Laurie Metcalf
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| Laurie Metcalf | |
 Metcalf portraying Carolyn Bigsby in Desperate Housewives |
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| Birth name | Lauren Ophelia Metcalf |
| Born | June 16, 1955 (age 51) Carbondale, Illinois, USA |
| Spouse(s) | Matt Roth |
| Notable roles | Jackie Harris in Roseanne, Carolyn Bigsby in Desperate Housewives |
| Emmy Awards | |
|---|---|
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series 1992, 1993 and 1994 Roseanne |
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Lauren "Laurie" Ophelia Metcalf (born June 16, 1955) is an Emmy Award-winning American actress. She is known for her performance as Jackie Harris in Roseanne and as Carolyn Bigsby in Desperate Housewives.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Laurie Metcalf was born in Carbondale, Illinois, the oldest of three children. She was raised in rural Edwardsville, Illinois. Her father was the comptroller at Southern Illinois University and her mother was a librarian; Laurie's great aunt was the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Zoe Akins. Among Laurie's childhood pursuits was theater; she would put on plays with her friends.[1]. She was also academically gifted in school and her many talents became apparent by her teen years.
[edit] Stage career
Metcalf attended Illinois State University and obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Theater in 1977. While at ISU, she met fellow theater students, among them John Malkovich, Glenne Headley, Joan Allen, and Gary Sinise - who went on to establish Chicago's famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Metcalf began her professional career at Steppenwolf. In 1981, she was brought on as a performer on Saturday Night Live for their cast, but appeared in only one episode before the season abruptly ended due to a writer's strike; she was not asked back in the fall. In 1983, Metcalf went to New York to appear in a Steppenwolf production of Balm in Gilead, for which she received the 1984 Obie Award for Best Actress. She relocated to Manhattan and began to work in both film and theater.
[edit] Screen career
She performed as a comic or character actress in numerous movies, including Desperately Seeking Susan, Making Mr. Right, Miles from Home, Internal Affairs, Stars and Bars, Uncle Buck, A Dangerous Woman, Blink, The Secret Life of Houses, Treasure Planet, Toy Story, and Leaving Las Vegas. In JFK, she played a dramatic role against type, as one of Jim Garrison's chief investigators. She also appeared as the murderous mother of "Billy Loomis" in the horror film Scream 2.
Laurie has appeared in several television series, but she is best known as Jackie, sister to the title character in the hit series Roseanne. Laurie's performance as Roseanne's complex, intelligent, quirky sister garnered her three Emmy Awards. Roseanne ran from 1988 to 1997, and Laurie appeared as Jackie over the show's entire run.
She subsequently appeared with Norm MacDonald on The Norm Show (or Norm), which ran for three seasons (it is reported that Laurie missed the set of Roseanne, was not very happy on the set of Norm and was secretly relieved when Norm was cancelled), and was also a regular character on the 2003 Nathan Lane series Charlie Lawrence; however, that show was cancelled after only two episodes aired. Laurie has made guest appearances on series including Absolutely Fabulous, Malcolm in the Middle, Monk, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Frasier, Without a Trace, Grey's Anatomy, My Boys and Dharma & Greg. Laurie also recently appeared in a recurring, semi-dramatic role on Desperate Housewives, and she appeared alongside her ex-husband Jeff Perry in an episode of Grey's Anatomy.
[edit] Personal life
Metcalf dated Steppenwolf actor Terry Kinney and married Steppenwolf co-founding member Jeff Perry. The two had a daughter, Zoe. Metcalf and Perry subsequently divorced and she married actor Matt Roth. The couple have two children, Will and Mae (who was born via surrogate). Metcalf met Roth when he played her abusive boyfriend, Fisher, on Roseanne. Both Metcalf and Roth appeared in the same episode of Desperate Housewives. Roth's character played a role in Metcalf's character being killed in that episode.
[edit] Emmy Award Nominations
For successful Emmy Awards, see the Infobox. Nominations that didn't win were :
- 1995 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Roseanne
- 1999 - Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, 3rd Rock From the Sun
- 2006 - Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, Monk
