Kathy Baker
Kathy Baker | |
|---|---|
 Kathy Baker at the 45th Emmy Awards, in September 1993 | |
| Born | Katherine Whitton Baker June 8, 1950 Midland, Texas, United States |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Donald Camillieri
(m. 1985–1999) |
| Children | 2 |
Katherine Whitton "Kathy" Baker (born June 8, 1950) is an American stage, film and television actress, known for her leading and supporting performances in film and television.
Baker began her career in theatre and made her screen debut in the 1983 drama film, The Right Stuff. She received the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her performance in Street Smart (1987).[1] Baker also has appeared in over 50 films, including Jacknife (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), The Cider House Rules (1999), Cold Mountain (2003), Nine Lives (2005), The Jane Austen Book Club (2007), Last Chance Harvey (2008), Take Shelter (2011), Saving Mr. Banks (2013) and The Age of Adaline (2015).
On television, Baker starred as Dr. Jill Brock in the CBS drama series, Picket Fences (1992-1996), for which she received three Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards. She later received three additional nominations and a Primetime Emmy Award for her performances in Touched by an Angel, Boston Public and Door to Door.
Early life
Baker was born in Midland, Texas, and raised a Quaker[2] in New Mexico, the daughter of John Seawand Baker, a geologist and educator, and his French-born wife, Helene Andree (née Whitton).[3] She attended high school at Mills High School in Millbrae, California. She graduated in 1970. Her drama instructor, Allen Knight, was a major influence in her desire to become a professional actress. She studied acting at the California Institute of the Arts in the early 1970s. She later earned a B.A. degree in French in 1977 from UC Berkeley.[4]
Career
Baker began her acting career at San Francisco's Magic Theatre, performing in several of Sam Shepard's plays before getting her break in an off-Broadway production of Fool for Love (1983) opposite Ed Harris. She won an Obie Award for this role.[4] In same year she was cast as Louise Shepard, Alan Shepard's wife, in the drama film The Right Stuff.[4] She later had dramatic performances as a prostitute in Street Smart (1987) and a recovering alcoholic and victim of domestic abuse in Clean and Sober (1988).[1] For her performance in Street Smart, Baker has won National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress and Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress as well as an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female nomination.[1] She later starred in films Dad, Jacknife and Edward Scissorhands.
From 1992 to 1996, Baker starred as Jill Brock, a small-town doctor, in the CBS critically acclaimed drama series, Picket Fences created by David E. Kelley. For her performance in the series she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series three times: in 1993, 1995 and 1996, Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama in 1994, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series in 1995.[4] She later appeared in David E. Kelley's dramas Ally McBeal, The Practice and had the recurring role as Meredith Peters in Boston Public, for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2001. Baker also received Emmy Award nominations for her guest performance in Touched by an Angel and in the category Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for Door to Door.[4]
Baker has appeared in the over 50 theatrical films in supporting and leading roles. She starred in two movies directed by Rodrigo García: Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (2000) and Nine Lives (2005). Her other major credits include The Cider House Rules (1999), Cold Mountain (2003), 13 Going on 30 (2004), The Jane Austen Book Club (2007), Last Chance Harvey (2008), Take Shelter (2011) and Saving Mr. Banks (2013). She starred opposite Tom Selleck in the Jesse Stone television films series in 2000s. Also on television she guest-starred on Nip/Tuck, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Grey's Anatomy, and Medium. She also starred in the short-lived Lifetime drama series Against the Wall in 2011.[5]
In 2016, it was confirmed that Baker will appear in the new series of Netflix The Ranch along with Ashton Kutcher and Elisha Cuthbert.[6]
Personal life
She lives in Southern California with her husband, director/producer Steven Robman. She has a son and daughter with her first husband, Donald Camillieri.[4]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | The Right Stuff | Louise Shepard | |
| 1986 | A Killing Affair | Maggie Gresham | |
| 1987 | Street Smart | Punchy | |
| 1988 | Permanent Record | Martha Sinclair | |
| 1988 | Clean and Sober | Charlie Standers | |
| 1989 | Dad | Annie | |
| 1989 | Jacknife | Martha Flannigan | |
| 1990 | The Image | Marcie Guilford | |
| 1990 | Edward Scissorhands | Joyce | |
| 1990 | Mister Frost | Dr. Sarah Day | |
| 1991 | One Special Victory | Ellen | Television film |
| 1992 | Article 99 | Dr. Diana Walton | |
| 1992 | Jennifer Eight | Margie Ross | |
| 1993 | Mad Dog and Glory | Lee | |
| 1993 | Lush Life | Janice Oliver | Television film |
| 1996 | To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday | Esther Wheeler | |
| 1997 | Inventing the Abbotts | Helen Holt | |
| 1997 | Not in This Town | Tammy Schnitzer | Television film |
| 1997 | Weapons of Mass Distraction | Margo Powers | |
| 1998 | Oklahoma City: A Survivor's Story | Priscilla Salyers | Television film |
| 1999 | The Cider House Rules | Nurse Angela | |
| 1999 | A Season for Miracles | Ruth Doyle | Television film |
| 1999 | A Little Inside | Nancy | |
| 1999 | Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story | Janice Danner | Television film |
| 2000 | Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her | Rose | |
| 2000 | Ratz | Doris Trowbridge | Television film |
| 2001 | The Glass House | Nancy Ryan | |
| 2001 | Ten Tiny Love Stories | Ten | |
| 2002 | Assassination Tango | Maggie | |
| 2002 | Door to Door | Gladys Sullivan | Television film |
| 2003 | Cold Mountain | Sally Swanger | |
| 2004 | 13 Going on 30 | Bev Rink | |
| 2005 | Spring Break Shark Attack | Mary Jones | Television film |
| 2005 | Nine Lives | Camille | |
| 2006 | All the King's Men | Mrs. Burden | |
| 2007 | The Jane Austen Book Club | Bernadette | |
| 2007 | Jesse Stone: Sea Change | Rose Gammon | Television film |
| 2008 | Last Chance Harvey | Jean | |
| 2008 | Shades of Ray | Janet Rehman | |
| 2009 | Unstable | Betty Walker | Television film |
| 2009 | Jesse Stone: Thin Ice | Rose Gammon | Television film |
| 2010 | Miss Nobody | Claire McKinney | |
| 2010 | Jesse Stone: No Remorse | Rose Gammon | Television film |
| 2011 | Good Day for It | Rose Carter | |
| 2011 | Take Shelter | Sarah | |
| 2011 | Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost | Rose Gammon | Television film |
| 2011 | Too Big to Fail | Wendy Paulson | |
| 2011 | Seven Days in Utopia | Mabel | |
| 2011 | Machine Gun Preacher | Daisy | |
| 2012 | Big Miracle | Ruth McGraw | |
| 2012 | Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt | Rose Gammon | Television film |
| 2012 | The Party Is Over | Appoline | |
| 2013 | Saving Mr. Banks | Tommie | |
| 2013 | The Trials of Cate McCall | Therapist | |
| 2014 | Return to Zero | Kathleen Callaghan | |
| 2014 | Boulevard | Joy Mack | |
| 2014 | Model Home | Brenda | |
| 2015 | The Age of Adaline | Connie Jones | |
| 2016 | Sister Cities | Janis | Television film |
| 2017 | The Ballad of Lefty Brown | Laura Johnson | Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–1996 | Picket Fences | Dr. Jill Brock | 87 episodes |
| 1997 | Ally McBeal | Katherine Dawson | Episode: "The Affair" |
| 1998 | The Practice | Evelyn Mayfield | 2 episodes |
| 1999 | Hey Arnold! | Dr. Bliss | Episode: "Helga on the Couch" |
| 2000 | Touched by an Angel | Ellen | Episode: "Buy Me a Rose" |
| 2000 | Chicago Hope | Mary Wyzinski | Episode: "Everybody's Special at Chicago Hope" |
| 2001–2002 | Boston Public | Meredith Peters | 14 episodes |
| 2004 | Monk | Sylvia Fairbourn | Episode: "Mr. Monk Goes to Jail" |
| 2005 | Nip/Tuck | Gail Pollack | 2 episodes |
| 2005–2010 | Medium | Marjorie Dubois | 5 episodes |
| 2007 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Hannah Curtis | Episode: "Sin" |
| 2007 | Gilmore Girls | Mia | Episode: "Gilmore Girls Only" |
| 2008 | Grey's Anatomy | Anna Loomis | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Camille Hayes-Fitzgerald | Episode: "Playing Dead" |
| 2010 | Law & Order | Camille Peterson | Episode: "Crashers" |
| 2011 | Against the Wall | Sheila Kowalski | 12 episodes |
| 2011 | Criminal Minds | Linda Collins | Episode: "A Family Affair" |
| 2012 | Private Practice | Dianne | Episode: "I'm Fine" |
| 2014 | Those Who Kill | Marie Burgess | 5 episodes |
| 2015 | Big Time in Hollywood, FL | Diana | 10 episodes |
| 2016 | Colony | Phyllis | Recurring role |
| 2016 | The Ranch | Joanne | Recurring role |
Awards and nominations
References
- ^ a b c "Kathy Baker - Biography". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
- ^ Tavis Smiley interview archive site; interview date: September 25, 2007 Archived October 18, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Kathy Baker profile at Film Reference.com". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
- ^ a b c d e f "Kathy Baker Biography". TV Guide. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
- ^ "Against the Wall: Cancelled; No Season Two". TVSeriesFinale.com. December 10, 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
- ^ "Kathy Baker Joins Netflix’s ‘The Ranch’; Christopher Meyer In ‘Wayward Pines’"
External links
- 1950 births
- Living people
- American film actresses
- American stage actresses
- American television actresses
- Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (television) winners
- Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
- Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- American people of French descent
- People from Midland, Texas
- Actresses from Texas
- Actresses from New Mexico
- University of California, Berkeley alumni
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses