Kathy Bates
Known for Acting · 164 credits
- Born
- 1948-06-28 (age 77)
- Place of birth
- Memphis, Tennessee, USA
- Also known as
- Kathleen Doyle Bates · Кейти Бейтс
Biography
Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actress and director. She has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, she studied theatre at the Southern Methodist University before moving to New York City to pursue an acting career. She landed minor stage roles before being cast in her first on screen role in Taking Off (1971). Her first Off-Broadway stage performance was in the 1976 production of Vanities. Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, she continued to perform on screen and on stage, and garnered a Tony Award nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Play in 1983 for her performance in 'night, Mother, and won an Obie Award in 1988 for her performance in Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.
Bates' performance as Annie Wilkes in the tense psychological thriller Misery (1990) marked her Hollywood breakthrough, winning her the Academy Award for Best Actress. Further acclaim came for her starring role in Dolores Claiborne (1995), The Waterboy (1998), and supporting roles in Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) and Titanic (1997). Bates received subsequent Oscar nods in the Best Supporting Actress category for her work in Primary Colors (1998), About Schmidt (2002), and Richard Jewell (2019).
Bates' television work has resulted in 14 Emmy Award nominations, including two for her leading role on the NBC series Harry's Law (2011–12). She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her appearance on the ninth season of Two and a Half Men (2012) and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for her portrayal of Delphine LaLaurie on the third season of American Horror Story (2013). She also received accolades for her portrayal of Miss Hannigan in the 1999 television adaptation of Annie. Her directing credits include several episodes of the HBO television series Six Feet Under (2001–03) and the television film Ambulance Girl (2005).
Known For
TV Shows (45)
American Dad!
2005
as D.O. Rothy (voice)
The Daily Show
1996
as Self
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self
The Office
2005
as Jo Bennett
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
as Self
Two and a Half Men
2003
as Charlie Harper
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
as Self - Guest
American Horror Story
2011
as Delphine LaLaurie / Ethel Darling / Iris / Agnes Mary Winstead / Miriam Mead / Delphine LaLaurie
The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019
as Self
King of the Hill
1997
as Patrol Officer Jane Cooper (voice)
The Big Bang Theory
2007
as Mrs. Fowler
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Nominee / Presenter / Self - Audience Member / Self - Winner
The Love Boat
1977
as Sally Allison
The Jennifer Hudson Show
2022
as Self
The View
1997
as Self
American Experience
1988
as Narrator (voice)
Great Performances
1971
as Self
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
as Self
St. Elsewhere
1982
as Polly Miller
L.A. Law
1986
as Charlotte Haley
Six Feet Under
2001
as Bettina
3rd Rock from the Sun
1996
as Charlotte Everly
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
2014
as Self
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003
as Self
Cagney & Lacey
1982
Matlock
2024
as Madeline 'Matty' Matlock
Harry's Law
2011
as Harriet 'Harry' Korn
The Oscars
1953
as Self
Mike & Molly
2010
as Kay
Chelsea
2016
as Self
Chelsea Lately
2007
as Self (archive footage)
Lip Sync Battle
2015
as Self
China Beach
1988
FEUD
2017
as Joan Blondell
The Stand
1994
as Rae Flowers (uncredited)
Off Script with The Hollywood Reporter
2023
as Self
Disjointed
2017
as Ruth
The Emmy Awards
1949
as Self
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories
1992
as Narrator (voice)
Alice
2009
as Queen of Hearts
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Christine Chapman
Stand Up to Cancer
2008
as Self
MADtv
1995
as Stuart's Grandma
Murder Ordained
1987
as Bobbi Birk
Inside the Actors Studio
1994
as Self
Movies (119)
Titanic
1997
as Molly Brown
Bee Movie
2007
as Janet Benson (voice)
The Blind Side
2009
as Miss Sue
Misery
1990
as Annie Wilkes
The Golden Compass
2007
as Hester (voice)
Fried Green Tomatoes
1991
as Evelyn Couch
Charlotte's Web
2006
as Bitsy the Cow (voice)
The Day the Earth Stood Still
2008
as Regina Jackson
P.S. I Love You
2007
as Patricia
Midnight in Paris
2011
as Gertrude Stein
Revolutionary Road
2008
as Mrs. Helen Givings
Dolores Claiborne
1995
as Dolores Claiborne
A Family Affair
2024
as Leila Ford
Around the World in 80 Days
2004
as Queen Victoria
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
2023
as Sylvia Simon
Failure to Launch
2006
as Sue
Rat Race
2001
as The Squirrel Lady (uncredited)
Dragonfly
2002
as Mrs. Belmont
The Waterboy
1998
as Mama Boucher
Richard Jewell
2019
as Bobi Jewell
Valentine's Day
2010
as Susan Milton
Home
2021
as Bernadette
White Palace
1990
as Rosemary
Tammy
2014
as Lenore
Rumor Has It...
2005
as Aunt Mitsy (uncredited)
Fred Claus
2007
as Mother Claus
Dick Tracy
1990
as Mrs. Green
On the Basis of Sex
2018
as Dorothy Kenyon
The Highwaymen
2019
as Ma Ferguson
About Schmidt
2002
as Roberta Hertzel
The Boss
2016
as Ida Marquette
Diabolique
1996
as Det. Shirley Vogel
Bad Santa 2
2016
as Sunny Soke
American Outlaws
2001
as Ma James
North
1994
as Alaskan Mom
A Home of Our Own
1993
as Frances Lacey
Primary Colors
1998
as Libby Holden
A Civil Action
1998
as Bankruptcy Judge (uncredited)
Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys
2008
as Charlotte Cartwright
Little Black Book
2004
as Kippie Kann
Angus
1995
as Meg Bethune
The Miracle Club
2023
as Eileen Dunne
Annie
1999
as Miss Agatha Hannigan
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan
2019
as Barbara Haggermaker
The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing
2004
as Narrator (voice)
Summer Camp
2024
as Ginny Moon
Two of a Kind
1983
as Furniture Man's Wife
Straight Time
1978
as Selma Darin
Boychoir
2015
as Headmistress
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
1982
as Stella Mae
The Morning After
1986
as Woman on Mateo Street
Krystal
2018
as Vera
Shadows and Fog
1991
as Prostitute
Bruno
2000
as Mother Superior
Chéri
2009
as Madame Peloux
The Great Gilly Hopkins
2015
as Maime Trotter
Complete Unknown
2016
as Nina
Personal Effects
2009
as Gloria
Unconditional Love
2002
as Grace Beasley
The Great Lillian Hall
2024
as Edith Wilson
Prelude to a Kiss
1992
as Leah Blier
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
2004
as The Marquesa
Celebrity Naked Ambition
2003
as Self (archive footage)
A Little Bit of Heaven
2011
as Beverly Corbett
You May Not Kiss the Bride
2011
as Bryan's Mother
Christmas Is Here Again
2007
as Miss Dowdy (voice)
Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony
2021
as Self (archive footage)
Used People
1992
as Bibby Berman
Relative Strangers
2006
as Agnes Menure
Reflections on Titanic
2012
as Self
Summer Heat
1987
as Ruth
Men Don't Leave
1990
as Lisa Coleman
Arthur 2: On the Rocks
1988
as Mrs. Canby
Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy
2004
as Siren / Sea Hag (voice)
Swept from the Sea
1998
as Miss Swaffer
Declaration of Independence
2003
as Self
Warm Springs
2005
as Helena Mahoney
At Play in the Fields of the Lord
1991
as Hazel Quarrier
Titanic: Stories from the Heart
2023
as Self (archive footage)
Love Liza
2002
as Mary Ann Bankhead
Bonneville
2006
as Margene Cunningham
The War at Home
1996
as Maurine Collier
Rob Reiner – Scenes from a Life
2025
as Self
The Smack
as Babs
Taking Off
1971
as Audition Singer
Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun
1993
as Lunar Mom
The Late Shift
1996
as Helen Kushnick
Hostages
1992
as Peggy Say
My Best Friend Is a Vampire
1987
as Helen Blake
The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful
1996
as Self
Happy Birthday Elizabeth: A Celebration of Life
1997
as Self
Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood
2000
as Frances Marion (voice)
Making Rat Race
2002
as Herself
Guilty Hearts
2007
as The Judge
Johnny Bull
1986
as Katherine Kovacs
My Sister's Keeper
2002
as Christine Chapman
The West Side Waltz
1995
as Mr. Goo
Titanic: Breaking New Ground
1998
as Self
High Stakes
1989
as Jill
Roe vs. Wade
1989
as Jessie
Talking With
1995
as Big Eight (segment "Rodeo")
Murder Ordained
1987
as Bobbi Birk
Six Feet Under: In Memoriam
2005
as Herself
Signs of Life
1989
as Mary Beth Alder
No Place Like Home
1989
as Bonnie Cooper
Ambulance Girl
2005
as Jane Stern
Curse of the Starving Class
1994
as Ella Tate
The Effects of Magic
1998
as Raphaella, the Magic Bunny
Misery Loves Company
2003
as Self
Cadaver
2012
as Beth
Return to the 5 & Dime: An Interview with Ed Graczyk
2014
as Self – Stella Mae (archive footage)
Moments of Discovery: The Making of Fried Green Tomatoes
1998
as Self
Baby Steps
1999
as Mrs. Mellon
Tupperware!
2004
as Narrator
Hansel and Gretel
2005
as Narrator (voice)
The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club
2009
as Pancho Barnes (Voice)
The Road to Mecca
1991
as Elsa Barlow
American Horror Story - Coven
2013
as Delphine LaLaurie
American Horror Story - Freak Show
2014
as Ethel Darling
About Kathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actress and director. She has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, she studied theatre at the Southern Methodist University before moving to New York City to pursue an acting career. She landed minor stage roles before being cast in her first on screen role in Taking Off (1971). Her first Off-Broadway stage performance was in the 1976 production of Vanities. Throughout the… With 164 credits spanning from 1944 to 2025, Kathy Bates has appeared in 119 films and 45 TV shows.
Fans searching for Kathy Bates movies, Kathy Bates filmography, or the latest projects starring Kathy Bates can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Kathy Bates Movies
- Titanic (1997) — as Molly Brown
- Bee Movie (2007) — as Janet Benson (voice)
- The Blind Side (2009) — as Miss Sue
- Misery (1990) — as Annie Wilkes
- The Golden Compass (2007) — as Hester (voice)
Where to Watch Kathy Bates Films
Most Kathy Bates 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 Kathy Bates, check our movies catalogue and browse page.