Laurie Metcalf facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Laurie Metcalf
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Metcalf in 2008
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| Born |
Laura Elizabeth Metcalf
June 16, 1955 |
| Alma mater | Illinois State University |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1974–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children | 4, including Zoe Perry |
| Relatives | Zoe Akins (great-aunt) Hugo Rumbold (great-uncle) |
| Awards | Full list |
Laurie Metcalf (born June 16, 1955) is an American actress and comedian. She is famous for playing many different kinds of characters in plays, movies, and TV shows. Over her career, which has lasted more than 40 years, she has won many awards. These include four Primetime Emmy Awards and two 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. She often performs in plays in Chicago. She first appeared on Broadway in 1985. She has been nominated for six Tony Awards, winning two of them. She won for A Doll's House, Part 2 in 2017 and for Three Tall Women in 2018.
She became widely known for her role as Jackie Harris on the TV show Roseanne (1988–1997, 2018). For this role, she won three Primetime Emmy Awards. She also appears in the spin-off show The Conners (2018–present). She won another Emmy for her guest role in Hacks (2022). She has also been nominated for Emmys for shows like 3rd Rock from the Sun, Monk, Desperate Housewives, and The Big Bang Theory.
In movies, Metcalf is well-known for playing Marion McPherson in the film Lady Bird (2017). This role earned her nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a BAFTA Award. Since 1995, she has voiced Mrs. Davis, Andy's mom, in the Toy Story movies. She also voiced Sarah Hawkins in Disney's Treasure Planet (2002).
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Early Life and Education
Laurie Metcalf grew up in Edwardsville, Illinois. She has said that this town was not close to any theaters. Her mother, Libby, worked as a librarian. Her great-aunt, Zoë Akins, was 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 first studied German, hoping to become an interpreter. Then she studied anthropology. But she soon realized that acting was her true passion. She felt that acting also involves understanding and showing how people behave. She has described herself as very shy. However, she found the courage to try out for plays in high school and loved it.
Career Highlights
Starting Out in Theatre and TV (1976–1987)
Laurie Metcalf earned her degree 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 was one of the first members of this company.
She moved to New York to perform in a play called Balm in Gilead in 1984. For this role, she won an Obie Award for Best Actress. Critics praised her performance, especially a long speech she gave in the play.
Metcalf also appeared on TV early in her career. She was briefly a cast member on Saturday Night Live in 1981. Her first movie role was a small, uncredited part 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 on Roseanne (1988–1998)
In 1988, Metcalf started her most famous role as Jackie Harris on the TV show Roseanne. Jackie was the kind and sometimes insecure sister of the main character. She starred alongside Roseanne Barr and John Goodman. Metcalf's acting earned her four Primetime Emmy Award nominations. She won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series three years in a row, from 1992 to 1994. Roseanne ran until 1997, and Metcalf was in every season.
During the 1990s, she also took on different kinds of roles in movies. She appeared in JFK (1991), where she played a chief investigator. She also had small roles in films like Bulworth (1998) and Runaway Bride (1999). She lent her voice to animated shows like Duckman and King of the Hill. In 1998, she received her first Emmy nomination for a guest role in 3rd Rock from the Sun.
Voice Acting and TV Roles (1999–2007)
From 1999 to 2001, Metcalf co-starred with Norm Macdonald on 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 more Emmy nominations.
Metcalf is well-known for her voice work in animated films. She voiced Andy's mother in the Disney-Pixar movie 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 Disney's animated Treasure Planet. She also voiced Lucille Krunklehorn-Robinson in Meet the Robinsons (2007).
In 2007, Metcalf began playing Mary Cooper, the mother of Sheldon Cooper, on the popular TV show The Big Bang Theory. She played this role many times over the show's twelve seasons. In 2016, she was nominated for an Emmy for her performance. Her real-life daughter, Zoe Perry, plays 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 theatre. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in November in 2008. She also starred in a play called Voice Lessons several times. In 2011, she appeared in the play The Other Place, winning two awards for her acting.
In 2013, The Other Place moved to Broadway, and Metcalf was nominated for a Tony Award again. She even starred with her daughter, Zoe Perry, in this play. From 2013 to 2015, Metcalf starred in the HBO comedy series Getting On. She was nominated for an Emmy for her lead role in the final season.
In 2015, she played Annie Wilkes in the Broadway play Misery, alongside Bruce Willis. Her performance was highly praised, and she received her third Tony nomination. In 2016, Metcalf appeared in the show Horace and Pete, earning an Emmy nomination for her dramatic role.
In 2017, Roseanne returned for a new season, and Metcalf reprised her role as Jackie Harris. However, the show was later canceled due to controversial remarks by Roseanne Barr. Metcalf continued to play Jackie in the spin-off show The Conners, which started in 2018. She received another Emmy nomination for her work on the Roseanne revival.
Metcalf starred in the Broadway play A Doll's House, Part 2 in 2017. She received great reviews and won her first Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. That same year, she earned widespread praise for her role in the film Lady Bird. For this movie, she was nominated for many major awards, including an Academy Award. In 2018, Metcalf won her second consecutive Tony Award for her role in the Broadway play Three Tall Women. In 2019, she played Hillary Clinton in the Broadway play Hillary and Clinton, earning another Tony nomination.
Recent Work (2020–Present)
In 2020, Metcalf began performing in the Broadway play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. However, the show was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, she appeared in the Hulu series The Dropout. That same year, she acted in the HBO Max series Hacks, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress.
Metcalf returned to Broadway in April 2023 in the play Grey House. She also co-starred in the movie Somewhere in Queens (2023), which was Ray Romano's first time directing a film.
Personal Life
In 1983, Laurie Metcalf married Jeff Perry, who helped start the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. They had a daughter, Zoe Perry, in 1983. They divorced in 1986.
Metcalf later started a relationship with Matt Roth, who was her co-star on Roseanne. They had a son in 1993 and later got married. They also worked together on other projects, like the film Blink. They had another daughter in 2005. They also fostered a second son in 2006 and later adopted him. Metcalf and Roth separated in 2008, and their divorce was finalized in 2014.
Metcalf has said that she loves to work and is very focused during rehearsals. She prefers acting in theatre 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
Awards and nominations
Images for kids
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Metcalf at the 1992 Emmy Awards
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Metcalf (right) with Rosie O'Donnell (left) at the 1992 Emmy Awards
See also
In Spanish: Laurie Metcalf para niños
