Lois Smith
Known for Acting · 132 credits
- Born
- 1930-11-03 (age 95)
- Place of birth
- Topeka, Kansas, USA
- Also known as
- Lois Arlene Humbert · Lois Arlene Smith · لوئیس اسمیت
Biography
Lois Arlene Smith (née Humbert; born November 3, 1930) is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1955 drama film East of Eden, and later played supporting roles in a number of movies, including Five Easy Pieces (1970), Resurrection (1980), Fatal Attraction (1987), Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), Dead Man Walking, Twister (1996), Minority Report (2002), The Nice Guys (2016) and Lady Bird (2017).
In 2017, Smith received critical acclaim for her leading performance in the science-fiction drama film Marjorie Prime, for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Awards, Gotham Awards and Saturn Award, and well as won Satellite Award. Smith also has had many roles on television, both daytime and prime time. She was regular cast member in the HBO horror drama True Blood, and well as received Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series nomination for The Americans.
Smith also is known for her extensive work in the theatre, receiving two Tony Award nominations for originating the role of Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1990) and for the role of Halie in a revival of Buried Child in 1996. She also starred in an acclaimed Off-Broadway revival of The Trip to Bountiful in 2005 for which she received an Obie Award for Best Actress, an Outer Critics Circle Award, a Lucille Lortel Award, and a Drama Desk Award. Smith is an ensemble member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Lois Smith, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
TV Shows (52)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
as Rebecca Tolliver
Law & Order
1990
as Eunice Varick
Grey's Anatomy
2005
as Mrs. Dickerson
The Blacklist
2013
as Lucy Game
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
2001
as Betty Bennett
Desperate Housewives
2004
as Allison Scavo
ER
1994
as Gracie
Frasier
1993
as Moira
Cold Case
2003
as Fannie
True Blood
2008
as Adele Stackhouse
Mom
2013
as Claire
The Practice
1997
as Mary Beth Berluti
American Experience
1988
as (voice)
Touched by an Angel
1994
as Mildred Mancini
The Americans
2013
as Betty Turner
Robert Montgomery Presents
1950
The Equalizer
1985
as Marie Ganucci / Dorothy Hermes
Younger
2015
as Belinda Lacroix
Dr. Kildare
1961
as Libby Clayton
Law & Order: Organized Crime
2021
as Doris 'Mama' Boone
Ray Donovan
2013
as Dolores
Tony Awards
1956
as Self - Nominee / Performer
Studio One
1948
as Lisa Molloy
Army Wives
2007
as Elsie
Grace and Frankie
2015
as Mrs. Hanson
Naked City
1958
as Dawn Garrison
Elsbeth
2024
as Delores Feinn
Just Shoot Me!
1997
as Libby
Matinee Theater
1955
Tales of the Unexpected
1979
as Sara
Route 66
1960
as Dana / Lucy Brown
The Defenders
1961
as Esther Terranova
The Affair
2014
as Mrs. Gunther
thirtysomething
1987
Sneaky Pete
2015
as Reverend Ethel Landry
Spenser: For Hire
1985
The United States Steel Hour
1953
as Jeannie
Gossip Girl
2021
as Iris Lefferts
Startime
1959
as Cindy
Impulse
2018
as Deirdre 'Dippy' Jones
CBS Playhouse
1966
as Evelyn
On Becoming a God in Central Florida
2019
as Mimi Waldenstock
LAX
2004
as Rose Sinclair
Letter to Loretta
1953
as Jenny Musgrave
This Fool
2022
as Beverly
The Hire
2001
as Mother
Good Sports
1991
as Mrs. Tannen
9JKL
2017
as Wrong Nana
Ruth & Erica
2012
as Ruth
A Will of their Own
1998
as Miss Maude
Rage of Angels
1983
as Clara
Switched at Birth
1991
as Margaret
Movies (80)
Minority Report
2002
as Dr. Iris Hineman
The Nice Guys
2016
as Mrs. Glenn
Twister
1996
as Aunt Meg
Lady Bird
2017
as Sister Sarah Joan
Falling Down
1993
as D-Fens' Mother
Fried Green Tomatoes
1991
as Mama Threadgoode
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun
2021
as Upshur 'Maw' Clampette
Run All Night
2015
as Margaret Conlon
Fatal Attraction
1987
as Martha
Midnight Run
1988
as Mrs. Nelson, Mardukas's Friend
Dead Man Walking
1995
as Helen's Mother
The Pledge
2001
as Helen Jackson
The Odd Life of Timothy Green
2012
as Aunt Mel
P.S.
2004
as Ellie Silverstein
Green Card
1990
as Brontë's Mother
Uncle Frank
2020
as Aunt Butch
Hollywoodland
2006
as Helen Bessolo
East of Eden
1955
as Anne
Black Widow
1987
as Sara
Five Easy Pieces
1970
as Partita Dupea
Foxes
1980
as Mrs. Axman
The Comedian
2016
as Miriam
Tesla
2020
as The Grande Dame
Mack & Rita
2022
as Betty
How to Make an American Quilt
1995
as Sophia
The Laramie Project
2002
as Lucy Thompson
Iron Jawed Angels
2004
as Reverend Anna Howard Shaw
Marjorie Prime
2017
as Marjorie
The Gettysburg Address
2025
as Elizabeth Crawford (voice)
Griffin & Phoenix
2006
as Dr. Imberman
Please Give
2010
as Mrs. Portman
Larger Than Life
1996
as Luluna
Truman
1995
as Madge Wallace Gates
Showing Up
2014
as Self
Roadie
2012
as Mom
The Great Work Begins: Scenes from Angels in America
2020
as Harper Pitt
Sweet Land
2005
as Inge (as an older woman)
Holy Matrimony
1994
as Orna
The Uninvited
2025
as Helen
Hello Actors Studio
1988
as Self
Next Stop, Greenwich Village
1976
as Anita Cunningham
Reckless
1984
as Mrs. Prescott
Twisted
1985
as Helen Giles
The Execution of Raymond Graham
1985
as Mary Neal
Deadly Matrimony
1992
Diminished Capacity
2008
as Belle
Tumbleweeds
1999
as Ginger
Up the Sandbox
1972
as Elinore
Powder Keg
2001
as Mother
Strange Lady in Town
1955
as Spurs O'Brien
A Dog Year
2009
as Lois Blair
Skylark
1993
as Lou Wheaton
Resurrection
1980
as Kathy
The Eternal
1998
as Mrs. Ferriter
Hard Promises
1992
as Mrs. Bell
Doubletake
1985
as Sarah
The Grapes of Wrath
1991
as Ma Joad
Reuben, Reuben
1983
as Mare Spofford
Four Friends
1981
as Mrs. Carnahan
White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd
1991
as Alice Todd
Hudson River Blues
1997
Turn the River
2008
as Abby
Little Fugitive
2006
as Elizabeth / Social Worker
Keep the Change
1992
as Lureen
Coney Island
1991
as (voice)
Red Betsy
2003
as Helen Rounds
The House of Mirth
1981
as Bertha Dorset
The Donner Party
1992
as voice
The Man Who Came Out Only at Night
2013
as The Youngest Daughter (later)
The Best Thief in the World
2004
as Helen
On the End
2025
as Trudie Ferreira
The Jilting of Granny Weatherall
1980
as Cornelia
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
1967
as Evelyn
The Master Builder
1960
as Hilda
James Dean: Sense Memories
2005
as Self
Dragon Country
1970
as Woman (segment "Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen")
Particular Men
1972
The Steel Harp
as Hanna
The Way We Live Now
1970
as Jane Aldridge
Lightning Bug
2025
as Lydia
About Lois Smith
Lois Arlene Smith (née Humbert; born November 3, 1930) is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1955 drama film East of Eden, and later played supporting roles in a number of movies, including Five Easy Pieces (1970), Resurrection (1980), Fatal Attraction (1987), Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), Dead Man Walking, Twister (1996), Minority Report (2002), The Nice Guys (2016) and Lady Bird (2017). In 2017, Smith received critical acclaim for her leading performance in the science-fiction drama film… With 132 credits spanning from 1948 to 2025, Lois Smith has appeared in 80 films and 52 TV shows.
Fans searching for Lois Smith movies, Lois Smith filmography, or the latest projects starring Lois Smith can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Lois Smith Movies
- Minority Report (2002) — as Dr. Iris Hineman
- The Nice Guys (2016) — as Mrs. Glenn
- Twister (1996) — as Aunt Meg
- Lady Bird (2017) — as Sister Sarah Joan
- Falling Down (1993) — as D-Fens' Mother
Where to Watch Lois Smith Films
Most Lois Smith movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Lois Smith, check our movies catalogue and browse page.