'Frances Louise McDormand'
[1] (born
June 23,
1957) is an
Academy Award-winning
American film,
stage, and
television actress.
Biography
Early life
McDormand was born in
Chicago, Illinois, daughter of
Canadian parents Vernon McDormand, a
Disciples of Christ pastor, and Noreen, a now retired registered nurse and receptionist. McDormand was adopted, and her biological mother may have been one of the parishioners at her father's church.
3 McDormand has a sister, Dorothy A. McDormand, who is an ordained
Disciples of Christ minister and chaplain,
[2] 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,
[3] 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 area town 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.
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 as "Marge Gunderson" in ''
Fargo'' (1996)
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.
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.
Filmography
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''
References
1. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1285/is_10_30/ai_66675859
2. http://www.disciples.org/dns/releases97/97b21.htm
3. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/10/22/1066631495804.html?from=storyrhs
4. http://film.guardian.co.uk/oscars2001/storynav/0,7677,437576,00.html
External links
★
★
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