Kathleen Doyle Bates is an American actress. With a career spanning over six decades, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as nominations for a Tony Award and two BAFTA Awards.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, she studied theater at 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. Her first Off-Broadway stage role was in the play Vanities. She garnered a nomination for the Tony Award Best Lead Actress in a Play for 'night, Mother, and won an Obie Award for her role in Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.
She earned the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Annie Wilkes in the thriller Misery. Her other Oscar-nominated roles were in Primary Colors, About Schmidt, and Richard Jewell. Her other notable films include Fried Green Tomatoes, Dolores Claiborne, Titanic, The Waterboy, Revolutionary Road, The Blind Side, and Midnight in Paris.
Bates is also known for her extensive work on television.