Frances McDormand
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| Frances McDormand | |
| Born | June 23, 1957 Chicago, Illinois |
| Notable roles | Fargo (1996) North Country (2005) |
Frances Louise McDormand[1] (born June 23, 1957) is an American film, stage, and television actress, known for her Academy Award-winning role of Marge Gunderson in Fargo.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
McDormand was born in Chicago, Illinois. She is the youngest of three children adopted by Canadian parents Vernon McDormand, a Disciples of Christ pastor, and Noreen, a now retired registered nurse and receptionist. Her natural mother may have been one of the parishioners at her father's church.[2] McDormand has a sister, Dorothy A. McDormand, who is an ordained Disciples of Christ minister and chaplain,[3] as well as two other siblings, all of whom were adopted by the McDormands, who had no biological children. As her father specialized in restoring failing Disciples congregations,[2] her family moved frequently, and McDormand lived in several small Bible Belt towns in Illinois, Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee,[4] before settling in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania suburb of Monessen, where she graduated from high school in 1975. She attended Bethany College in Bethany, West Virginia, and earned a B.A. in Theater in 1979.
In 1982, McDormand earned an M.F.A. from the Yale University School of Drama. She was roommates with Holly Hunter at the time. Her first professional acting job was in Trinidad and Tobago, performing in a play written by poet Derek Walcott and funded by the MacArthur Foundation.
[edit] Career
McDormand's film debut was in Joel and Ethan Coen's first film, 1985's Blood Simple. In 1985, McDormand, the Coen brothers, Holly Hunter, and director Sam Raimi shared a house in the Bronx.
In addition to her early film roles, McDormand played "Connie Chapman" in the fifth season of the television police drama Hill Street Blues. In 1988, she played Stella Kowalski in a stage production of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. Frances McDormand is an associate member of the experimental theater company The Wooster Group.
McDormand appeared in several theatrical and television roles during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. She has gained renown and critical acclaim for her dramatic work, and is a respected actress, having been nominated for Academy Awards four times. In 1988, she was nominated for a Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Mississippi Burning; in 1996, she won the Academy award for Best Actress for her performance as police chief Marge Gunderson in Fargo; in 2000, she earned her second nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of a concerned mother in Almost Famous. Also for Almost Famous, she won the Best Supporting Actress nod from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the Chicago Film Critics Association, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, San Diego Film Critics Society, Southeastern Film Critics Association, and the Florida Film Critics Circle. For her role in Wonder Boys (2000), she won Best Supporting Actress from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the Florida Film Critics Circle, and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
In 2006, McDormand received her third Best Supporting Actress nod for her performance in 2005's North Country, although she lost to Rachel Weisz. She also had a role in the film Friends with Money, a dark comedy co-starring Jennifer Aniston, Catherine Keener and Joan Cusack, and directed by Nicole Holofcener. She recently received an Independent Spirit Award for her role in Friends with Money. She also voiced the role of the lady principal Melanie Upfoot in the Simpsons episode Girls Just Want to Have Sums, which aired on April 30, 2006.
[edit] Personal life
McDormand has been in a relationship with director Joel Coen since 1984, and the two married in 1994, as well as adopted a son from Paraguay, Pedro McDormand Coen. They live in New York City. McDormand has starred in 5 of the Coen Brothers films, including a minor appearance in Miller's Crossing, a secondary role in Raising Arizona and lead roles in Blood Simple, The Man Who Wasn't There and Fargo, for which she won an Academy Award.
[edit] Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Blood Simple | Abby | |
| 1987 | Raising Arizona | Dot | |
| 1988 | Mississippi Burning | Mrs. Pell | Best Supporting Actress Nominee |
| 1990 | Chattahoochee | Mae Foley | |
| Darkman | Julie Hastings | ||
| Hidden Agenda | Ingrid Jessner | ||
| 1992 | Passed Away | Nora Scanlan | |
| 1993 | Short Cuts | Betty Weathers | |
| 1996 | Fargo | Marge Gunderson | Best Actress Oscar |
| 1997 | Paradise Road | Dr. Verstak | |
| 1998 | Madeline | Miss Clavel | |
| 2000 | Wonder Boys | Dean Sara Gaskell | |
| Almost Famous | Elaine Miller | Best Supporting Actress Nominee | |
| 2001 | The Man Who Wasn't There | Doris Crane | |
| 2002 | City by the Sea | Michelle | |
| 2003 | Laurel Canyon | Jane | |
| Something's Gotta Give | Zoe Barry | ||
| 2005 | North Country | Glory Dodge | Best Supporting Actress Nominee |
| Æon Flux | Handler | ||
| 2006 | Friends with Money | Jane |
[edit] Academy Award and nominations
- 1988 - Nominated - Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Mississippi Burning
- 1996 - Won - Best Actress in a Leading Role - Fargo
- 2000 - Nominated - Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Almost Famous
- 2005 - Nominated - Best Actress in a Supporting Role - North Country
| Preceded by Susan Sarandon for Dead Man Walking |
Academy Award for Best Actress 1996 for Fargo |
Succeeded by Helen Hunt for As Good As It Gets |
