Catherine Keener facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Catherine Keener
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Keener in 2014
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| Born | March 26, 1959 Miami, Florida, U.S.
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| Education | Wheaton College (BA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 1 |
Catherine Keener (born March 26, 1959) is a talented American actress. She is known for playing strong, 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 author Harper Lee in Capote (2005).
She also received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for her role in An American Crime (2007). Catherine has also been nominated for a BAFTA Award and two Golden Globe Awards. She 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).
Contents
Early Life and School
Catherine Keener was born in Miami, Florida. Her family has roots from Ireland and Lebanon. She grew up in Hialeah, Florida, and went to Catholic schools.
Catherine attended Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. She studied American Studies and also 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 started her acting career in television. She had a supporting role as Lt. Cricket Sideris in the TV series Ohara from 1987 to 1988. Her very first movie appearance was a small part in About Last Night... (1986).
She later guest-starred on an episode of Seinfeld called "The Letter". In this episode, she played an artist who was Jerry's girlfriend. Her first main role in a movie was in Johnny Suede, where she acted alongside Brad Pitt. Her performance in this film was praised and earned her a nomination for an Independent Spirit Award.
Big Roles and Awards
In 2000, Catherine Keener received her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. This was for her role in Being John Malkovich, directed by Spike Jonze. She continued to work on independent films, earning more nominations for her acting.
In 2005, she starred in several different movies. She was in the political thriller The Interpreter. She also played the love interest of Steve Carell in the comedy The 40-Year-Old Virgin. That same year, her role as writer Harper Lee in Capote earned her many awards and nominations. This included her second Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
In 2007, Catherine played Jan Burres in Sean Penn's movie Into the Wild. This film was based on a popular book. In 2008, she starred in the film An American Crime. Her performance in this movie earned her an Emmy nomination. She also played the mother of the main character in Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010). This movie was based on the popular book series by Rick Riordan.
More recently, Catherine starred in the horror film Get Out in 2017. This movie was very successful with both critics and audiences. From 2018 to 2020, she was part of the TV series Kidding. In 2024, she appeared in Joker: Folie à Deux, which is a sequel to the 2019 film Joker.
Personal Life
Catherine Keener was married to actor Dermot Mulroney. They got married in 1990 and had a son named Clyde in 1999. Clyde is now a singer. Catherine and Dermot divorced in 2007.
Filmography
Movies
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | About Last Night... | Cocktail Waitress | |
| 1989 | Survival Quest | Cheryl | |
| 1990 | Catchfire | Trucker's girl | |
| 1991 | Switch | Steve's Secretary | |
| Johnny Suede | Yvonne | ||
| Thelma & Louise | Hal's wife | Scenes cut | |
| 1992 | The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag | Suzanne | |
| 1993 | The Cemetery Club | Ester's Daughter | |
| 1995 | Living in Oblivion | Nicole Springer | |
| 1996 | Walking and Talking | Amelia | |
| The Destiny of Marty Fine | Lena | ||
| Boys | Jilly | ||
| Box of Moonlight | Floatie Dupre | ||
| 1997 | The Real Blonde | Mary | |
| 1998 | Out of Sight | Adele Delisi | |
| Your Friends & Neighbors | Terri | ||
| 1999 | 8mm | Amy Welles | |
| Simpatico | Cecilia | ||
| Being John Malkovich | Maxine Lund | ||
| 2001 | Lovely & Amazing | Michelle Marks | |
| 2002 | Adaptation | Herself | Cameo |
| Full Frontal | Lee | ||
| Death to Smoochy | Nora Wells | ||
| Simone | Elaine Christian | ||
| 2005 | The Ballad of Jack and Rose | Kathleen | |
| The Interpreter | Dot | ||
| The 40-Year-Old Virgin | Trish Piedmont | ||
| Capote | Nelle Harper Lee | ||
| 2006 | Friends with Money | Christine | |
| 2007 | An American Crime | Gertrude Baniszewski | |
| Into the Wild | Jan Burres | ||
| 2008 | Hamlet 2 | Brie Marschz | |
| What Just Happened | Lou Tarnow | ||
| Synecdoche, New York | Adele Lack | ||
| Genova | Barbara | ||
| 2009 | The Soloist | Mary Weston | |
| Where the Wild Things Are | Connie | Also associate producer | |
| 2010 | Please Give | Kate | |
| Cyrus | Jamie | ||
| Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief | Sally Jackson | ||
| Trust | Lynn Cameron | ||
| 2011 | The Oranges | Paige Walling | |
| Peace, Love & Misunderstanding | Diane | ||
| Maladies | Catherine | ||
| 2012 | A Late Quartet | Juliette Gelbart | |
| 2013 | The Croods | Ugga Crood | Voice |
| Enough Said | Marianne | ||
| Captain Phillips | Andrea Phillips | ||
| Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa | Ellie Zisman | ||
| 2014 | Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa.5 | Direct to video | |
| War Story | Lee | Also producer | |
| Begin Again | Miriam | ||
| Elephant Song | Susan Peterson | ||
| 2015 | Accidental Love | Rep. Pam Hendrickson | |
| 2016 | Unless | Reta | |
| 2017 | Get Out | Missy Armitage | |
| Little Pink House | Susette Kelo | ||
| We Don't Belong Here | Nancy Green | ||
| November Criminals | Fiona | ||
| 2018 | Nostalgia | Donna Beam | |
| Incredibles 2 | Evelyn Deavor / Screenslaver | Voice | |
| Sicario: Day of the Soldado | Cynthia Foards | ||
| 2020 | The Croods: A New Age | Ugga Crood | Voice |
| 2021 | No Future | Claire | |
| 2022 | The Adam Project | Maya Sorian | |
| Polar Bear | Narrator | Voice | |
| 2024 | Joker: Folie à Deux | Maryanne Stewart |
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Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Television Shows
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | L.A. Law | Waitress | Episode: "The House of the Rising Flan" |
| 1987 | Ohara | Lt. Cricket Sideris | 11 episodes |
| 1988–1989 | Knightwatch | Rebecca | 2 episodes |
| 1989 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Jan Engle | Episode: "Curse of the Corn People" |
| 1992 | Seinfeld | Nina West | Episode: "The Letter" |
| 1996 | Heroine of Hell | Magda | Television film |
| If These Walls Could Talk | Becky Donnelly | Television film; segment: "1952" | |
| 2014 | How and Why | Alice | Pilot |
| 2015 | Show Me a Hero | Mary Dorman | 5 episodes |
| 2018–2020 | Kidding | Deirdre "Didi" Perera | 20 episodes |
| 2018 | Forever | Kase | 5 episodes |
| 2019 | Modern Love | Julie | 2 episodes |
| 2021 | Brand New Cherry Flavor | Boro | 8 episodes |
| 2023 | Lucky Hank | Catherine Keener | Episode: "The Chopping Block" |
Video Games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Lego The Incredibles | Evelyn Deavor |
Podcasts
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–2017 | Homecoming | Heidi Bergman |
Awards and Nominations
Catherine Keener has received many awards and nominations throughout her career. Some of her notable nominations include:
- Two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
- A nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.
- Nominations for a BAFTA Award and two Golden Globe Awards.
She has won awards from various film critics' associations for her supporting roles. These include the Florida Film Critics Circle Award and the New York Film Critics Circle Award. She also received the Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Cast for Synecdoche, New York.
See also
In Spanish: Catherine Keener para niños
