KATHY BATES BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Kathy Bates was born on June 28th, 1948 in Memphis, Tennessee with the middle name Doyle.  She was the youngest of three daughters born to Langdon Doyle Bates and Bertye Talbot. 
 
It was during high school that Bates first developed an interest in acting when she would perform in a number of school productions.  After graduating from White Station High School, she went on to study drama at Southern Methodist University earning her degree in 1969. 
 
Bates relocated to New York to find stage work as an actress and worked various odd jobs to support herself.  She did for some time get hired to work with a tour-de-farce production which later relocated and did not choose to include Bates in the cast.  Other stage roles soon followed with roles in, "Casserole", "A Quality of Mercy", "Vanities", "Goodbye Fidel", "Fifth of July".    
 
When she did finally begin working on films, her first couple roles did nothing for her acting career, such as "Taking Off" (1971), however, when Bates appeared at the age of thirty four in, "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean" (1982) she finally began to catch Hollywood's attention.
 
However, she remained working as a stage actress and every time a stage role went to film, Bates was never taken along for the ride.  She added to her stage resume a role in, "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune" and "The Road to Mecca".  Finally in 1990 she was cast in the film, "Misery" co-starring James Caan, for which she earned an Academy Award "Best Actress Oscar" as well as a "Golden Globe Award" for her performance.
 
Finally, after all these years of focusing on a career as an actress, decent film roles were now being offered to Bates.  She graced the big screen in such films as, "Misery" (1990), "Fried Green Tomatoes" (1991), "Dolores Claiborne" (1995), "Titanic" (1997) starring Leonardo DiCaprio, "Primary Colors" (1998) and "About Schmidt" (2002).
 
Along with now appearing in more prominent films, Bates also appeared on such television series as, "All My Children", "One Life to Live", "Six Feet Under", "The Office", "Harry's Law", "The Love Boat" and "Two and a Half Men".
 
Bates has also been given the opportunity to work on the other side of the industry as a director of a number of television movies such as, "Dash and Lilly" (1999), "Ambulance Girl" (2005) and the television series, "Great Performances" (1995), "Homicide: Life on the Street" (1996) and "Six Feet Under" (2001-2003).  

Throughout her career, Bates has earned a total of eight Emmy nominations and is also a very charitable and kind hearted person.  She donated $1 million to Hurricane Katrina victims.     
 
Kathy Bates has married only once to Tony Campisi from 1991 through 1997.  She has not re-married, has no children of her own and remains working in the industry with her latest appearance being on the film, "Starbright" scheduled to release in 2012.  She also serves on the Executive Committee Chair of the Actors Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors.
 
Although Kathy was diagnosed in 2003 with Ovarian cancer, she has stated to the media that she has made a full recovery and has no intentions of retiring just yet.

Filmography

2012   Starbright 

2012   Two and a Half Men

2011-2012  Harry's Law

2012   Cadaver

2010-2011  The Office

2011   Midnight in Paris

2011   You May Not Kiss the Bride

2011   A Little Bit of Heaven

2010   Valentine's Day

2009   Alice 

2009   The Blind Side 

2009   Personal Effects 

2009   Chéri

2008   Revolutionary Road 

2008   The Day the Earth Stood Still

2008   The Family That Preys

2007   P.S. I Love You

2007   The Golden Compass

2007   Fred Claus 

2007   Bee Movie

2007   Christmas Is Here Again

2006   Charlotte's Web

2006   Bonneville

2006   Relative Strangers

2006   Failure to Launch

2006   Solace 

2006   Guilty Hearts 

2006   Have Mercy

2005   Rumor Has It... 

2005   Ambulance Girl

2003-2005  Six Feet Under

2005   Warm Springs

2005   Hansel and Gretel

2004   The Bridge of San Luis Rey

2004   Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy

2004   Little Black Book

2004   Around the World in 80 Days

2004   The Ingrate

1993-2004  The American Experience

2002   Unconditional Love

2002   About Schmidt 

2002   Dragonfly

2002   My Sister's Keeper

2002   Love Liza

2001   King of the Hill 

2001   American Outlaws

2001   Rat Race

2000   MADtv 

2000   Bruno

1999   Annie

1999   Baby Steps

1999   3rd Rock from the Sun

1998   A Civil Action

1998   The Waterboy

1998   The Effects of Magic

1998   Primary Colors

1997   Titanic

1997   Swept from the Sea

1996   The War at Home 

1996   Diabolique

1996   The Late Shift

1996   Adventures from the Book of Virtues 

1995   The West Side Waltz 

1995   Angus 

1995   Great Performances 

1995   Dolores Claiborne 

1994   Curse of the Starving Class

1994   North

1994   The Stand

1993   A Home of Our Own 

1993   Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun 

1992   Used People 

1992   Hostages 

1992   Prelude to a Kiss 

1991   Fried Green Tomatoes 

1991   At Play in the Fields of the Lord

1991   Shadows and Fog

1991   The Road to Mecca

1990   Misery 

1990   White Palace 

1990   Dick Tracy 

1990   Men Don't Leave 

1989   No Place Like Home

1989   L.A. Law 

1989   Roe vs. Wade

1989   High Stakes 

1989   Signs of Life

1989   China Beach 

1988   Arthur 2: On the Rocks 

1987   My Best Friend Is a Vampire 

1987   Summer Heat 

1987   Murder Ordained 

1986-1987  St. Elsewhere 

1986   The Morning After 

1986   Cagney & Lacey 

1986   Johnny Bull 

1984   All My Children 

1984   One Life to Live

1983   Two of a Kind 

1982   Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean 

1978   Straight Time 

1978   The Love Boat

1977   The Doctors 

1971   Taking Off