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Patricia ClarksonAdd to My CelebsAge 52 Birthday Dec. 29th, 1959 Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Height 5' 5" |
Patricia Clarkson's Main TV Roles
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Main Movie Roles2010 - Shutter Island2010 - Legendary 2010 - Easy A 2009 - 2081 2009 - Whatever Works 2009 - Cairo Time 2008 - Vicky Cristina Barcelona 2008 - Phoebe in Wonderland 2007 - No Reservations 2007 - Married Life 2007 - Lars and the Real Girl 2006 - All the King's Men 2006 - The Woods 2005 - Good Night, and Good Luck 2004 - Miracle 2003 - The Station Agent 2003 - Dogville 2003 - Pieces of April 2003 - All the Real Girls 2002 - Welcome to Collinwood 2002 - Far from Heaven 2001 - Wendigo 2001 - The Pledge 2001 - The Safety of Objects 1999 - Simply Irresistible 1999 - The Green Mile 1998 - High Art 1998 - Playing by Heart 1995 - Jumanji 1990 - Tune in Tomorrow... 1988 - The Dead Pool 1987 - The Untouchables |
NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at IMDB
This remarkable, one-of-a-kind actress has, since the early 1990s, intrigued film and TV audiences with her glowing, yet careworn eccentricity and old world-styled glamour. Very much in demand these days as a character player, Patricia Clarkson nevertheless continues to avoid the temptation of money-making mainstream filming while reaping kudos and acting awards in out-of-the-way projects.
The New Orleans born-and-bred performer with the given name of Patricia Davies Clarkson was born on December 29, 1959, the daughter of Arthur ("Buzz") Clarkson, a school administrator, and Jacquelyn (Brechtel) Clarkson, a local city politician and councilwoman. Patricia demonstrated an early interest in acting and managed to appear in a few junior high and high school-level plays while growing up. She took her basic college studies at Louisiana State University, studying speech for two years, before transferring to New York's Fordham University and graduating with honors in theatre arts.
Accepted into the prestigious Yale School of Drama graduate program, she earned her Master of Fine Arts after gracing a wide range of productions including "Electra," "Pericles," "Twelfth Night", "The Lower Depths," "The Misanthrope," "Pacific Overtures" and "La Ronde". From there she took on New York City where she attracted strong East Coast notice in 1986 for her portrayal of Corrina in "The House of Blue Leaves" and in such other plays as "Eastern Standard" (1988) and "Wolf-Man" (1989).
Known for her organic approach to acting, the flaxen-maned actress decided to try out her trademark whiskey voice in Hollywood at age 28, making her movie debut as Mrs. Elliot Ness in Brian De Palma's The Untouchables (1987) starring Kevin Costner. Playing supportive, wifely types at the onset, she became a strong contender for character stardom by the mid-to-late 1990s, not only on stage but in the independent film arena.
On stage Patricia received impressive notices for her contributions to the plays "Raised in Captivity," "The Ride Down Mt. Morgan," "Three Days of Rain" and, in particular, "The Maiden's Prayer," which nabbed her both Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Award nominations. In 2004, she finally enacted the classic part she seemed born to play, that of Southern belle Blanche DuBois in the Kennedy Center production of "A Streetcar Named Desire". She earned glowing notices. On camera she was offered roles of marked diversity. From the heavier dramatics of a film like Pharaoh's Army (1995), she could move deftly into light comedy, courtesy of Neil Simon (I) in the TV-movie London Suite (1996) (TV). It was, however, her bleak, convulsive portrayal of Greta, a strung-out, heroin-happy German has-been actress, opposite a resurgent Ally Sheedy in the acclaimed art film High Art (1998) that truly put Patricia on the indie map. From this she was handed a silver plate's worth of excitingly offbeat roles. In 2003 alone, Patricia received a special acting prize at the Sundance Film Festival for her superb work in three films: as a somber, grieving artist in The Station Agent (2003), a cold-hearted cancer victim in Pieces of April (2003) and a jokey, get-with-it mom in All the Real Girls (2003). She was nominated for a "Supporting Actress" Oscar for the first movie mentioned.
On TV Patricia received two Emmys for her recurring guest part as Frances Conroy's free-spirited sister in the acclaimed black comedy series "Six Feet Under" (2001). She also received the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics awards for her supporting work in the gorgeous, 1950s-styled melodrama Far from Heaven (2002), as a prim and proper Stepford-wife and deceptive friend to Julianne Moore (I).
No matter the size, such as her extended cameos in The Green Mile (1999), All the Real Girls (2003), Miracle (2004) and Elegy (2008/I), Patricia manages to make the most of whatever screen time she has, often stealing scenes effortlessly. Seen everywhere because of her in-demand status in Hollywood, Patricia recently worked for director/actor Woody Allen. Impressed with her small but excellent contribution in Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), she was promoted to a lead in his more recent picture Whatever Works (2009).
TRIVIA:
- Close friend of 'Amy Ryan (I)' (qv).
- Credits 'Ingrid Bergman (I)' (qv) as one of her favorite actresses, and the reason she became one.
- The youngest of five girls.
- Went to ivy-league Yale college to study dramatic arts.
- [2002] Girlfriend of 'Campbell Scott' (qv) since _Roger Dodger (2002)_ (qv) premiered at the 2002 Tribeca Film Festival.
- Some of her favorite movies are: _Desk Set (1957)_ (qv), _Driving Miss Daisy (1989)_ (qv), _Gaslight (1944)_ (qv), _Gosford Park (2001)_ (qv), _Sexy Beast (2000)_ (qv), and _Y tu mamá también (2001)_ (qv).
- Has four sisters.
- In 2003 she was in two different independent films with prominent cast members from _"Dawson's Creek" (1998)_ (qv). In _The Station Agent (2003)_ (qv) 'Michelle Williams (I)' (qv) played an acquaintance from the same small town as Patricia's character and in _Pieces of April (2003)_ (qv) Patricia played the mother of the title character portrayed by 'Katie Holmes' (qv).
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