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Catherine Keener is an Academy Award-nominated American actress.

Biography

Early life

Keener was born in Miami, Florida. She was the third of five children born to Jim and Evelyn Keener. Although she didn’t get into trouble growing up, by the time she reached high school, Catherine began rebelliously acting out. She was eventually expelled from the 11th grade, although she later returned to school, and kept her grades high enough to be accepted into college.

Catherine attended Wheaton College, a women’s school in Norton, Massachusetts. She stayed with an aunt who lived nearby to save on tuition, feeling out of place among her more privileged peers. She majored in English and history, and she enrolled in a theater course, but only because she couldn’t get into a photography class. Once she graduated from Wheaton College in 1983, Catherine moved to New York, where she interned as an assistant to casting agent, Gail Eisenstadt.

When Gail Eisenstadt relocated to Los Angeles shortly afterward, Catherine followed her employer, still relatively unambitious. But when Eisenstadt had a heart-to-heart with Catherine about her future, Catherine admitted she wanted to try acting -- an unusual transition from the casting industry. Eisenstadt pulled some strings and Catherine landed bit parts in movies like About Last Night… (1986).

Career

Keener officially broke into films with one line in About Last Night (1986). Although Catherine struggled professionally the next few years, one low-quality project had an unexpected dividend. Catherine met actor Dermot Mulroney working on Survival Quest (1989) when Mulroney got himself stuck trying to scale a cliff. The two dated and then married in 1990.

She then guest-starred as an artist on an episode of Seinfeld called "The Letter". She played Jerry's girlfriend, an artist who painted . Keener then earned her first starring role in Johnny Suede with the then unknown, Brad Pitt. Her performance gained critical acclaim and earned her her first Independent Spirt Award nomination for Best Female Lead. She later went on to work with director Tom Dicillo, again, in Living in Oblivion (1995). Through another two years of movies she again was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her performance in Walking and Talking, an independent cult-comedy film. Critics fell in love with Keener's ability to act so naturally on the screen.

In 2000, Keener earned her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Being John Malkovich. In 2001, she again worked with director Nicole Holofcener in Lovely and Amazing garnering her a third Independent Spirit Award nomination. In 2002, she starred in Full Frontal, S1m0ne and Death to Smoochy, all were box office disappointments, but since have gained a following of fans. In 2005, she made a huge comeback starring in the 2005 political thriller The Interpreter, The Ballad of Jack and Rose, and was the love interest of the main character in The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

Keener's performance as Harper Lee in Capote (2005) earned her several awards and nominations, including her second Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In 2006, she starred in the film Friends with Money, directed by Nicole Holofcener, with friend Jennifer Aniston.

In 2007, she will star in the film An American Crime, the true story of Gertrude Baniszewski, a middle aged mother who tortured and killed Sylvia Likens in her Indiana Home. The movie is already creating a stir online with dedicated fans, and much oscar buzz, and is slated for a 2007 release. Keener will play Baniszewski. Also, in 2007, she will play Jan Burres in the movie adaption of the book, Into the Wild, directed by Sean Penn.

Personal life

She has been married to actor Dermot Mulroney since 1990, although the couple separated in September 2005.[1] They have a son named Clyde (b. 1999). She is also close friends with actors Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, Pitt and Keener met while filming Johnny Suede. Keener has homes in Los Angeles and North Carolina.

Awards and Nominations

Academy Awards

• 2006 Best Supporting Actress for Capote (nomination)
• 2000 Best Supporting Actress for Being John Malkovich (nomination)

BAFTA Awards

• 2006 Best Supporting Actress for Capote (nomination)

Chlotrudis Awards

• 2006 Best Supporting Actress for Capote (win)
• 2000 Best Supporting Actress for Being John Malkovich (win)
• 1998 Best Lead Actress for Walking and Talking (nomination)

Golden Globes, USA

• 2000 Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for Being John Malkovich (nomination)

Independent Spirit Awards

• 2003 Best Female Lead for Lovely and Amazing (nomination)
• 1997 Best Female Lead for Walking and Talking (nomination)
• 1993 Best Female Lead for Johnny Suede (nomination)

Satellite Awards

• 2003 Best Lead Actress in a Comedy or Musical for Lovely and Amazing (nomination)
• 2000 Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Musical for Being John Malkovich (win)

Screen Actors Guild Awards

• 2006 Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for Capote, Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for Capote (nominations)
• 2000 Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for Being John Malkovich, Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for Being John Malkovich (nominations)

Partial filmography

• About Last Night... (1986) - Cocktail Waitress
• Johnny Suede (1991) - Yvonne
• Living in Oblivion (1995) - Nicole Springer
• Walking and Talking (1996) - Amelia
• Box of Moonlight (1996) - Floatie Dupre
• The Real Blonde (1997) - Mary
• Out of Sight (1998) - Adele
• Your Friends & Neighbors (1998) - Terri
• 8mm (1999) - Amy Welles
• Simpatico (1999) - Cecilia
• Being John Malkovich (1999) - Maxine Lund
• Lovely & Amazing (2001)- Michelle Marks
• Adaptation. (2002) - Herself
• Full Frontal (2002) - Lee
• Death to Smoochy (2002) - Nora Wells
• S1m0ne (2002) - Elaine Christian
• The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005) - Kathleen
• The Interpreter (2005) - Dot
• The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) - Trish Piedmont
• Capote (2005) - Nelle Harper Lee
• Friends with Money (2006) - Christine
• An American Crime (2007) - Gertrude Baniszewski
• Into the Wild (2007) - Jan Burres
• Where The Wild Things Are (2008)

External links

• Catherine Keener Fan - Unofficial website

References

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