Melora Walters facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Melora Walters
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| Born | October 21, 1959 Dhahran, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia
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| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children | 2 |
Melora Walters (born October 21, 1959) is an American actress, writer, producer, and director. She is best known for her starring roles as Wanda Henrickson on HBO's Big Love (2006–2010) and Kathy Kone on Hulu's PEN15 (2019–2021). Walters has appeared in several Paul Thomas Anderson films, earning two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for her work in Boogie Nights (1997) and Magnolia (1999). Her other film credits include Dead Poets Society (1989), Eraser (1996), Matchstick Men (2003), Cold Mountain (2003), The Butterfly Effect (2004), Short Term 12 (2013), Cam (2018), Venom (2018), and Offseason (2021). Walters made her feature directorial debut with Waterlily Jaguar (2018), which she also wrote and co-produced. She followed this with Drowning (2019).
Personal life
Walters married cinematographer Alex Vendler on June 21, 2008. She filed for divorce in 2010. She has two children from her previous marriage with Dylan Walsh.
Career
Walters made her screen debut with a small part in the 1988 film Underground, which she followed with the more substantial role of Gloria in Peter Weir's critically acclaimed Dead Poets Society (1989). She made small appearances in various films throughout the early-mid 1990s, such as Beethoven (1992), Tim Burton's Ed Wood (1994), and Eraser. In 1996, Walters began a professional partnership with Paul Thomas Anderson when she appeared in his directorial debut, Hard Eight. Her other collaborations with Anderson include Boogie Nights (1997 and Magnolia (1999). For her performance in Doubting Thomas (2018), Walters was named Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Door Film Festival.
On television, Walters has appeared in guest roles on series such as Roseanne, Seinfeld, NYPD Blue, CSI, Desperate Housewives, Californication, The Mentalist, NCIS, and Law & Order: SVU. She also starred as Felicity on L.A. Doctors (1998–1999), Wanda Henrickson on Big Love (2006–2010), and Kathy Kone on PEN15 (2019–2021).
Selected Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Underground | ||
| 1989 | Dead Poets Society | Gloria | |
| 1989 | Rude Awakening | Punky | |
| 1992 | Beethoven | Pet Shop Owner | |
| 1993 | America's Deadliest Home Video | Gloria | |
| 1993 | Twenty Bucks | ||
| 1994 | Cabin Boy | Trina | |
| 1994 | All Tied Up | Bliss | |
| 1994 | Ed Wood | Secretary #2 | |
| 1996 | Hard Eight | Jimmy's Girl | |
| 1996 | Eraser | Darleen | |
| 1996 | American Strays | Cindy | |
| 1997 | Los Locos | Allison | |
| 1997 | Boogie Nights | Jessie St. Vincent | Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast |
| 1999 | Magnolia | Claudia Wilson Gator | Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast |
| 2001 | Rain | Ellen | |
| 2002 | WiseGirls | Kate | |
| 2002 | Desert Saints | Bennie Harper | |
| 2003 | Melvin Goes to Dinner | Trenice, Melvin's Girlfriend | Copper Wing Award for Best Ensemble |
| 2003 | The Big Empty | Candy | |
| 2003 | Matchstick Men | Heather, Roy's Ex-Wife | Uncredited |
| 2003 | Cold Mountain | Lila | |
| 2004 | The Butterfly Effect | Andrea Treborn | |
| 2007 | Brothers Three: An American Gothic | Loren | |
| 2008 | Harrison Montgomery | Margo Fleming | |
| 2008 | bgFATLdy | Katelan Beacon | |
| 2008 | Dark Yellow | Woman | |
| 2009 | Hurt | Helen Coltrane | |
| 2010 | Case 219 | Victoria Lash | |
| 2010 | Love Ranch | Janelle | |
| 2011 | The River Murders | Agent Glover | |
| 2011 | Missing Pieces | Delia Greenly | |
| 2012 | The Master | Band (voice) | |
| 2013 | Short Term 12 | Dr. Hendler | |
| 2013 | Underdogs | Nancy Smith-Burkett | |
| 2013 | Lonely Boy | Betsy | |
| 2014 | The Young Kieslowski | Barbara Kieslowski | |
| 2015 | Sugar Mountain | Tracy Huxley | |
| 2016 | Not a Stranger | Jill Madden | |
| 2016 | Indiscretion | Harper | |
| 2017 | The Lovers | Lucy | |
| 2018 | In a Relationship | Mia Ziniti | |
| 2018 | Doubting Thomas | Kate | Golden Door Festival Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 2018 | Cam | Lynne Ackerman | |
| 2018 | Venom | Maria | |
| 2019 | Robert the Bruce | Ylfa | |
| 2019 | Drowning | Rose | Also writer, director, producer |
| 2020 | The Pale Door | Maria | |
| 2020 | Pink Skies Ahead | Hayley | |
| 2021 | Offseason | Ava Aldrich | |
| 2022 | The Hater | Sally Jensen |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–1990 | Roseanne | Debbie | 5 episodes |
| 1990 | How to Murder a Millionaire | Television film | |
| 1991 | The Wonder Years | Waitress | Episode: "Road Trip" |
| 1991 | ABC Afterschool Specials | Episode: "It's Only Rock & Roll" | |
| 1992 | Murphy Brown | Lisa | 1 episode |
| 1992 | Dear John | Maria | Episode: "Adult Education" |
| 1993 | Telling Secrets | Karen Blake | Television film |
| 1993 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Star Buckley | Episode: "Bounty" |
| 1993 | Bakersfield P.D. | Marnie Archer | Episode: "Lucky 13" |
| 1994 | Dead Man's Revenge | Bunny | Television film |
| 1994 | Seinfeld | Jane | Episode: "The Hamptons" |
| 1994 | Midnight Run for Your Life | Lorna Bellstratten | Television film |
| 1995 | The Marshal | Sheryl | Episode: "The Ballad of Lucas Burke" |
| 1995 | Picket Fences | Sherri Watkins | Episode: "Reap the Whirlwind" |
| 1995 | Dream On | Dina | Episode: "Little Orphan Eddie" |
| 1995 | NYPD Blue | Holly Snyder | Episodes: "The Bank Dick" and "Dirty Laundry" |
| 1996 | Simon | Emily | Episode: "Simon Night Fever" |
| 1996 | Nash Bridges | Flo | Episode: "Skirt Chasers" |
| 1997 | High Incident | Episode: "Camino High" | |
| 1997 | Brooklyn South | Carly | Episode: "A Reverend Runs Through It" |
| 1998–1999 | L.A. Doctors | Felicity | 20 episodes |
| 1998 | Twice Upon a Time | Alannah Merribone | Television film |
| 2002 | Push, Nevada | Grace | 7 episodes |
| 2003–2004 | Threat Matrix | Lia "Lark" Larkin | 13 episodes |
| 2005 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Sage | Episode: "Gum Drops" |
| 2006–2010 | Big Love | Wanda Henrickson | 35 episodes |
| 2007 | Desperate Housewives | Sylvia Greene | Episodes: "Distant Past", "Something's Coming" |
| 2012 | Californication | Lisa | Episode: "Raw" |
| 2012 | Franklin & Bash | Joan Ackermann | Episode: "Strange Brew" |
| 2014 | Rake | Jan Falcon | Episode: "Man's Best Friend" |
| 2015 | The Mentalist | Amber | Episode: "Byzantium" |
| 2015 | Criminal Minds | Paige | Episodes: "Protection" and "The Hunt" |
| 2016 | NCIS | Susan Elizabeth Lowe | Episode: "Reasonable Doubts" |
| 2017 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Laurel | Episode: "Something Happened" |
| 2018 | Corporate | Nadine | Episode: "Corporate Retreat" |
| 2019 | The OA | Melody | Episode: "Angel of Death" |
| 2019–2021 | PEN15 | Kathy Kone | Main cast |
Music videos
| Year | Song | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Try" | Michael Penn | |
| 1999 | "Save Me" | Aimee Mann | Directed by PTA |
See also
In Spanish: Melora Walters para niños
