Kathy Baker
{{about||the American golfer|Kathy Baker (golfer)|the Irish rugby union player|Kathy Baker (rugby union)}}
{{short description|American actress (born 1950)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Kathy Baker
| birth_name = Katherine Whitton Baker
| image = KathyBaker (cropped).jpg
| caption = Baker at the 45th Primetime Emmy Awards, 1993
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|6|8}}
| birth_place = Midland, Texas, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| education = Boston University
California Institute of the Arts
University of California, Berkeley (BA)
| occupation = Actress
| years_active = 1983–present
| spouse = {{plainlist|
- {{marriage|Donald Camillieri|1985|1999|end=div}}
- {{marriage|Steven Robman|2003|}}}}
| children = 2
}}
Katherine Whitton Baker (born June 8, 1950) is an American actress. Baker began her career in theater 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).{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/3417/Kathy-Baker/biography | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810182108/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/3417/Kathy-Baker/biography | url-status=dead | archive-date=10 August 2014 | department=Movies & TV Dept. | work=The New York Times | author=Jason Buchanan | date=2014 | title=Kathy Baker - Biography | access-date=29 July 2014}} 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.[https://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200709/20070925_baker.html Tavis Smiley interview archive site; interview date: September 25, 2007] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018071257/http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200709/20070925_baker.html |date=October 18, 2007 }} She attended high school at Mills High School in Millbrae, California. She graduated in 1968. Her drama instructor, Allen Knight, was a major influence in her desire to become a professional actress. She attended the Boston University School of Fine Arts Acting program and 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.{{cite web | url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kathy-baker/bio/160040 | title=Kathy Baker Biography | publisher=TV Guide | access-date=29 July 2014}}
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. In the same year she was cast as Louise Shepard, Alan Shepard's wife, in the drama film The Right Stuff. 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). 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. 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. 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.
Baker has appeared in 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 made-for-TV film series in the 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.{{cite web | url=http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/against-the-wall-canceled-season-two-21594/ | title=Against the Wall: Cancelled; No Season Two | publisher=TVSeriesFinale.com | date=December 10, 2011 | access-date=29 July 2014}}
In 2014, it was announced that she was cast in Randall Miller's Midnight Rider, a biopic of Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers Band.{{cite news|last=Kit|first=Borys|title=Gregg Allman Biopic Adds Three More|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gregg-allman-biopic-adds-three-680562|accessdate=February 21, 2014|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|date=February 14, 2014|archive-date=March 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301183227/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gregg-allman-biopic-adds-three-680562|url-status=live}} Baker also appears in the Netflix series The Ranch along with Ashton Kutcher and Elisha Cuthbert.
Personal life
She lives in Southern California with her second husband, director and producer Steven Robman, whom she married in 2003. She has a son and daughter with her first husband, Donald Camillieri.
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable"| Notes |
|---|
| 1983
| |
| 1986
| Maggie Gresham | |
| 1987
| Punchy | |
| rowspan=2| 1988
| Martha Sinclair | |
| Clean and Sober
| Charlie Standers | |
| rowspan=2| 1989
| Dad | Annie | |
| Jacknife
| Martha Flannigan | |
| rowspan=3| 1990
| Marcie Guilford | |
| Edward Scissorhands
| Joyce | |
| Mister Frost
| Dr. Sarah Day | |
| rowspan=2| 1992
| Dr. Diana Walton | |
| Jennifer 8
| Margie Ross | |
| 1993
| Lee | |
| 1996
| To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday | Esther Wheeler | |
| rowspan=2| 1997
| Helen Holt | |
| Weapons of Mass Distraction
| Margo Powers | |
| rowspan=2| 1999
| Nurse Angela | |
| A Little Inside
| Nancy | |
| 2000
| Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her | Rose | |
| rowspan=2| 2001
| Nancy Ryan | |
| Ten Tiny Love Stories
| Ten | |
| 2002
| Maggie | |
| 2003
| Sally Swanger | |
| 2004
| Bev Rink | |
| 2005
| Camille | |
| 2006
| Mrs. Burden | |
| 2007
| Bernadette | |
| rowspan=2| 2008
| Jean | |
| Shades of Ray
| Janet Rehman | |
| 2010
| Claire McKinney | |
| rowspan=4| 2011
| Sarah | |
| Good Day for It
| Rose Carter | |
| Seven Days in Utopia
| Mabel | |
| Machine Gun Preacher
| Daisy | |
| 2012
| Ruth McGraw | |
| rowspan=2| 2013
| Tommie | |
| The Trials of Cate McCall
| Therapist | |
| rowspan=3| 2014
| Kathleen Callaghan | |
| Boulevard
| Joy Mack | |
| Model Home
| Brenda | |
| rowspan=2| 2015
| Kathy Jones | |
| The Party Is Over
| Appoline | |
| 2017
| Laura Johnson | |
| 2019
| The Art of Racing in the Rain | Trish | |
| 2020
| Diana | |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable"| Notes |
|---|
| 1986
| Lucy Stavros | Television film (CBS) |
| 1987
| Charlene 'Charlie' Benton | Episode: "Lane Change" |
| 1987
| Mariah | Ariel Serra | Episode: "Prey" |
| 1990
| Marcie Guilford | Television film (HBO) |
| 1991
| One Special Victory | Ellen | Television film (NBC) |
| 1992–1996
| Dr. Jill Brock | 87 episodes |
| 1993
| Lush Life | Janice Oliver | Television film (Showtime) |
| rowspan=2| 1997
| Katherine Dawson | Episode: "The Affair" |
| Not in This Town
| Tammy Schnitzer | Television film (USA Network) |
| rowspan=2| 1998
| Evelyn Mayfield | 2 episodes |
| Oklahoma City: A Survivor's Story
| Priscilla Salyers | Television film (Lifetime Network) |
| rowspan=3| 1999
| Dr. Bliss (voice) | Episode: "Helga on the Couch" |
| A Season for Miracles
| Ruth Doyle | Television film (Hallmark Hall of Fame) |
| Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story
| Janice Danner | Television film (CBS) |
| rowspan=3| 2000
| Ellen Sawyer | Episode: "Buy Me a Rose" |
| Chicago Hope
| Mary Wyzinski | Episode: "Everybody's Special at Chicago Hope" |
| Ratz
| Doris Trowbridge | Television film (Showtime) |
| 2001–2002
| Meredith Peters | 14 episodes |
| 2002
| Gladys Sullivan | Television film (TNT) |
| 2004
| Monk | Sylvia Fairbourn | Episode: "Mr. Monk Goes to Jail" |
| rowspan=2| 2005
| Nip/Tuck | Gail Pollack | 2 episodes |
| Spring Break Shark Attack
| Mary Jones | Television film (CBS) |
| 2005–2010
| Medium | Marjorie Dubois | 5 episodes |
| rowspan=3| 2007
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Hannah Curtis | Episode: "Sin" |
| Gilmore Girls
| Mia | Episode: "Gilmore Girls Only" |
| Jesse Stone: Sea Change
| Rose Gammon | Television film (CBS) |
| 2008
| Anna Loomis | 2 episodes |
| rowspan=3| 2009
| Unstable | Betty Walker | Television film (Lifetime) |
| Jesse Stone: Thin Ice
| Rose Gammon | Television film (CBS) |
| Law & Order: Criminal Intent
| Camille Hayes-Fitzgerald | Episode: "Playing Dead" |
| rowspan=2| 2010
| Camille Peterson | Episode: "Crashers" |
| Jesse Stone: No Remorse
| Rose Gammon | Television film (CBS) |
| rowspan=4| 2011
| Sheila Kowalski | 12 episodes |
| Criminal Minds
| Linda Collins | Episode: "A Family Affair" |
| Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost
| Rose Gammon | Television film (CBS) |
| Too Big to Fail
| Wendy Paulson | Television film (HBO) |
| rowspan=2| 2012
| Dianne | Episode: "I'm Fine" |
| Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt
| Rose Gammon | Television film (CBS) |
| 2014
| Marie Burgess | 5 episodes |
| 2015
| Diana | 8 episodes |
| rowspan=2| 2016
| Colony | Phyllis | Recurring role, 3 episodes |
| Sister Cities
| Janis | Television film (Lifetime) |
| 2016–2020
| Joanne | Recurring role, 46 episodes |
| 2017
| Sharon | 6 episodes |
| rowspan=2| 2018
| Love | Vicki | 2 episodes |
| Paterno
| Television film (HBO) |
| 2019
| Nancy Geddes | Episode: "Never Going Back to Normal" |
| 2024
| Teacup | Ellen Chenoweth | {{Cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/tv/3832331/teacup-trailer-puzzle-box-horror-series-from-producer-james-wan-haunts-peacock-this-october/|title=‘Teacup’ Trailer – Puzzle Box Horror Series from Producer James Wan Haunts Peacock This October|website=Bloody Disgusting|first=John|last=Squires|date=September 22, 2024|access-date=September 27, 2024|archive-date=September 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240927160919/https://bloody-disgusting.com/tv/3832331/teacup-trailer-puzzle-box-horror-series-from-producer-james-wan-haunts-peacock-this-october/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/teacup-james-wan-peacock-horror-thriller-teaser-video/|title=Yvonne Strahovski, Scott Speedman and Chaske Spencer are Not in Control in New ‘Teacup’ Teaser Video|website=TheWrap|first=Lucas|last=Manfredi|date=August 14, 2024|access-date=September 27, 2024|archive-date=September 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240927160935/https://www.thewrap.com/teacup-james-wan-peacock-horror-thriller-teaser-video/|url-status=live}} |
Awards and nominations
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060527053139/http://www.sidewalkstv.com/webclips/b/kathybaker.html Kathy Baker 2003 Interview] on Sidewalks Entertainment
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for Kathy Baker
| list =
{{Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress |state=collapsed}}
{{EmmyAward DramaLeadActress}}
{{GoldenGlobeBestActressTVDrama 1980-1999}}
{{Locarno Film Festival Best Actress Award}}
{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress}}
{{ScreenActorsGuildAward FemaleTVDrama 1994-2009}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Kathy}}
Category:American film actresses
Category:American stage actresses
Category:American television actresses
Category:Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (television) winners
Category:Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
Category:American people of English descent
Category:American people of French descent
Category:People from Midland, Texas
Category:Actresses from New Mexico
Category:UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni