Laurie Metcalf
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| Laurie Metcalf | |
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 Metcalf in February 2008 |
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| Born | Lauren Ophelia Metcalf June 16, 1955 Carbondale, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Spouse(s) | Jeff Perry Matt Roth (1993-present) |
Lauren Ophelia "Laurie" Metcalf (born June 16, 1955) is an American three-time Emmy Award-winning actress. She is widely known for her performance as "Jackie Harris" on Roseanne. However, she is also a major force in Chicago theater, probably best known for her critically acclaimed performance in the 1983 revival of Balm in Gilead.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Metcalf was born in Carbondale, Illinois, the eldest of three children, and was raised in Edwardsville, Illinois. Her father was the budget director at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and her mother was a librarian.[1] Her great aunt was the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Zoe Akins. Among Metcalf's childhood pursuits was theater; she would put on plays with her friends.[2] She was also academically gifted in school and her many talents became apparent by her teen years.
[edit] Personal life
Metcalf dated Steppenwolf Theatre Company actor Terry Kinney and married Steppenwolf co-founding member Jeff Perry. With Perry she has daughter Zoe (1984) (named after her great-aunt) and the two subsequently divorced. Metcalf met actor Matt Roth when he played her Jackie character's abusive boyfriend, "Fisher", on Roseanne. They married in 1993 and have two children: Will Theron Roth (born 20 Nov 1993) and Mae Akins (born 3 July 2005 via surrogate). In 2005, Metcalf and family moved to a ranch in Idaho.
As of April 2008, the Metcalf-Roths have a young foster son.[3]
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] Career
[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. Metcalf was showered with praise for her performance as, "Darlene," specifically for her tour de force twenty minute Act Two monologue. She relocated to Manhattan and began to work in both film and theater, most recently in David Mamet's November.
| “ | 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. | ” |
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— Famed Chicago critic Richard Christiansen on Balm in Gilead
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[edit] Television-film career
She has performed in roles that range from very large to very small in a plenteous amount of films, including Desperately Seeking Susan, Making Mr. Right, Miles from Home, Internal Affairs, Stars and Bars, Uncle Buck, A Dangerous Woman, Pacific Heights, Blink, The Secret Life of Houses, Treasure Planet, Toy Story, Runaway Bride, Bulworth, Meet the Robinsons, Georgia Rule, Fun with Dick and Jane, Leaving Las Vegas, Scream 2, and Stop Loss. In JFK, she played a dramatic role against type, as one of Jim Garrison's chief investigators. She appeared as the murderous mother of "Billy Loomis" in the horror film Scream 2 and portrayed real-life Carolyn McCarthy in the television movie The Long Island Incident.
Metcalf has appeared in several television series, but she is best known as, "Jackie," sister to the title character in the hit series Roseanne. Her performance as Roseanne's complex, intelligent, quirky sister garnered her three consecutive 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, and was also a regular character on the 2003 Nathan Lane series Charlie Lawrence, which was cancelled after only two episodes aired. The actress 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, Dharma & Greg and more recently on the CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory (along with former cast member Johnny Galecki, one episode after Sara Gilbert). She recently appeared in a recurring role on Desperate Housewives and alongside her ex-husband Jeff Perry for an episode of Grey's Anatomy. In fall 2008, Metcalf starred in the new CW dramedy Easy Money, as the matriach of a family of loan sharks. The series was cancelled after only three episodes.
[edit] Awards and nominations
- 1992 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for: Roseanne
- 1993 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for: Roseanne
- 1994 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for: Roseanne
- Nominations
- 1995 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Roseanne
- 1999 Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for: 3rd Rock From the Sun
- 2006 Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for: Monk
- 2007 Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for: Desperate Housewives
- Golden Globe Awards
- Nominations
- 1993 Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV for: Roseanne
- 1995 Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV for: Roseanne
- Tony Awards
- Nominations
- 2008 Best Featured Actress In A Play for: November
[edit] References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Laurie Metcalf |
[edit] External links
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