
Kathy Bates
Known for Acting · 162 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)

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
as Self - Guest

The Daily Show
1996
as Self

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
as Self

American Dad!
2005
as D.O. Rothy (voice)

The Office
2005
as Jo Bennett

The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019
as Self

Two and a Half Men
2003
as Charlie Harper

American Horror Story
2011
as Delphine LaLaurie / Ethel Darling / Iris / Agnes Mary Winstead / Miriam Mead / Delphine LaLaurie

The Jennifer Hudson Show
2022
as Self

King of the Hill
1997
as Patrol Officer Jane Cooper (voice)

The View
1997
as Self

The Love Boat
1977
as Sally Allison

Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Nominee / Presenter / Self - Audience Member / Self - Winner

The Big Bang Theory
2007
as Mrs. Fowler

Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
as Self

Great Performances
1971
as Self

The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003
as Self

American Experience
1988
as Narrator (voice)

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

St. Elsewhere
1982
as Polly Miller

Cagney & Lacey
1982

Matlock
2024
as Madeline 'Matty' Matlock

Chelsea Lately
2007
as Self (archive footage)

Lip Sync Battle
2015
as Self

Mike & Molly
2010
as Kay

The Oscars
1953
as Self

Chelsea
2016
as Self

China Beach
1988

Harry's Law
2011
as Harriet 'Harry' Korn

FEUD
2017
as Joan Blondell

The Stand
1994
as Rae Flowers (uncredited)

Off Script with The Hollywood Reporter
2023
as Self

The Emmy Awards
1949
as Self

Disjointed
2017
as Ruth

Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Christine Chapman

Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories
1992
as Narrator (voice)

Alice
2009
as Queen of Hearts

Murder Ordained
1987
as Bobbi Birk

Stand Up to Cancer
2008
as Self

MADtv
1995
as Stuart's Grandma

Inside the Actors Studio
1994
as Self
Movies (117)

Titanic
1997
as Molly Brown

The Blind Side
2009
as Miss Sue

Bee Movie
2007
as Janet Benson (voice)

Misery
1990
as Annie Wilkes

Fried Green Tomatoes
1991
as Evelyn Couch

The Golden Compass
2007
as Hester (voice)

Midnight in Paris
2011
as Gertrude Stein

Revolutionary Road
2008
as Mrs. Helen Givings

Rat Race
2001
as The Squirrel Lady (uncredited)

The Day the Earth Stood Still
2008
as Regina Jackson

White Palace
1990
as Rosemary

A Family Affair
2024
as Leila Ford

The Waterboy
1998
as Mama Boucher

Dolores Claiborne
1995
as Dolores Claiborne

Around the World in 80 Days
2004
as Queen Victoria

Charlotte's Web
2006
as Bitsy the Cow (voice)

Dick Tracy
1990
as Mrs. Green

P.S. I Love You
2007
as Patricia

Failure to Launch
2006
as Sue

Richard Jewell
2019
as Bobi Jewell

Valentine's Day
2010
as Susan Milton

American Outlaws
2001
as Ma James

Fred Claus
2007
as Mother Claus

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
2023
as Sylvia Simon

Dragonfly
2002
as Mrs. Belmont

A Home of Our Own
1993
as Frances Lacey

Tammy
2014
as Lenore

About Schmidt
2002
as Roberta Hertzel

Rumor Has It...
2005
as Aunt Mitsy (uncredited)

The Highwaymen
2019
as Ma Ferguson

Summer Camp
2024
as Ginny Moon

The Boss
2016
as Ida Marquette

North
1994
as Alaskan Mom

Bad Santa 2
2016
as Sunny Soke

Diabolique
1996
as Det. Shirley Vogel

Boychoir
2015
as Headmistress

Unconditional Love
2002
as Grace Beasley

The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing
2004
as Narrator (voice)

Primary Colors
1998
as Libby Holden

On the Basis of Sex
2018
as Dorothy Kenyon

A Civil Action
1998
as Bankruptcy Judge (uncredited)

The Death & Life of John F. Donovan
2019
as Barbara Haggermaker

Prelude to a Kiss
1992
as Leah Blier

Straight Time
1978
as Selma Darin

The Miracle Club
2023
as Eileen Dunne

Complete Unknown
2016
as Nina

Love Liza
2002
as Mary Ann Bankhead

Little Black Book
2004
as Kippie Kann

Relative Strangers
2006
as Agnes Menure

Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys
2008
as Charlotte Cartwright

Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
1982
as Stella Mae

Warm Springs
2005
as Helena Mahoney

Angus
1995
as Meg Bethune

Swept from the Sea
1998
as Miss Swaffer

Bruno
2000
as Mother Superior

The Great Gilly Hopkins
2015
as Maime Trotter

Annie
1999
as Miss Agatha Hannigan

Personal Effects
2009
as Gloria

Two of a Kind
1983
as Furniture Man's Wife

Shadows and Fog
1991
as Prostitute

A Little Bit of Heaven
2011
as Beverly Corbett
Happy Birthday Elizabeth: A Celebration of Life
1997
as Self

Celebrity Naked Ambition
2003
as Self (archive footage)

You May Not Kiss the Bride
2011
as Bryan's Mother

Arthur 2: On the Rocks
1988
as Mrs. Canby

Chéri
2009
as Madame Peloux

Krystal
2018
as Vera

Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy
2004
as Siren / Sea Hag (voice)

Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony
2021
as Self (archive footage)

At Play in the Fields of the Lord
1991
as Hazel Quarrier

The Bridge of San Luis Rey
2004
as The Marquesa

Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun
1993
as Lunar Mom

Used People
1992
as Bibby Berman

The Late Shift
1996
as Helen Kushnick

The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful
1996
as Self

My Best Friend Is a Vampire
1987
as Helen Blake

Reflections on Titanic
2012
as Self

Summer Heat
1987
as Ruth

The Morning After
1986
as Woman on Mateo Street

The War at Home
1996
as Maurine Collier

Christmas Is Here Again
2007
as Miss Dowdy (voice)

The Great Lillian Hall
2024
as Edith Wilson

Signs of Life
1989
as Mary Beth Alder

Bonneville
2006
as Margene Cunningham

Guilty Hearts
2007
as The Judge

Making Rat Race
2002
as Herself

Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood
2000
as Frances Marion (voice)

Taking Off
1971
as Audition Singer

Declaration of Independence
2003
as Self

Murder Ordained
1987
as Bobbi Birk

Roe vs. Wade
1989
as Jessie

Titanic: Stories from the Heart
2023
as Self (archive footage)

High Stakes
1989
as Jill

Six Feet Under: In Memoriam
2005
as Herself
The Smack
as Babs

Hostages
1992
as Peggy Say

The West Side Waltz
1995
as Mr. Goo

Rob Reiner – Scenes from a Life
2025
as Self

Men Don't Leave
1990
as Lisa Coleman

Home
2021
as Bernadette

Talking With
1995
as Big Eight (segment "Rodeo")

Titanic: Breaking New Ground
1998
as Self

No Place Like Home
1989
as Bonnie Cooper
Baby Steps
1999
as Mrs. Mellon

The Effects of Magic
1998
as Raphaella, the Magic Bunny

Moments of Discovery: The Making of Fried Green Tomatoes
1998
as Self

My Sister's Keeper
2002
as Christine Chapman

Ambulance Girl
2005
as Jane Stern

Misery Loves Company
2003
as Self

Curse of the Starving Class
1994
as Ella Tate
Cadaver
2012
as Beth
The Road to Mecca
1991
as Elsa Barlow

Johnny Bull
1986
as Katherine Kovacs

Tupperware!
2004
as Narrator

The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club
2009
as Pancho Barnes (Voice)

Hansel and Gretel
2005
as Narrator (voice)
Return to the 5 & Dime: An Interview with Ed Graczyk
2014
as Self – Stella Mae (archive footage)
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 162 credits spanning from 1944 to 2025, Kathy Bates has appeared in 117 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 CineFlixo, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Kathy Bates Movies
- Titanic (1997) — as Molly Brown
- The Blind Side (2009) — as Miss Sue
- Bee Movie (2007) — as Janet Benson (voice)
- Misery (1990) — as Annie Wilkes
- Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) — as Evelyn Couch
Where to Watch Kathy Bates Films
Most Kathy Bates movies and series are available to stream on CineFlixo 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.