Booth, who had escaped capture and lived under another name out west (source: pbs.org).
Bates was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2003, but she did not reveal her illness to the general public until 2009. She stated that she has been "in total remission" for over five and a half years, as of January 2009. In September 2012, Bates announced via Twitter that she has breast cancer and is recovering from a double mastectomy.
Is one of three actresses to have won the Best Actress Academy Award for their portrayal of a character named "Annie". The others are Anne Bancroft (for The Miracle Worker ) and Diane Keaton (for Annie Hall ).
Was the 102nd actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Actress Oscar for Misery at The 63rd Annual Academy Awards on March 25, 1991.
She was awarded the 1986 Drama Logue Award for Outstanding Performance for "night, Mother" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
She was awarded the 1988 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Lead Performance for "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair De Lune" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6927 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on September 20, 2016.
She was awarded the 1988 Drama Logue Award for Outstanding Performance for "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair De Lune" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
Is one of 3 actresses who have won both the Best Actress Oscar (hers being for Misery ) and the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy (hers being for "Two and a Half Men" ). The other actresses are Emma Thompson and Gwyneth Paltrow.
The Oscar changed everything. Better salary, working with better people,better projects, more exposure, less privacy.
It was hard, not just for the lack of work, but because you have to,face up to how people are looking at you.
My mother used to tell this corny story about how the doctor smacked me,on the behind when I was born and I thought it was applause, and I have,been looking for it ever since.
