Patricia Clarkson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Clarkson in 2017 | |
| Born | Patricia Davies Clarkson (1959-12-29)December 29, 1959 (age 65) New Orleans,Louisiana, U.S. |
| Education | Louisiana State University Fordham University (BA) Yale University (MFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Works | Full list |
| Mother | Jackie Clarkson |
| Awards | Full list |
Patricia Davies Clarkson (born December 29, 1959) is an American actress. She has starred in numerous leading and supporting roles in a variety of films ranging fromindependent film features tomajor film studio productions. Heraccolades include aGolden Globe Award and threePrimetime Emmy Awards, in addition to nominations for anAcademy Award and aTony Award.
Clarkson studied acting at theYale School of Drama before making her feature film debut inBrian De Palma's mob dramaThe Untouchables (1987). She acted in a string of films includingThe Dead Pool (1988),High Art (1998),The Green Mile (1999),The Pledge (2001),Far from Heaven (2002), andDogville (2003). In 2003 she gained acclaim for her portrayals of a cancer-stricken matriarch who reunites with her daughter inPieces of April (2003), for which she was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and an artist grappling with the death of her son inThe Station Agent (2003), which earned her a nomination for theScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role.
She later expanded her career taking roles in numerous films acting in dramas such asGood Night, and Good Luck (2005),All the King's Men (2006),Elegy (2008),Shutter Island (2010),The Party (2017),Monica (2022), andShe Said (2022) as well as the comedy filmsLars and the Real Girl (2007),Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008),Whatever Works (2009),Easy A (2010),Friends with Benefits (2011), andLearning to Drive (2014). She also portrayed the villainous Ava Paige in thedystopianscience-fiction film seriesMaze Runner from 2014 to 2018.
On television, she took a recurring guest role on theHBO seriesSix Feet Under (2002–2005) earning twoPrimetime Emmy Awards. She is also known for her recurring roles in theNBCsitcomsFrasier andParks and Recreation and theNetflix political drama seriesHouse of Cards. For her role in theHBO limited seriesSharp Objects (2018), she earned aGolden Globe Award as well as nominations for aPrimetime Emmy Award, andScreen Actors Guild Award. She played an outspoken wife in theBBC seriesState of the Union (2022), earning anotherPrimetime Emmy Award.
On stage, Clarkson made herBroadway debut as a replacement in theJohn Guare playThe House of Blue Leaves (1986). She returned to Broadway playing aWall Street investment counselor in theRichard Greenberg playEastern Standard (1989), andMrs. Kendal in the revival of theBernard Pomerance playThe Elephant Man (2014), the later of which earned her a nomination for theTony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. She reprised the role at theTheatre Royal Haymarket in 2015 in herWest End debut. She later featured in a West End revival of theEugene O'Neill playLong Day's Journey into Night (2024).
Clarkson was born on December 29, 1959,[1] inNew Orleans, Louisiana, the daughter ofJackie Clarkson (née Brechtel), a New Orleans politician and councilwoman, and Arthur "Buzz" Clarkson,[2] a school administrator who worked at theLouisiana State University School of Medicine.[3] Clarkson's maternal great-grandmother was aLithuanian-Jewish[4] immigrant who settled in New Orleans, while her maternal grandfather immigrated from Spain.[5] Her mother's ancestry also includes Irish and German, while Clarkson's father was of English, Scottish, and Welsh descent.[5]
She is one of five sisters, all of whom attendedO. Perry Walker High School,[6] where she graduated in 1977.[7] She was raised inAlgiers, a section of New Orleans on the West Bank of theMississippi River.[8]
From 1977 to 1979, Clarkson studiedspeech pathology at Louisiana State University before deciding she wanted to pursue a drama degree.[2] In 1980, she transferred toFordham University in New York City to enroll in their undergraduate acting program, from which she graduatedsumma cum laude in 1982.[9] She then earned herMaster of Fine Arts at theYale School of Drama in 1985.[10]
After graduating from the Yale School of Drama, Clarkson was cast in a 1986Broadway production ofThe House of Blue Leaves as a replacement in the role of Corrinna Stroller.[11] The following year, she made her feature film debut inBrian De Palma'sThe Untouchables (1987), portraying Catherine Ness, the wife of US TreasuryProhibition agentEliot Ness (Kevin Costner).[9] Clarkson stated she was struggling financially at the time, payingstudent loans, and De Palma expanded her role in the film; she originally had only several days of shooting.[12] The next year, she played oppositeClint Eastwood inThe Dead Pool (1988), the fifth installment in theDirty Harry film series.[9]
Clarkson returned to Broadway in 1989 inEastern Standard, portraying aWall Street investment counselor whose brother (played byKevin Conroy) is diagnosed withAIDS; the play ran from January to March of that year.[11]
Clarkson has stated that in the early 1990s, she went through a turbulent period in her career and was unable to find significant work.[13] She had a small role inJumanji (1995)[14] before being cast in the independent dramaHigh Art (1998), portraying a drug-addictedGerman actress in New York City.[9] Her performance earned her anIndependent Spirit Award nomination forBest Supporting Actress.[15]
In 1998, Clarkson had a small role in the critically acclaimed independent romantic comedyPlaying by Heart, portraying a woman at a bar who listens to a false story told by a man (Dennis Quaid) as part of his improv class. In 1999, Clarkson appeared in a supporting role as an ailing wife of a prison warden inThe Green Mile, which was nominated for aScreen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble Cast.[15] The same year, she had a supporting part in the romantic comedySimply Irresistible (1999), followed by a supporting part inStanley Tucci's biopicJoe Gould's Secret (2000).[16] Next, she portrayed a single mother in the dramaThe Safety of Objects (2001), and had a supporting role oppositeJack Nicholson in theSean Penn-directed thrillerThe Pledge (2001), playing the mother of a murder victim.[17] She also had a leading role in the independenthorror filmWendigo (2001), directed byLarry Fessenden,[18] and in the comedyWelcome to Collinwood (2002).[19]Roger Ebert praised the performances in the former, noting: "The actors [inWendigo] have an unforced, natural quality that looks easy but is hard to do."[18] In 2001 she had a recurring role onFrasier as Claire French, who datedFrasier Crane played byKelsey Grammer.
In 2002, Clarkson was cast in a supporting role inTodd Haynes's period dramaFar from Heaven, oppositeJulianne Moore and Dennis Quaid, playing the neighbor of a repressed housewife in the 1950s.[15] The same year, she starred asMargaret White in the television film adaptation ofStephen King'sCarrie.[20] Between 2002 and 2005, Clarkson had a guest-starring role on theHBO drama seriesSix Feet Under, playingSarah O'Connor, the artist sister ofRuth Fisher.[21] For her portrayal, she won twoPrimetime Emmy Awards forOutstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, in 2002 and 2005, respectively.[22][23]
Clarkson appeared in multipleindependent films in 2003, includingThe Baroness and the Pig;[15]Lars von Trier's experimental dramaDogville,[19] the critically acclaimed indie filmThe Station Agent, playing an artist who befriends a diminutive man (Peter Dinklage) who suddenly appears as a town resident living in a local train depot;Pieces of April, in which she portrayed a mother dying ofcancer who travels to visit her estranged daughter (Katie Holmes) forThanksgiving;[23] and theDavid Gordon Green-directed dramaAll the Real Girls, as the mother of a young womanizer in a small southern town.[15] Four of the films—The Baroness and the Pig,Pieces of April,The Station Agent, andAll the Real Girls—premiered at the 2003Sundance Film Festival.[15] Clarkson received numerous accolades for her performances: ForThe Station Agent, she won the Special Jury Prize at Sundance, and was nominated for aScreen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role,[24] among others. Her performance inPieces of April earned her a Sundance Special Jury Prize, as well as nominations for theScreen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, aGolden Globe Award forBest Supporting Actress, and anAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress.[25]
Following these critical successes, Clarkson had a lead role oppositeKurt Russell in the sports docudramaMiracle (2004), about the U.S. hockey team defeating the heavily favored Soviets in the 1980 Olympics, and played the wife of a news correspondent (Robert Downey Jr.) inGeorge Clooney's historical dramaGood Night, and Good Luck (2005), about the conflict between journalistEdward R. Murrow andJoseph McCarthy.[26] She then starred as the wife of a Hollywood studio executive in the independent dramaThe Dying Gaul (2005).[27] 2006 saw the release ofThe Woods, a supernatural horror film shot in 2003[28] in which she portrayed the headmistress of a girls' boarding school. The same year, she portrayed Sadie Burke inAll the King's Men, set in her native New Orleans.[29]
In 2007, she had a supporting role in the romantic comedyNo Reservations, as well as in the comedy-dramaLars and the Real Girl, in which she portrayed a psychiatrist treating a man in love with asex doll.[30] She subsequently co-starred withBen Kingsley in the dramaElegy (2008), and had supporting roles in twoWoody Allen films: 2008'sVicky Cristina Barcelona, portraying an unhappy housewife, and 2009'sWhatever Works.[31] In 2008, producerGerald Peary approached Clarkson to do thevoice-over for the documentary filmFor the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism. Says Peary, "She agreed to do the narration... And she was so nice, and so cooperative, and so prepared, and so intelligent. And one of the key reasons she wanted to do the movie was that she regularly reads criticism, and has a genuine respect forfilm criticism.[32] Clarkson returned to New Orleans on January 17, 2009 for the reopening of theMahalia Jackson Theatre for the Performing Arts. She served as master of ceremonies for a gala featuringPlácido Domingo in concert with theNew Orleans Opera, conducted by Robert Lyall.[33] She also made a cameo appearance in theSaturday Night LiveDigital Short "Motherlover" on May 9, 2009. The video featuredAndy Samberg,Justin Timberlake, andSusan Sarandon. She reprised the role on May 21, 2011, in the digital short "3-Way (The Golden Rule)".
In 2010, Clarkson appeared oppositeLeonardo DiCaprio in theMartin Scorsese-directed thrillerShutter Island, playing a woman escaped from a psychiatric institution.[34] Recounting being cast in the part, Clarkson said: "I got the call that every actor lives for. 'Patty, Martin Scorsese is thinking of casting you in his new movie.' And I do what I call the little 'Martin Scorsese dance' around my apartment. I think I was in my underwear or pajamas. It's a call you live for. Then I hear back, 'But it's just one scene.' So then I'm dancing a little lower. Then I hear, 'It's you and Leonardo DiCaprio in a cave,' and then I'm dancing again."[34] The film was a box office hit, and Scorsese's highest-grossing film at the time.[35]
Clarkson subsequently had roles in two independent films:Legendary andMain Street (both 2010), before appearing in two mainstream comedies directed byWill Gluck:Easy A (2010), as the mother of a troubled high school student (Emma Stone), and as the mother of an executive recruiter (Mila Kunis) inFriends with Benefits (2011).[36] She also appeared in the romantic dramaOne Day (2011) as the mother of a college student in Scotland (portrayed byJim Sturgess),[37] and guest-starred on two episodes of the comedy seriesParks and Recreation.[19] In 2013, she had a supporting role in the thrillerThe East (2013) as the leader of a private intelligence firm.[38]
In 2014, Clarkson returned to Broadway portrayingMadge Kendal oppositeBradley Cooper in a production ofThe Elephant Man, which earned her aTony Award nomination forBest Featured Actress in a Play.[39] The same year, she starred opposite Ben Kingsley in the comedy-drama filmLearning to Drive, portraying Wendy, a depressed middle-aged New York book critic learning to drive from aSikh man.[40] John Patterson ofThe Guardian praised her performance, writing: "Clarkson gives us every ounce of Wendy's desperation and self-loathing, and every shade of them as well. She has always been a miraculous performer."[40] The same year, she appeared as villain Ava Paige in the major box-office hitThe Maze Runner, adystopian film based on the2009 young adult novel.[41] She subsequently reprised the role in both sequels:Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015),[42] andMaze Runner: The Death Cure (2018).[43]
Clarkson starred in theensemble dramaThe Party in 2017, directed bySally Potter, for which she won aBritish Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actress.[44] The same year, she co-starred withEmily Mortimer andBill Nighy inThe Bookshop, a period drama set in 1959Suffolk involving two women vying to acquire a building for their own respective businesses.[45] She also guest-starred on the fifth and sixth seasons (2017–2018) of theNetflix political drama seriesHouse of Cards, portraying Jane Davis, aUnited States Department of Commerce official.[46]
She subsequently starred in the science fiction filmJonathan, involving two brothers who alternately share a single body,[47] and the psychological horror filmDelirium, which was released directly-to-DVD.[48] Clarkson starred oppositeAmy Adams in the psychological dramaminiseriesSharp Objects (2018), portraying the wealthy mother of an alcoholic reporter (Adams) investigating a murder in theirMissouri town.[49] For her performance in the series, Clarkson won a Golden Globe Award forBest Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film.
In 2023, Clarkson assumed the lead role in the espionage thriller seriesGray, co-produced byAGC Television andLionsgate Films. The series chronicles CIA operative Cornelia Gray's return to her former life after two decades in hiding, amidst revelations of a mole within the spy network she once belonged to.[50][51]
In response to theDeepwater Horizon oil spill, Clarkson published a post forNatural Resources Defense Council's magazineOnEarth. She also released apublic service announcement talking about her experiences growing up in New Orleans. Both pieces were released on July 26, 2010.[52]
Clarkson resides in New York City.[23] In 2007, she purchased a loft inGreenwich Village forUS$1.5 million (equivalent to $2.3 million in 2024).[53] She listed it for $2.5 million (equivalent to $3.1 million in 2024) in November 2018.[54] She has never married and has no children,[55] stating in a 2013 interview, "I've never wanted to marry, I've never wanted children—I was born without that gene."[56] Three of Clarkson's four sisters have children and she is very close to her nieces and nephews.[57] One of her nephews, Mac Alsfeld,[58] is an actor, writer and director.[59]
She made her film debut inThe Untouchables (1987), followed by a supporting role inThe Dead Pool (1988). She appeared in numerous supporting roles in such films asThe Green Mile (1999),The Pledge (2001),Far from Heaven (2002),Dogville (2003),The Station Agent (2003),Pieces of April (2003),Good Night, and Good Luck (2005),Lars and the Real Girl (2007), andElegy (2008). She also appeared in Woody Allen filmsVicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) andWhatever Works (2009). In 2010, Clarkson had a supporting role in the thrillerShutter Island, followed by roles in the comediesEasy A andFriends with Benefits. She portrayed Ava Paige inThe Maze Runner (2014) and its two sequels. In 2017, she co-starred in Sally Potter's dramaThe Party and guest-starred on the Netflix seriesHouse of Cards. She co-starred with Amy Adams on the HBO miniseriesSharp Objects in 2018.
Clarkson was honored by theJameson Dublin International Film Festival when she received one of the 2010 Volta awards for achievements in her career.[60]
