Frances Fisher
| Frances Fisher | |
|---|---|
at the Independent Spirit Awards in Los Angeles on March 5, 2010 |
|
| Born | 11 May 1952 Milford on Sea, Hampshire, England, UK |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouse | Billy Mack Hamilton (m. 1970–1972) |
| Partner | Clint Eastwood (1989–95) |
| Children | Francesca Fisher-Eastwood (b. 1992) |
Frances Fisher (born 11 May 1952) is a British actress. She is known for her work on television, in theater and in films, including roles as Strawberry Alice, the madame prostitute in Unforgiven (1992), and Ruth DeWitt Bukater, the mother of Kate Winslet's character in Titanic (1997).
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[edit] Early life and education
Fisher was born in Milford on Sea, Hampshire, England, the daughter of Olga (née Moen), a homemaker, and William I. "Bill" Fisher, Sr., an oil refinery construction superintendent.[1] Before she reached the age of fifteen, she had moved nine times because of her father's job.[2] Upon completing high school in Orange, Texas, she worked as a secretary, until she moved to Virginia to perform at the Barter Theatre.
[edit] Career
Fisher first made a name for herself playing Detective Deborah Saxon on the soap opera The Edge of Night from 1976 to 1981; she later was in the cast of Guiding Light as Suzette Saxon. She then spent the next 10 years working on stage in New York and in regional theatres all over the East Coast. Fisher was cast as Lucille Ball in the television film Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter, which aired to strong ratings and good reviews in 1991.
Fisher has played numerous roles on American television, including parts in the series Strange Luck, Becker, and Titus. She also played a key role in the recent television drama The Lyon's Den and Glory Days. She was the producers' first choice to play Jill Taylor on the ABC sitcom Home Improvement, but was replaced by Patricia Richardson due to a lack of chemistry with Tim Allen. She also had a guest spot on The Young Riders in 1991. Fisher has guest starred as a bartender, Suzanna, at "The Lobo" in the first season of Roseanne. However, her most famous role has been that of society matron Ruth DeWitt Bukater, the mother of Rose DeWitt Bukater (played by Kate Winslet), in the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic.
In 1999, Fisher portrayed Audrey Hepburn's mother, Ella Hepburn, in the biographical film of the actress's life. She has appeared in two other Academy Awarded films, House of Sand and Fog and Unforgiven. Her numerous theatre credits make up the bulk of her resume: Most recently, she appeared in the last play written by Arthur Miller, Finishing the Picture at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, and The Cherry Orchard, at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in 2006.
Fisher worked on four films in 2006, including Peter Berg's The Kingdom, and Paul Haggis' In the Valley of Elah, in addition to a pilot for NBC/USA entitled To Love and Die. In 2008, she appeared in a guest-starring role on the Sci-Fi Channel television series Eureka, portraying the character of Eva Thorne. In 2011, she appeared in Torchwood: Miracle Day.[3]
[edit] Personal life
Fisher has a daughter, Francesca Ruth Fisher-Eastwood, with actor Clint Eastwood. She and Eastwood had fallen in love during the filming of "Unforgiven".
She served on the national board of directors of the Screen Actors Guild.[4]
[edit] Filmography
This filmography is currently incomplete.
- 1976: The Edge of Night (1976–1981)
- 1983: Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?
- 1985: Guiding Light
- 1987: Big (only in 2007 released Directors Cut)
- 1988: Patty Hearst
- 1989: Pink Cadillac
- 1990: Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael
- 1991: L.A. Story
- 1991: Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter (TV movie)
- 1991: The Young Riders
- 1992: Unforgiven
- 1993: Law & Order (TV series)
- 1993: Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman
- 1994: Molly & Gina
- 1995: Strange Luck (TV series)
- 1996: Striptease
- 1996: Waiting for Guffman (uncredited)
- 1997: Wild America
- 1997: Titanic
- 1999: The Audrey Hepburn Story
- 1999: The Big Tease
- 2000: Gone in 60 Seconds
- 2001: The X-Files (TV series)
- 2002: Blue Car
- 2002: Titus (TV Series)
- 2003: The Lyon's Den (TV series)
- 2003: House of Sand and Fog
- 2004: Laws of Attraction
- 2004: Boston Legal
- 2005: ER (TV series)
- 2006: Grey's Anatomy (TV series)
- 2006: The Night of the White Pants
- 2007: Sex and Death 101
- 2007: The Kingdom
- 2007: In the Valley of Elah
- 2007: My Sexiest Year
- 2008: The Perfect Game
- 2008: The Shield (TV series)
- 2008: Eureka (TV series)
- 2008: A Single Woman
- 2008: Jolene
- 2009: The Mentalist
- 2010: Two and a Half Men
- 2010: Private Practice
- 2010: The Good Guys
- 2011: Days of our Lives
- 2011: The Roommate
- 2011: Sedona
- 2011: The Lincoln Lawyer
- 2011: Torchwood: Miracle Day (TV series)
- 2011: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (TV series)
[edit] References
- ^ "Frances Fisher Film Reference biography". Filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/16/Frances-Fisher.html. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
- ^ museumofthegulfcoast.org Notable People – Frances Fisher
- ^ Doctor Who Magazine (435). June 2011.
- ^ Screen Actors Guild National Board of Directors
[edit] External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Frances Fisher |
- 1952 births
- American film actors
- American soap opera actors
- American stage actors
- American television actors
- English film actors
- English soap opera actors
- English stage actors
- English television actors
- English emigrants to the United States
- Living people
- Naturalized citizens of the United States
- People from Milford on Sea
- People from the Greater Los Angeles Area