Laurie Metcalf facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Laurie Metcalf
|
|
|---|---|
Laurie Metcalf in 2008
|
|
| Born |
Laura Elizabeth Metcalf
June 16, 1955 Carbondale, Illinois, U.S.
|
| Alma mater | Illinois State University |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1974–present |
|
Works
|
Full list |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children | 4, including Zoe Perry |
| Relatives | Zoe Akins (great-aunt) Hugo Rumbold (great-uncle) |
| Awards | Full list |
Laura Elizabeth "Laurie" Metcalf (born June 16, 1955) is a famous American actress and comedian. She is known for playing many different kinds of characters on stage and in movies and TV shows. Over her career, which has lasted more than 40 years, she has won many awards. These include 4 Primetime Emmy Awards and 2 Tony Awards. She has also been nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and three Golden Globe Awards.
Metcalf started her acting journey with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. She first appeared on Broadway in 1985. She won her first Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play in 2017 for A Doll's House, Part 2. The next year, she won another Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Play in Three Tall Women.
On television, Laurie Metcalf is well-known for playing Jackie Harris in the show Roseanne (1988–1997, 2018). For this role, she won three Primetime Emmy Awards. She also appeared in the spin-off show The Conners (2018–2025). She won another Emmy for her guest role in Hacks (2022).
In movies, Metcalf is famous for her role as Marion McPherson in the film Lady Bird (2017). This role earned her nominations for an Academy Award and other major awards. She has also voiced Mrs. Davis, Andy's mom, in the Toy Story movies since 1995. She also voiced Sarah Hawkins in the Disney animated film Treasure Planet (2002).
Contents
Early Life and Education
Laurie Metcalf grew up in Edwardsville, Illinois. She has mentioned that there wasn't much theater nearby. Her father, James, worked at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. Her mother, Libby, was a librarian. Laurie's great-aunt was Zoë Akins, a famous playwright who won a Pulitzer Prize.
Metcalf went to Illinois State University and graduated in 1976. While in college, she worked as a secretary. She enjoyed seeing her work pile move from "to-do" to "completed." She first studied German, hoping to become an interpreter, then anthropology. But she soon realized that theater was her true passion. She felt that acting also involved understanding people. Even though she described herself as very shy, she found the courage to try out for plays in high school and loved it.
Career Highlights
Starting Out in Theater and TV (1976–1987)
Laurie Metcalf earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theater from Illinois State University in 1976. There, she met other theater students like John Malkovich and Jeff Perry. Jeff Perry and his friend Gary Sinise later started the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. Metcalf began her acting career at Steppenwolf and was one of its first members.
She went to New York to perform in a Steppenwolf play called Balm in Gilead in 1984. For this role, she won the Obie Award and a Theatre World Award. Critics praised her performance, especially a long speech she gave in the play.
Metcalf also appeared on television. She was a cast member for one episode of Saturday Night Live in 1981. Her first movie role was a small, uncredited part as a maid in A Wedding (1978). In the 1980s, she had supporting roles in popular films like Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) and Uncle Buck (1989).
Becoming a Star with Roseanne (1988–1998)
In 1988, Metcalf started her most famous role as Jackie Harris in the hit TV show Roseanne. Jackie was the kind but sometimes unsure sister of the main character. Laurie Metcalf starred alongside Roseanne Barr and John Goodman. Her acting earned her four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She won this award three times in a row, from 1992 to 1994. Roseanne ran until 1997, and Metcalf was in all nine seasons.
During the 1990s, she also took on different kinds of roles in movies. These included thrillers like Pacific Heights (1990) and Internal Affairs (1990). She also had a big role as Susie Cox in Oliver Stone's historical film JFK (1991). She also made guest appearances on TV shows like 3rd Rock from the Sun (1998), which earned her another Emmy nomination.
Voice Acting and More TV Roles (1999–2007)
From 1999 to 2001, Metcalf co-starred with Norm Macdonald in The Norm Show. She also had guest roles on many other TV series, including Frasier and Grey's Anatomy. Her work on Monk and Desperate Housewives earned her two more Emmy nominations.
Metcalf became well-known for her voice acting in films. She voiced Andy's mother in the Disney-Pixar animated film Toy Story (1995). She continued this role in Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Toy Story 4 (2019). All these movies were very successful. In 1997, she played Debbie Salt in the horror film Scream 2. In 2002, she voiced Sarah Hawkins in the Disney animated movie Treasure Planet.
In 2007, Metcalf began playing Mary Cooper, the mother of Sheldon Cooper, on the popular CBS show The Big Bang Theory. She appeared in this role many times over the show's twelve seasons. In 2016, her performance earned her another Emmy nomination. Her real-life daughter, Zoe Perry, later played a younger Mary in the spin-off show Young Sheldon.
Broadway Success and Lady Bird (2008–2019)
Metcalf moved to New York City and started working more in theater. She received a Tony Award nomination for her role in November on Broadway in 2008. She continued to perform in various plays, earning more awards and nominations.
In 2013, she starred with her real-life daughter, Zoe Perry, in the Broadway play The Other Place. She was nominated for a Tony for this role. From 2013 to 2015, Metcalf starred in the HBO comedy series Getting On, for which she was nominated for an Emmy. In 2015, she played Annie Wilkes in the Broadway production of Misery. Her performance was highly praised, and she received another Tony nomination.
In 2017, Laurie Metcalf received great praise for her role in Greta Gerwig's film Lady Bird. She starred alongside Saoirse Ronan. For this performance, she was nominated for many awards, including the Academy Award.
In 2017, Metcalf returned to Broadway in A Doll's House, Part 2. She received excellent reviews and won her first Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. The next year, she performed in the Broadway revival of Three Tall Women and won her second consecutive Tony Award, this time for Best Featured Actress in a Play. In 2019, Metcalf played Hillary Clinton in the Broadway play Hillary and Clinton, earning another Tony nomination.
Recent Work (2020–Present)
In 2020, Metcalf began performances in the Broadway revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. However, the production was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, she played Phyllis Gardner in the Hulu series The Dropout. That same year, she acted in the HBO Max series Hacks, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
Metcalf returned to Broadway in April 2023 in the play Grey House. She also co-starred in Ray Romano's first movie as a director, Somewhere in Queens (2023).
Personal Life
In 1983, Laurie Metcalf married Jeff Perry, who helped start the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. They had a daughter, Zoe Perry, in 1983, and later divorced in 1986.
Metcalf then started a relationship with Matt Roth, who was her co-star on Roseanne. They had a son in 1993 and married in 2005. They also worked together on some projects. Their daughter, Mae Roth, was born in 2005. They also adopted a second son in 2006. Metcalf and Roth separated in 2008, and their divorce was finalized in 2014.
Laurie Metcalf has said she is a workaholic and is very hard on herself during rehearsals. She prefers working in theater over other types of acting because she feels most comfortable there.
She has also appeared in commercials for Plan USA, an organization that helps children around the world.
Acting Credits and Awards
Throughout her career, Laurie Metcalf has received many awards. She has won four Primetime Emmy Awards. Three were for her role as Jackie Harris in Roseanne (1992, 1993, 1994). Her fourth Emmy was for playing Weed in the HBO comedy series Hacks in 2022.
For her role in the film Lady Bird (2017), she was nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe Award.
On stage, she has won two Tony Awards. The first was for Best Actress in a Play for her role in A Doll's House, Part 2 (2017). The second was for Best Featured Actress in a Play for Three Tall Women (2018).
See also
In Spanish: Laurie Metcalf para niños
