Lois Smith
Known for Acting · 133 credits
- Born
- 1930-11-03 (age 95)
- Place of birth
- Topeka, Kansas, USA
- Also known as
- Lois Arlene Humbert · Lois Arlene Smith · Lois Humbert
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 (53)
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
Frasier
1993
as Moira
Desperate Housewives
2004
as Allison Scavo
ER
1994
as Gracie
Elsbeth
2024
as Delores Feinn
Robert Montgomery Presents
1950
Cold Case
2003
as Fannie
Tony Awards
1956
as Self - Nominee / Performer
American Experience
1988
as (voice)
Army Wives
2007
as Elsie
Mom
2013
as Claire
True Blood
2008
as Adele Stackhouse
The Practice
1997
as Mary Beth Berluti
Ray Donovan
2013
as Dolores
The Americans
2013
as Betty Turner
Touched by an Angel
1994
as Mildred Mancini
Younger
2015
as Belinda Lacroix
Law & Order: Organized Crime
2021
as Doris 'Mama' Boone
Dr. Kildare
1961
as Libby Clayton
American Playhouse
1982
as Ma Joad
Matinee Theater
1955
The Affair
2014
as Mrs. Gunther
The Equalizer
1985
as Marie Ganucci / Dorothy Hermes
Naked City
1958
as Dawn Garrison
Sneaky Pete
2015
as Reverend Ethel Landry
Studio One
1948
as Lisa Molloy
Tales of the Unexpected
1979
as Sara
Route 66
1960
as Dana / Lucy Brown
Grace and Frankie
2015
as Mrs. Hanson
Just Shoot Me!
1997
as Libby
thirtysomething
1987
The Defenders
1961
as Esther Terranova
The United States Steel Hour
1953
as Jeannie
Startime
1959
as Cindy
Spenser: For Hire
1985
Gossip Girl
2021
as Iris Lefferts
Impulse
2018
as Deirdre 'Dippy' Jones
LAX
2004
as Rose Sinclair
CBS Playhouse
1966
as Evelyn
On Becoming a God in Central Florida
2019
as Mimi Waldenstock
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
Switched at Birth
1991
as Margaret
Rage of Angels
1983
as Clara
Movies (80)
Lady Bird
2017
as Sister Sarah Joan
The Nice Guys
2016
as Mrs. Glenn
Falling Down
1993
as D-Fens' Mother
Minority Report
2002
as Dr. Iris Hineman
Twister
1996
as Aunt Meg
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
The Odd Life of Timothy Green
2012
as Aunt Mel
Dead Man Walking
1995
as Helen's Mother
Tesla
2020
as The Grande Dame
Midnight Run
1988
as Mrs. Nelson, Mardukas's Friend
The Pledge
2001
as Helen Jackson
Marjorie Prime
2017
as Marjorie
East of Eden
1955
as Anne
Hollywoodland
2006
as Helen Bessolo
Five Easy Pieces
1970
as Partita Dupea
The Eternal
1998
as Mrs. Ferriter
Uncle Frank
2020
as Aunt Butch
Black Widow
1987
as Sara
How to Make an American Quilt
1995
as Sophia
The Gettysburg Address
2025
as Elizabeth Crawford (voice)
Holy Matrimony
1994
as Orna
Iron Jawed Angels
2004
as Reverend Anna Howard Shaw
P.S.
2004
as Ellie Silverstein
The Laramie Project
2002
as Lucy Thompson
Deadly Matrimony
1992
Mack & Rita
2022
as Betty
The Uninvited
2025
as Helen
The Comedian
2016
as Miriam
Griffin & Phoenix
2006
as Dr. Imberman
Larger Than Life
1996
as Luluna
Coney Island
1991
as (voice)
Please Give
2010
as Mrs. Portman
Red Betsy
2003
as Helen Rounds
Sweet Land
2005
as Inge (as an older woman)
Reckless
1984
as Mrs. Prescott
Strange Lady in Town
1955
as Spurs O'Brien
A Dog Year
2009
as Lois Blair
Green Card
1990
as Brontë's Mother
The Donner Party
1992
as voice
The Grapes of Wrath
1991
as Ma Joad
Showing Up
2014
as Self
Hello Actors Studio
1988
as Self
Diminished Capacity
2008
as Belle
Resurrection
1980
as Kathy
Turn the River
2008
as Abby
Particular Men
1972
James Dean: Sense Memories
2005
as Self
Next Stop, Greenwich Village
1976
as Anita Cunningham
Foxes
1980
as Mrs. Axman
Keep the Change
1992
as Lureen
Up the Sandbox
1972
as Elinore
Hard Promises
1992
as Mrs. Bell
Truman
1995
as Madge Wallace Gates
The House of Mirth
1981
as Bertha Dorset
Four Friends
1981
as Mrs. Carnahan
Tumbleweeds
1999
as Ginger
Little Fugitive
2006
as Elizabeth / Social Worker
Doubletake
1985
as Sarah
The Execution of Raymond Graham
1985
as Mary Neal
Twisted
1985
as Helen Giles
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
1967
as Evelyn
On the End
2025
as Trudie Ferreira
The Steel Harp
as Hanna
Roadie
2012
as Mom
Hudson River Blues
1997
Dragon Country
1970
as Woman (segment "Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen")
The Best Thief in the World
2004
as Helen
Powder Keg
2001
as Mother
White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd
1991
as Alice Todd
The Jilting of Granny Weatherall
1980
as Cornelia
The Great Work Begins: Scenes from Angels in America
2020
as Harper Pitt
Reuben, Reuben
1983
as Mare Spofford
Skylark
1993
as Lou Wheaton
The Way We Live Now
1970
as Jane Aldridge
The Master Builder
1960
as Hilda
Lightning Bug
2025
as Lydia
The Man Who Came Out Only at Night
2013
as The Youngest Daughter (later)
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 133 credits spanning from 1948 to 2025, Lois Smith has appeared in 80 films and 53 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
- Lady Bird (2017) — as Sister Sarah Joan
- The Nice Guys (2016) — as Mrs. Glenn
- Falling Down (1993) — as D-Fens' Mother
- Minority Report (2002) — as Dr. Iris Hineman
- Twister (1996) — as Aunt Meg
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.