Laurie Metcalf | |
|---|---|
 Metcalf in 2008 | |
| Born | Laura Elizabeth Metcalf (1955-06-16)June 16, 1955 (age 70) Carbondale, Illinois, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Illinois State University |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4, includingZoe Perry |
| Relatives | Zoe Akins (great-aunt) Hugo Rumbold (great-uncle) |
| Awards | Full list |
Laura Elizabeth "Laurie"Metcalf (born June 16, 1955)[1] is an American actress and comedian. Known for her complex and versatile rolesacross the stage and screen, she has receivedvarious accolades throughout a career spanning more than four decades, including fourPrimetime Emmy Awards and twoTony Awards, in addition to nominations for anAcademy Award, aBritish Academy Film Award, and threeGolden Globe Awards.
Metcalf began her career with theSteppenwolf Theatre Company and frequently works inChicago theatre. She made herBroadway debut in the 1995 playMy Thing of Love. She went on to receive twoTony Awards, her first forBest Actress in a Play for her role inA Doll's House, Part 2 (2017) followed by her win forBest Featured Actress in a Play for the revival ofEdward Albee'sThree Tall Women (2018). Her other Tony-nominated roles were forNovember (2008),The Other Place (2010),Misery (2016), andHillary and Clinton (2019).
On television, she playedJackie Harris onRoseanne (1988–1997, 2018), for which she won threePrimetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and its spinoffThe Conners (2018–2025). She also won anEmmy Award for her guest role inHacks (2022), and was Emmy-nominated for3rd Rock from the Sun (1999),Monk (2006),Desperate Housewives (2007),The Big Bang Theory (2016),Getting On (2013–2015), andHorace and Pete (2016).[2] She also acted inThe Norm Show (1999–2001),Frasier, andThe Dropout (2022)
In film, Metcalf is best known for her performance as Marion McPherson inGreta Gerwig's comedy-drama filmLady Bird (2017). She was nominated for anAcademy Award, aGolden Globe Award, anActor Award, aBAFTA Award, and aCritics' Choice Award, all for Best Supporting Actress. Since 1995, she has voicedMrs. Davis, the mother of Andy, in theToy Story franchise; she also voiced Sarah Hawkins in the Disney animated filmTreasure Planet (2002). Other film credits includeDesperately Seeking Susan (1985),Uncle Buck (1989),JFK (1991),Dear God (1996),Georgia Rule (2007) andScream 2 (1997).
Metcalf was raised inEdwardsville, Illinois, which she has said "isn't anywhere near a theatre."[3] Her father, James, was the budget director atSouthern Illinois University-Edwardsville at the time of his sudden death in 1984. Her mother, Libby, was a librarian.[4] Her great-aunt was thePulitzer Prize-winning playwrightZoë Akins.[5]
Metcalf is an alumna ofIllinois State University, class of 1976.[6] Metcalf worked as a secretary while in college and has said that she enjoyed seeing a pile of paper in the to-do box on one side of her desk move over to the completed side by the end of the day. She was often so focused on her work she missed lunch.[3] She originally majored in German, thinking she could work as an interpreter, and then in anthropology before majoring in theatre. She has said that theatre work also involves interpreting and studying human behavior. She has described herself as hideously shy, and yet she found the courage to audition for a few plays in high school and was "hooked". She initially did not choose acting as a career, because it was unlikely to lead to regular work.[3][7]
Metcalf attendedIllinois State University and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theater in 1976. While at ISU, she met fellow theater students, among themJohn Malkovich,Glenne Headly,Joan Allen,Terry Kinney, andJeff Perry, the latter two of whom, along with Perry's high school classmateGary Sinise, went on to establish Chicago'sSteppenwolf Theatre Company. Metcalf began her professional career at Steppenwolf, of which she was a charter member.[8][9] Metcalf went to New York to appear in an Off-Broadway Steppenwolf production ofBalm in Gilead at Circle Repertory in 1984[10] for which she received the 1984Obie Award for Best Actress and a 1984–85Theatre World Award (for best debut in a Broadway orOff-Broadway performance).[8] Metcalf was praised for her performance as Darlene, and was specifically singled out for her 20-minute act two monologue. Chicago criticRichard Christiansen stated:
There's a moment when Laurie Metcalf—who plays this poor young thing that comes to the big city and hangs out at this greasy spoon diner where the play is set—is talking about her once boyfriend who is an albino; I think it's a monologue of about five, six, seven minutes. Just to sit there and watch and hear Laurie unspool that story, it just brought tears coming down your eyes—oh, boy, it was something.[11]
Metcalf has appeared in several television series, including being a cast member for a single episode ofSaturday Night Live—the final episode of the show's tumultuous1980–1981 season.[12] In 1981, she appeared as a feature player on the firstDick Ebersol-produced episode ofSaturday Night Live following the firing ofJean Doumanian. She appeared in aWeekend Update segment about taking a bullet for the president of the United States. Because of the sketch show's perceived severe decline in quality at the time and the1981 Writers Guild of America strike, the show was put on hiatus for retooling. Metcalf was not asked to return as a cast member the following year.[13]
Metcalf's first on-screen appearance was an uncredited role as a maid inRobert Altman's comedyA Wedding (1978). During the 1980s, Metcalf performed supporting roles in many popular films, including theSusan Seidelman comediesDesperately Seeking Susan (1985) andMaking Mr. Right (1987),Gary Sinise's dramaMiles from Home (1988), thePat O'Connor comedyStars and Bars (1988), andJohn Hughes' comedy filmUncle Buck (1989).
In 1988, Metcalf debuted in what is arguably her best known role, asJackie Harris, the multiple-careered, low self-esteemed, amiable sister of the title character in the hitABC sitcom seriesRoseanne, starring alongsideRoseanne Barr andJohn Goodman. Her performance garnered fourPrimetime Emmy Award nominations forOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, a category that she won three consecutive times, from 1992 to 1994.Roseanne ran through 1997; Metcalf appeared as Jackie over the show's entire nine-season run.[14]
Throughout the 1990s, she played against type in a series of darker films, such as theJohn Schlesinger psychological thrillerPacific Heights (1990),Mike Figgis's thrillerInternal Affairs (1990), the Hollywood dramedyMistress (1992), the romantic dramaA Dangerous Woman (1993),Michael Apted's neo-noir thrillerBlink (1994), and reuniting with Figgis in his Oscar-winning dramaLeaving Las Vegas (1995). She also played minor roles inWarren Beatty's political dramaBulworth (1998) and theGarry Marshall romantic comedyRunaway Bride (1999).
Her biggest film role of the decade was as Susie Cox, one ofJim Garrison's chief investigators, inOliver Stone's historical epicJFK (1991). During this time, she also had a series of guest-starring roles on shows such asDuckman (1995–1996),King of the Hill (1997),Life with Louie (1997),Dharma & Greg (1997), and3rd Rock from the Sun (1998), the last of which brought her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination forOutstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
From 1999 to 2001, Metcalf costarred withNorm Macdonald onThe Norm Show (later known asNorm), which ran for three seasons (1999–2001),[15] and later starred oppositeNathan Lane in the 2003 comedy seriesCharlie Lawrence, which was cancelled after the airing of two episodes.[16] In 2008, Metcalf starred inThe CWdramedyEasy Money, as the matriarch of a family of loan sharks. The series was canceled after three episodes.[17] Through this period, Metcalf had guest-starring roles on series such asAbsolutely Fabulous,Malcolm in the Middle (as Susan Welker, Lois' younger sister),My Boys,Frasier,Portlandia,Without a Trace, andGrey's Anatomy, the last of which she played opposite her ex-husbandJeff Perry. Her work on theTony Shalhoub-ledMonk and the ABC ensemble comedy dramaDesperate Housewives earned her a further two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.[18]
Metcalf voicedAndy's mother in theDisney-Pixar animated filmToy Story (1995), reprising the role inToy Story 2 (1999),Toy Story 3 (2010), andToy Story 4 (2019). All four films were huge financial and critical successes, grossing well over a collective billion dollars. In 1997, she portrayed Debbie Salt in the horror filmScream 2. She made a brief foray into television films in the late 1990s, portraying the real-life gun control activistCarolyn McCarthy in the NBC filmThe Long Island Incident (1998).[19]
In the 2000s, Metcalf became known mostly for her voice work in film. In 2002, she voiced Sarah Hawkins in the Disney animatedTreasure Planet (2002). Despite the film receiving positive reviews, the film was a financial box office failure. In 2007, she voiced Lucille Krunklehorn-Robinson in the Disney animated filmMeet the Robinsons. The film, likeTreasure Planet, was met with mixed reviews.A. O. Scott ofThe New York Times wrote: "Meet the Robinsons is surely one of the worst theatrically released animated features issued under the Disney label in quite some time".[20] Metcalf did not feature in many live action films during this period but she did appear in the raunchy comedyBeer League (2006), theJim Carrey-led comedy remakeFun with Dick and Jane (2005), the coming-of-age dramaGeorgia Rule (2006) withJane Fonda andLindsay Lohan, and the war dramaStop Loss (2008) withRyan Phillippe,Channing Tatum andJoseph Gordon-Levitt.[21]
In 2007, Metcalf made her first appearance asMary Cooper, the mother ofSheldon Cooper, one of the main characters, on the CBS sitcomThe Big Bang Theory. She reprised the role repeatedly over its twelve-season run, and in 2016, her performance earned Metcalf her fourth nomination for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.[18] Her daughter,Zoe Perry portrayed a younger version of Mary in the spinoff prequel seriesYoung Sheldon.[22]
Metcalf ultimately relocated to New York City and began to work in theatrical productions such asDavid Mamet'sNovember on Broadway in 2008, for which she received aTony Award nomination.[23] In June 2009, Metcalf starred inJustin Tanner's playVoice Lessons withFrench Stewart in Hollywood before beginning rehearsals to play Kate Jerome in the Broadway revival ofNeil Simon's semi-autobiographical playsBrighton Beach Memoirs andBroadway Bound, directed byDavid Cromer. The former production's run, however, lasted for nine performances in October 2009, and the latter was canceled before opening.[24][25][26]Voice Lessons, with its original cast intact, went on to run three more times — one Off-Broadway in May 2010,[27] another in Hollywood in May 2011,[28] and another in Chicago in May 2016.[29] In September 2010, Metcalf returned to Steppenwolf and starred inLisa D'Amour's playDetroit.[30] In 2011, she appeared in the Off-Broadway playThe Other Place bySharr White, directed byJoe Mantello.[31] She won the 2011Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Lead Actress, and the 2011Obie Award, for her performance.[32]
In 2012, Metcalf joinedDavid Suchet in aWest End production ofEugene O'Neill'sLong Day's Journey into Night, for which she was nominated for theEvening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress.[33][34] In 2013,The Other Place transferred to Broadway with Metcalf reprising her role and earningTony andDrama League nominations.[35][36][37] She starred with her real-life daughter,Zoe Perry.[38] In 2013, Metcalf starred inBruce Norris's Off-Broadway playDomesticated withJeff Goldblum at the Mitzi Newhouse Theater ofLincoln Center.[39] She was nominated for the 2014Drama League Award, Distinguished Performance and the 2014Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play for her performance.[32]
From 2013 to 2015, Metcalf starred in the HBO comedy seriesGetting On.[40] She was nominated for thePrimetime Emmy Award forOutstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for its final season, losing toJulia Louis-Dreyfus ofVeep. She was also the lead actress in the short-lived CBS family sitcomThe McCarthys (2014–15).[41] In 2015, she took the role ofAnnie Wilkes in the Broadway production ofStephen King'sMisery, oppositeBruce Willis. The play premiered on November 15, 2015, at theBroadhurst Theatre.[42] It received mixed reviews from critics, but Metcalf's performance was widely acclaimed.[43] She was nominated for theTony Award for Best Actress in a Play, her third Tony nomination overall.[42]
In 2016, Metcalf took a dramatic turn in the third episode ofLouis C.K.'s self-funded showHorace and Pete, for which she was nominated for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.[44][45] Matt Brenann ofIndieWire praised Metcalf's performance: "Metcalf's inflections and expressions [are the narrative's] central characters; C.K.'s unflinching direction drinks her performance to the lees, to the point that Sarah's recollection of an afternoon sunbathing bristles with suspense, approaching the edge of some invisible precipice."[46] On April 28, 2017, it was announced that arevival ofRoseanne was in the works and that Metcalf along with most of the original cast and some of the producers would return for the limited series that was being shopped around with ABC and Netflix the frontrunners to land the show.[47] On May 16, 2017, producers confirmed that eight episodes would air mid-season in 2018 on ABC.[48] On May 29, 2018, in the wake of racist remarks by Barr posted on Twitter regarding former presidentBarack Obama's advisorValerie Jarrett, ABC cancelled the revival after a single season.[49][50][51] Metcalf reprised her role inThe Conners, a spinoff ofRoseanne without Barr's involvement which premiered in fall 2018.[52] In 2018, Metcalf's portrayal ofJackie Harris earned a fifthPrimetime Emmy Award forOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nomination for her work on the revival ofRoseanne.[53] The show had a seven season run before concluding on April 23, 2025.[54]
Metcalf appeared on Broadway inLucas Hnath'sA Doll's House, Part 2 withChris Cooper at theJohn Golden Theatre. which opened in April 2017. She received critical acclaim for her performance and she won her firstTony Award.[55] In 2017, Metcalf received universal critical acclaim for her performance as tough-loving mother Marion McPherson inGreta Gerwig's coming-of-age filmLady Bird starring alongsideSaoirse Ronan andTracy Letts.[56][57] For her performance, she was nominated for numerous awards, including theAcademy Award,Golden Globe,SAG,BAFTA,Critics' Choice and theIndependent Spirit Award.[58] In 2018, Metcalf performed in the Broadway revival ofThree Tall Women withGlenda Jackson andAllison Pill at the John Golden Theatre in 2018. She won her second consecutiveTony Award.[59] The following year, Metcalf playedHillary Clinton oppositeJohn Lithgow asBill Clinton inLucas Hnath'sHillary and Clinton on Broadway, again at the John Golden Theatre. The play was directed byJoe Mantello and tells a fictional account of Hillary Clinton's2008 presidential campaign. It ran April 18, 2019 through June 23, 2019.[60] Metcalf was nominated for theTony Award for Best Actress in a Play.[61]
In 2020, Metcalf began performances in the Broadway revival ofEdward Albee'sWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? playing Martha. The production was directed byJoe Mantello and Metcalf starred alongsideRupert Everett. The play ran at theBooth Theatre from March 3, 2020, to March 11, 2020.[62] The production was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic with no planned return date.[63] In 2022, she portrayedPhyllis Gardner in theHulu limited seriesThe Dropout starringAmanda Seyfried asElizabeth Holmes. That same year, she appeared as burned-out tour manager Weed in theHBO Max comedy seriesHacks (2022) for which she won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.[64] Metcalf returned to Broadway in April 2023 in the playGrey House, which ran until July 30, 2023.[65] Metcalf costarred inRay Romano's directorial debutSomewhere in Queens (2023).[66] In 2025, she was cast as a series regular onDan Levy's upcomingNetflix seriesBig Mistakes, playing the mother of "two deeply incapable siblings (Levy,Taylor Ortega) who are blackmailed into the world of organized crime."[67]
She will star in the upcoming Broadway revival ofArthur Miller'sDeath of a Salesman oppositeNathan Lane,Christopher Abbott, andBen Ahlers.[68] The production will be directed byJoe Mantello and play at theWinter Garden Theatre for a 14-week engagement, with previews beginning March 6, 2026 and opening night on April 9.[69]
In 1983, Metcalf marriedJeff Perry, co-founding member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company; the two had a daughter,Zoe Perry, in 1983. They divorced in 1986.[70]
Metcalf later began a relationship withMatt Roth, theRoseanne co-star who played her abusive boyfriend Fisher. By November 1993, they had a son and eventually married in 2005. They also worked together on occasion, including in the 1994 feature film thrillerBlink and the 1998 dramaChicago Cab;[71] they also appeared together in an episode ofDesperate Housewives. Their daughter, Mae Roth, was born in 2005. They became parents to a second son, whom they fostered at six years old in 2006 and later adopted.[72] On November 26, 2008, Metcalf and Roth separated. In September 2011, Roth filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. In May 2014, the divorce was finalized.[73]
Metcalf has described herself as aworkaholic and stated that she is hard on herself during rehearsals.[74] She has said that she prefers theatre over other acting media as it is where she feels most comfortable.[74]
She has also appeared in commercials forPlan USA, a humanitarian organization that helps children in need around the world.[75]
Over her career she has received several accolades including fourPrimetime Emmy Awards for her roles asJackie Harris in theABCsitcomRoseanne in 1992, 1993, 1994, and Weed, an eccentric touring manager in theHBO comedy seriesHacks in 2022. For her role as an abrasive mother inGreta Gerwig'scoming-of-age filmLady Bird (2017), earning nominations for theAcademy Award, aBAFTA Award, andGolden Globe Awards. On stage, she has received twoTony Awards forBest Actress in a Play playingNora Helmer in theLucas Hnath playA Doll's House, Part 2 (2017) andBest Featured Actress in a Play for her role in theEdward Albee revivalThree Tall Women (2018).
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