Kathy Bates is a critically acclaimed actress and director. She moved to New York in 1970 to pursue an acting career and immediately made her film debut with a small role singing in the 1971 movie “Taking Off.” In 1973, Kathy Bates turned to theater and made her stage debut in the Wayside Children’s Theater production of “Virginia Folk Tales.” Three years later, she made her Off-Broadway debut as a Texas Southern belle in the drama “Vanities.”

In 1977, Kathy Bates took to the small screen for her TV debut in an episode of “The Love Boat.” That same year, she reprised her stage role in the Los Angeles production of “Vanities,” followed by an appearance on “Crimes of the Heart” after she became a member of the ‘Actors Theatre of Louisville’ in 1978.

Kathy Bates made her Broadway debut in the 1980 production of “Goodbye Fidel.” The following year, she starred in productions of “Extremities” and “Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean.” In 1983, the acting chops of Kathy Bates were finally noticed after she received a Tony nod for the award-winning Broadway production of “‘night, Mother.”

In 1984, Kathy Bates went back to the small screen for an appearance on the long-running daytime drama “All My Children.” In 1986, she made her TV-movie debut in the ABC film “Johnny Bull.” The following year, Kathy Bates had a small role in the CBS miniseries “Murder Ordained,” followed by an Off-Broadway appearance on “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.” In 1988, Bates had a two-part episode appearance in the ABC drama “China Beach” and landed a role on the Off-Broadway Athol Fugard production of “The Road to Mecca.”

Although Kathy Bates had extensive acting credits in theater, it was her role as the obsessed fan Annie Wilkes in the movie “Misery” that made her a Hollywood star. For her role on the film, Kathy Bates received a ‘Best Actress Award’ from the Academy Awards and Golden Globe. Throughout the 90s, Kathy Bates appeared on numerous movies, including “Fried Green Tomatoes,” “Prelude to a Kiss,” “Dolores Claiborne,” “Diabolique,” “The Late Shift,” “Titanic,” “Primary Colors,” “The Waterboy,” and “Annie,” where she received an Emmy nod.

In the mid90s, Kathy Bates also made her directorial debut in the TV-movie “Talking With.” She continued to act in TV episodes and films, such “NYPD Blue,” “Homicide: Life on the Street,” “Oz,” “Dash and Lilly,” “Everwood,” “Six Feet Under,” “Fargo,” “Ambulance Girl” and the 2006 feature film “Have Mercy.”

Other notable credits of Kathy Bates include appearances on the HBO series “Six Feet Under,” the TV-movie “My Sister’s Keeper,” the award-winning movie “About Schmidt,” “Who Shot Victor Fox?” “Around the World in 80 Days,” “Little Black Book,” “Rumor Has It,” “Warm Springs,” “Ambulance Girl,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “Fred Claus,” “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” “Revolutionary Road” and “Cheri.”