
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.