Oscar winner Kathy Bates stars as Harriet "Harry" Korn, a curmudgeonly ex-patent lawyer who was recently fired from her cushy job and forced to search for a fresh start.
Bates has been honoured numerous times for her work on stage, screen and television. She won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of obsessed fan Annie Wilkes in Rob Reiner's 1990 hit "Misery," based on Stephen King's novel. In 1999, she received Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations and won a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award and a Critics Choice Award for her performance in Mike Nichols' "Primary Colors."
Bates more recently earned her third Oscar nomination for her performance in Alexander Payne's "About Schmidt," for which she also garnered Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations and won a National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her film work has also been recognized with Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations for Jon Avnet's "Fried Green Tomatoes," and she also shared in a SAG Award nomination with the ensemble cast of James Cameron's all-time, top-grossing blockbuster "Titanic."
Recently, Bates could be seen in "Valentine's Day"; "The Blind Side"; Stephen Frears' period drama "Cheri," in which she starred with Michelle Pfeiffer; Sam Mendes' acclaimed drama "Revolutionary Road," which reunited her with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet; the sci-fi remake "The Day the Earth Stood Still," which opened at the top of the box office; and the independent drama "Personal Effects" with Pfeiffer and Ashton Kutcher.
Bates also has been honoured for her work behind the camera as a director. She helmed the TV movie "Dash and Lilly," starring Sam Shepard and Judy Davis, which earned nine Emmy nominations, including one for Bates as Outstanding Director. She also directed five episodes of the acclaimed HBO series "Six Feet Under," earning a Directors Guild of America Award for the episode "Twilight." Her directing credits also include the TV movie "Fargo" and episodes of such series as "Oz," "NYPD Blue" and "Homicide: Life on the Street."
Initially, Bates first gained the attention of critics and audiences on the New York stage. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her portrayal of the suicidal daughter in the original Broadway production of Marsha Norman's Pulitzer Prize-winning play "`night, Mother." She also won an Obie Award for her performance as Frankie in the original off-Broadway production of "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune."