<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2JORlu_0w6IdwNZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2JORlu_0w6IdwNZ00" width="1140" height="570" ><figcaption>Image via Columbia Pictures</figcaption></figure>Kathy Bates is an American actress who has been a staple of movies and TV since the 1970s. She has been in a variety of projects, including American Horror Story, and, most recently, Matlock. When looking at the movies she has been involved with throughout her career, she was awarded for her role as Annie Wilkes in Misery. Bates has demonstrated versatility across each of the stage, movie, and TV projects in which she has been involved.In particular, throughout her career, Bates has showcased her ability to play both comedic and dramatic roles. Some performances, like her role in Come Back to the 5 &amp; Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean highlight her ability to be a part of a larger narrative in a bigger cast, while still standing out in the crowd. Others, like her role as Molly Brown in Titanic, demonstrate her ability to breathe life into characters based on actual people. Bates' best performances highlight her ability to bring an authenticity to complex characters.<h2>10 'Come Back to the 5 &amp; Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean' (1982) </h2><h2>Directed by Robert Altman </h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3AZ0WS_0w6IdwNZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3AZ0WS_0w6IdwNZ00" width="1650" height="825" ><figcaption>Image via&nbsp;Cinecom</figcaption></figure>Come Back to the 5 &amp; Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean is a movie based on the play of the same name by Ed Graczyk. Like the source material, the movie is set in a Woolworth's discount variety store. The story follows a group of women who are members of the All-Female Fan Club Disciples of James Dean. Bates plays Stella Mae, a member of the fan club who returns to the Woolworth's five-and-dime store after many years.Come Back to the 5 &amp; Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean is an ensemble movie at its core, and it showcases Bates' ability to showcase her own talents while lifting up those around her. Through Bates and the ensemble, this is an effective showcase of the power of nostalgia, particularly through women who bond over the love of a shared celebrity. In Come Back to the 5 &amp; Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean Bates also highlights a woman who is impacted by pop culture in a relatable way.<h2>9 'Fried Green Tomatoes' (1991) </h2><h2>Directed by Jon Avnet </h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=03kV7s_0w6IdwNZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=03kV7s_0w6IdwNZ00" width="1650" height="825" ><figcaption>Image via&nbsp;Universal Studios</figcaption></figure>Fried Green Tomatoes is based on Flagg and Carol Sobieski's novel "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Top Café." The story follows Evelyn Couch (Bates), a Birmingham housewife. Fried Green Tomatoes focuses on Evelyn's friendship with Ninny Threadgoode (Mary Stuart Masterson). Ninny is an elderly woman living in a nursing home, who recounts the story of her life in the since-abandoned town of Whistle Stop.Fried Green Tomatoes is a story about female friendship, how powerful it is, and how people can connect across generational divides. Bates and her co-stars tackle difficult subjects, like intimate partner violence, with authenticity and compassion. There is a hopeful note to this story that contains so much tragedy. Bates is able to illustrate the parallels between her character's own existence as a housewife and previous generations of women who also found themselves trapped in unloving marriages.<h2>8 'About Schmidt' (2002) </h2><h2>Directed by Alexander Payne </h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2qi2vi_0w6IdwNZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2qi2vi_0w6IdwNZ00" width="1650" height="825" ><figcaption>Image via&nbsp;New Line Cinema</figcaption></figure>About Schmidt follows Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson), a retiree struggling to find his purpose following his retirement. Bates stars as Roberta Hertzel, the mother of Warren's future son-in-law. Schmidt is steadfastly against his daughter Jeannie (Hope Davis) marrying Randall (Dermot Mulroney), and ends up traveling to Denver and staying with the Hertzels in the lead up to the wedding. About Schmidt pairs a healthy dose of comedy with a heartwarming story of a man coming of age later in life.About Schmidt is a sweet story about a man looking for his identity, and struggling with regrets about his life. Because of this, it is a grounded and authentic look at the experience of getting older, and how one's relationships evolve over time. Bates' performance as a lovably chaotic hippie is an important one, as she serves as a kind of shock to Warren's system, which enables him to make the decisions that need to be made about his future and his family.<h2>7 'Straight Time' (1978) </h2><h2>Directed by Ulu Grosbard </h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2HyWhP_0w6IdwNZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2HyWhP_0w6IdwNZ00" width="1650" height="825" ><figcaption>Kathy Bates in "Straight Time". Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>Straight Time stars Dustin Hoffman as Max Dembo, a thief based in Los Angeles who is released after a six-year prison sentence. The story follows Max as he struggles to reintigrate into society after serving his time in prison. Along the way, he reconnects with old associates, and brings new people into his criminal activities. The movie is based on the novel "No Beast So Fierce" by Edward Bunker, who appears in the movie.Straight Time is a crime thriller that is grounded in reality. Underneath all the hijinks, there is a human story about finding a place in society post-incarceration. Bates plays Selma Darin, the wife of one of Max's former associates. While Straight Time sees Bates in a smaller role, the movie is also a reminder of how talented she has always been, even in her early career. She gives a brief look into the life of a woman who's been swept into a criminal underworld and who is evidently working out a new identity in light of this.<h2>6 'Dolores Claiborne' (1995) </h2><h2>Directed by Taylor Hackford </h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3e1Vch_0w6IdwNZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3e1Vch_0w6IdwNZ00" width="825" height="413" ><figcaption>Image Via&nbsp;Columbia Pictures</figcaption></figure>Dolores Claiborne is a psychological crime thriller that follows Selena St. George (Jennifer Jason Leigh) as she reunites with her estranged mother Dolores (Bates) who has been accused of murdering her employer. Dolores maintains her innocence, though her daughter is skeptical. As much of the story is told in flashbacks, the truth about Dolores is revealed. This movie also handles challenging themes, such as intimate partner violence and incense.What makes Dolores Claiborne so compelling is the fact that the tension about what really happened between Dolores and her employer, Vera (Judy Parfitt), is maintained throughout. So much of this is because of Bates' ability to hold back as the story unfolds, and let the truth come out in its own time. Bates also captures the devastation of experiencing trauma through Dolores, and portrays a character who is simply waiting for the truth to shed light on her motivations before she can move forward.<h2>5 'The Great Lillian Hall' (2024) </h2><h2>Directed by Michael Cristofer </h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2YyjDh_0w6IdwNZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2YyjDh_0w6IdwNZ00" width="825" height="413" ><figcaption>Kathy Bates in "The Great Lillian Hall". Image Courtesy of Max.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>The Great Lillian Hall is a made-for-TV movie starring Jessica Lange, Lily Rabe, Bates, and Jesse Williams. The story is loosely based on the life of Marian Seledes, who was an American stage actress. Lillian Hall (Lange) is a Broadway actress who has never once missed a performance. As she faces the end of her career, she also comes face-to-face with realities about her life. Bates plays her assistant, Edith Wilson.The Great Lillian Hall is a reflection on the fact that so many women experience challenges later in their careers. Bates' performance is so effective because it contributes to this larger narrative about how women relate to one another as they reflect on their identity later in life. As a whole, The Great Lillian Hall is so compelling because it is both an honest look at the experience of so many career-driven women, and Bates highlights how complex these relationships are.<h2>4 'Midnight in Paris' (2011) </h2><h2>Directed by Woody Allen </h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0GGuTF_0w6IdwNZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0GGuTF_0w6IdwNZ00" width="825" height="413" ><figcaption>Kathy Bates in "Midnight in Paris". Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>Midnight in Paris is a fantasy set in the City of Light, and follows screenwriter Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) who struggles to complete his debut novel. While in Paris with his fiancée Inez (Rachel McAdams), Gil finds himself experiencing 1920s Paris in real-time after becoming fascinated with the time period. He meets such artists and authors as Gertrude Stein (Bates), F. Scott Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston), Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll) and Salvador Dalí (Adrien Brody).What makes Midnight in Paris so delightful is the fact that it combines a relatable experience of artists everywhere with a fantasy imagining of what artists of the past might have to say to us in the present day. Bates' take on Gertrude Stein is a compelling one. She makes the American novelist, who lived through parts of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, relevant to a modern audience. This is an example of Bates taking a character based on a real person from the past, and showing how they are timeless.<h2>3 'Titanic' (1997) </h2><h2>Directed by James Cameron </h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4TX3RH_0w6IdwNZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4TX3RH_0w6IdwNZ00" width="1650" height="825" ><figcaption>Kathy Bates in "Titanic". Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>Titanic is a fictionalized retelling of the sinking of the ship of the same name. While the main love story, of Rose (Kate Winslet) and Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), is complete fiction, the movie incorporates several stories of real passengers, including Molly Brown (Bates). The movie weaves Molly's real-life, remarkable story of survival with the fictional romance happening around her. She is a supportive presence for Rose and Jack as their story unfolds.There is so much that has made Titanic considered a classic. Bates' performance is notable as it's another example of her ability to provide a new perspective on a true story involving a real person. Bates pays tribute to a woman who had to show deep strength to survive such a massive tragedy. By laying the groundwork for this character, and showing how strong her spirit was, Bates makes it easy to believe that such a woman survived by sheer force of will.WATCH ON PARAMOUNT+<h2>2 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret' (2023) </h2><h2>Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig </h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0k3Ira_0w6IdwNZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0k3Ira_0w6IdwNZ00" width="825" height="413" ><figcaption>Image via Lionsgate</figcaption></figure>Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret is based on the novel of the same name by Judy Blume. The story follows Margaret Simon (Abby Ryder Fortson), an eleven-year-old girl who begins communicating with God when she faces a lot of change in her life in a short period of time. Since her mother Barbara (Rachel McAdams) is Christian and her father Herb (Benny Safdie) is Jewish, much of Margaret's journey involves exploring her identity in the context of her family. This includes her grandmother, Sylvia (Bates).Are You There God? It's Me Margaret consistently reminds viewers that Margaret does not exist in a vacuum, and that her family is an essential part of who she is. Bates brings such joy and compassion to this role. She creates a character who wants nothing but the best for her family, including her granddaughter. It is particularly heartwarming that Bates highlights a woman who is willing to let her granddaughter explore her own identity, and offers unconditional love rather than constant advice and guidance.<h2>1 'Misery' (1990) </h2><h2>Directed by Rob Reiner </h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1ULDbP_0w6IdwNZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1ULDbP_0w6IdwNZ00" width="1650" height="825" ><figcaption>Image via Columbia Pictures</figcaption></figure>Misery is based on Stephen King's novel of the same name. The story follows author Paul Sheldon (James Caan) who is caught in a snowstorm and is found by a nurse named Annie Wilkes (Bates). Paul finds himself held prisoner by Annie, who claims she is his biggest fan. She flies into a rage when she finds out that the protagonist of Paul's series dies in the end. What follows is a horror show that is both physical and psychological.What makes Bates so compelling as Annie is that she creates a character who illustrates the perils of modern fandom culture. Beyond playing a deeply disturbed woman, Bates showcases her ability to create characters that comment on broader issues in pop culture. Bates' performance in Misery is so horrifying because it is uncomfortably true to life. Bates plays Annie without judgment, while never apologizing for nor excusing the character's actions.</div></body>

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The 10 Best Kathy Bates Performances, Ranked

Kathy Bates is an American actress who has been a staple of movies and TV since the 1970s. She has been in a variety of projects, including American Horror Story, and, most recently, Matlock. When looking at the movies she has been involved with throughout her career, she was awarded for her role as Annie Wilkes in Misery. Bates has demonstrated versatility across each of the stage, movie, and TV projects in which she has been involved.