Catherine Keener facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Catherine Keener
Keener in 2014
Born	Catherine Ann Keener (1959-03-26) March 26, 1959 (age 66) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Alma mater	Wheaton College (BA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1986–present
Spouse(s)	Dermot Mulroney ​ ​ (m. 1990; div. 2007)​
Children	1

Catherine Ann Keener (born March 26, 1959) is an American actress. She is known for playing strong and often thoughtful women in independent movies. She has also appeared in many big studio films. Catherine has been nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. These nominations were for her roles in Being John Malkovich (1999) and for playing the famous author Harper Lee in Capote (2005).

She also received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for her acting in the TV movie An American Crime (2007). Her other awards include nominations for a BAFTA Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Catherine Keener has starred in popular movies like The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Into the Wild (2007), and Get Out (2017). She has also lent her voice to animated films such as The Croods (2013) and Incredibles 2 (2018).

Early Life and School

Catherine Keener has Irish family on her father's side and Lebanese family on her mother's side. She grew up in Hialeah, Florida, and went to Catholic schools. Her sister, Elizabeth Keener, is also an actress.

Catherine went to Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. She studied American Studies and took a theater class. Her first play was Uncommon Women and Others during her third year of college. She graduated from Wheaton College in 1983.

Acting Career Highlights

Catherine Keener's first acting job was a small part in the movie About Last Night... (1986). She also had a supporting role in the TV series Ohara from 1987 to 1988.

In 1987, she met actor Dermot Mulroney while working on the film Survival Quest (1989). They later got married. Catherine also appeared as a guest star on the TV show Seinfeld. She played an artist who was Jerry's girlfriend and painted a famous picture of Kramer.

Her first main role in a movie was in Johnny Suede with Brad Pitt. Critics praised her performance, and she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. She then worked with director Tom Dicillo again in Living in Oblivion (1995). Later, she received another Independent Spirit Award nomination for Walking and Talking.

In 2000, Catherine earned her first Oscar nomination for Being John Malkovich. She continued to work with director Nicole Holofcener in Lovely and Amazing (2001). In 2002, she acted alongside Edward Norton in a play and in the film Death to Smoochy. She also appeared in Full Frontal and Simone with Al Pacino.

In 2005, she starred in the movie The Interpreter and The Ballad of Jack and Rose. She also played the love interest of Steve Carell in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Her role as writer Harper Lee in Capote (2005) earned her many awards and her second Oscar nomination. In 2006, she starred in Friends with Money.

In 2007, Catherine played Jan Burres in Sean Penn's film Into the Wild. This movie was based on a popular book. In 2008, she received an Emmy nomination for her role in the TV movie An American Crime. She also played Philip Seymour Hoffman's wife in Synecdoche, New York (2008). They played a couple again in the 2012 film A Late Quartet. In 2010, Catherine played the main character's mother in Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. This movie was based on the popular book series by Rick Riordan.

In 2015, Catherine starred in the HBO miniseries Show Me a Hero. In 2017, she played Missy Armitage in the horror film Get Out, which was very successful. In 2021, she starred in the Netflix miniseries Brand New Cherry Flavor. More recently, in 2024, Catherine appeared in Joker: Folie à Deux, which is a sequel to the 2019 film Joker.

Personal Life

Catherine Keener married actor Dermot Mulroney in 1990. They have a son named Clyde, who was born in 1999 and is a singer. Catherine and Dermot divorced in 2007.

Filmography

Film

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television

Video games

Podcast

Awards and Nominations

Catherine Keener has received many awards and nominations throughout her career. Here are some of the most notable ones:

See also

• List of people from Miami