Lauren Elizabeth "Laurie" Metcalf (born June 16, 1955) is an Emmy award-winning, Tony award-nominated American actress. She is widely known for her performance as Jackie Harris in Roseanne and upcoming spin-off series The Conners. She is also the voice of Mrs. Davis in Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and Toy Story 3. She is present in Chicago theater, where she is well-known for her performance in the 1983 revival of Balm in Gilead. She is also a part of Plan USA, a humanitarian organization which helps children in need around the world.
She is a three-time Emmy award winner, as well as being nominated for two Golden Globe awards, a Tony award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and even an Academy Award.
Mary Cooper
Personal 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.[2]
Metcalf dated Steppenwolf Theatre Company actor Terry Kinney and married Steppenwolf co-founding member Jeff Perry. With Perry, she had a daughter Zoe (1984; named after her great-aunt), and the two subsequently divorced. Metcalf met actor Matt Roth when he played Jackie's abusive boyfriend, "Fisher", on Roseanne. They married in 1993 and have two children: Will Theron Roth (born November 20, 1993) and Mae Akins (born July 3, 2005 via surrogate). In 2005, Metcalf and family moved to a ranch in Idaho. Around April 2008, the Metcalf-Roths took in a young foster son.[3] Both Metcalf and Roth appeared in the same episode of Desperate Housewives. They separated in 2008, and finalized their divorce in 2014.
Career[]
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. It was in Steppenwolf that Metcalf got the nickname "crazy pants". 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."
&ndashOn Balm in Gilead, Richard Christiansen
Through the end of June 2009, Metcalf starred in Justin Tanner's play, Voice Lesson, in Hollywood before beginning rehearsals to play Kate Jerome in the Broadway revival of Neil Simon's semi-autobiographical plays Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound directed by David Cromer. The former production's run, however, lasted but one week while the latter was canceled prior to opening.
Television-film career[]
Mary and Roseanne Barr on the Roseanne show.
She has performed in roles that range from very large to very small in many films, including Desperately Seeking Susan, Making Mr. Right, Miles from Home, Internal Affairs, Stars and Bars, Uncle Buck, Beer League, 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, 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, including being a cast member for only one episode of Saturday Night Live, but she is best-known as "Jackie", sister to the title character in the hit series Roseanne. Her performance 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. She made guest appearances on Absolutely Fabulous, Malcolm in the Middle, Monk, My Boys, Dharma & Greg, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Frasier, and Without a Trace
She took a recurring role on Desperate Housewives—for which she received an Emmy and a Satellite Award nomination—and alongside her ex-husband Jeff Perry in an episode of Grey's Anatomy. In fall 2008, Metcalf starred in the 2008 CW dramedy Easy Money as the matriarch of a family of loan sharks. The series was canceled after only three episodes. She has also had a recurring guest star role as Sheldon Cooper's mother Mary on The Big Bang Theory, alongside former Roseanne cast-mates Johnny Galecki and Sara Gilbert.
The Roseanne spin-off has been ordered to series on June 21, 2018 titled known as The Conners.
Filmography[]
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
| 1978 | A Wedding | Maid | Uncredited Role |
| 1985 | Desperately Seeking Susan | Leslie Glass | |
| 1987 | Making Mr. Right | Sandy | |
| 1988 | Candy Mountain | Alice | |
| Stars and Bars | Melissa | ||
| The Appointments of Dennis Jennings | Emma | Short film | |
| Miles from Home | Exotic Dancer | ||
| 1989 | Uncle Buck | Marcie Dahlgren-Frost | |
| 1990 | Internal Affairs | Amy Wallace | |
| Pacific Heights | Stephanie MacDonald | ||
| 1991 | JFK | Susie Cox | |
| 1992 | Mistress | Rachel Landisman | |
| 1993 | A Dangerous Woman | Anita Bell | |
| 1994 | The Secret Life of Houses | Ann | |
| Blink | Candice | ||
| 1995 | Leaving Las Vegas | Landlady | |
| Toy Story | Mrs. Davis | Voice Role | |
| 1996 | Dear God | Rebecca Frazen | |
| 1997 | U Turn | Bus Station Clerk | |
| Chicago Cab | Female Ad Exec | ||
| Scream 2 | Debbie Salt | ||
| 1998 | Bulworth | Mimi | |
| 1999 | Runaway Bride | Betty Trout | Uncredited Role |
| Toy Story 2 | Mrs. Davis | Voice Role | |
| 2000 | Timecode | Dava Adair | Scenes Deleted |
| 2002 | Treasure Planet | Sarah Hawkins | Voice Role |
| 2005 | Fun with Dick and Jane | Phyllis | Uncredited Role |
| 2006 | Steel City | Marianne Karn | |
| Beer League | Artie's Mom | ||
| 2007 | Meet the Robinsons | Lucille Krunklehorn | Voice Role |
| Georgia Rule | Paula Richards | ||
| 2008 | Stop-Loss | Mrs. Colson | |
| Persepolis | Mother of a young teenage boy | Voice Role | |
| 2010 | Toy Story 3 | Mrs. Davis | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1981 | Saturday Night Live | Weekend Update Reporter | Episode: Jr. Walker & The All-Stars |
| 1985 | The Execution of Raymond Graham | Carol Graham | TV-Movie |
| 1986 | The Equalizer | Theresa | Episode: No Conscience] |
| 1988–97 | Roseanne | Jackie Harris | 221 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Comedy Series Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Comedy Series Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film |
| 1995–1996 | Duckman | Voice Role Episode: Research and Destroy Episode: Forbidden Fruit | |
| 1997 | King of the Hill | Cissy Cobb | Episode: Peggy the Boggle Champ |
| The Eddie Files | Special Agent Hicks | Episode: Decimals - The Fake Money Caper | |
| Life with Louie | Miss Kinney | Voice Role Episode: The Kiss Is the Thing | |
| Dharma & Greg | Spyder | Episode: Instant Dharma | |
| 1998 | Always Outnumbered | Halley Grimes | TV-Movie |
| The Long Island Incident | Carolyn McCarthy | ||
| 3rd Rock from the Sun | Jennifer Ravelli | Episode: What's Love Got to Do, Got to Do With Dick?]] Episode: I Am Dick Pentameter! Episode: D3 - Judgment Day Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress - Comedy Series | |
| 1999 | Balloon Farm | Casey Johnson | TV-Movie |
| 1999–01 | The Norm Show | Laurie Freeman | 54 episodes |
| 2000 | God, the Devil and Bob | Donna Allman | Voice Role 13 episodes |
| 2002 | Two Families | Unsold TV-Pilot | |
| 2003 | Phil at the Gate | Teddy Duffy | |
| Charlie Lawrence | Sarah Dolecek | 7 episodes | |
| 2004 | Malcolm in the Middle | Susan | Episode: Lois's Sister |
| Frasier | Nanny G | Episode: Caught in the Act | |
| Absolutely Fabulous | Crystalline | Episode: White Box | |
| 2005 | Without a Trace | Susan Hopkins | Episode: A Day in the Life |
| 2006 | Monk | Cora | Episode: Mr. Monk Bumps His Head Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress - Comedy Series |
| Grey's Anatomy | Beatrice Carver | Episode: The Name of the Game | |
| Desperate Housewives | Carolyn Bigsby | 4 episodes Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress - Comedy Series Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | |
| My Boys | Aunt Phyllis | Episode: When Heroes Fall From Grace | |
| 2007 | The Virgin of Akron, Ohio | Lydia | Episode: Pilot |
| Raines | Alice Brody | Episode: Reconstructing Alice | |
| 2007-09 | The Big Bang Theory | Mary Cooper |
The Luminous Fish Effect The Zazzy Substitution |
| 2008–09 | Easy Money | Bobette Buffkin | 8 episodes |
| 2009 | The Farm | Warden Margaret Elder | Unsold TV-Pilot |
| 2018 | The Conners | Jackie Harris | Lead role |
Awards and nominations[]
- Emmy Awards
- 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: Roseann]
- 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
Academy Awards
Nominations
- 2018 Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Lady Bird
Gallery[]
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