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| Catherine Keener |
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“Most times when people pitch you as being perfect for a part … they don’t look at you as an actor who can transform. A lot of people are so literal.”
| Date of Birth: March 26, 1960 |
| Birthplace: Miami, Florida |
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| After starring in a number of 1990s independent films, Catherine Keener garnered mainstream acclaim for her supporting performances in films like Being John Malkovich (1999), The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005) and Capote (2005). |
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| It’s great how Catherine Keener became a star without playing the Hollywood game. We love her cultured approach to acting, and how she’d rather have a good part in a small film than a dull part in a big one. Now that she gets great parts in big movies, we’re even happier. |
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Catherine Keener was born on March 26, 1960, in Miami, Florida. She’s the third of five children born to Jim and Evelyn Keener. Although two of her siblings would also become actresses, that career direction didn’t initially occur to Catherine herself. 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).
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.
Meanwhile, Catherine’s career started to build momentum. She had a notable guest role on an early Seinfeld episode, and appeared in director Tom DiCillo’s Johnny Suede (1991), opposite a then unknown Brad Pitt. Catherine went on to star in DiCillo’s Living in Oblivion (1995), Box of Moonlight (1996) and The Real Blonde (1997). She also appeared in Nicole Holofcener’s Walking and Talking (1996). But Catherine hit the big time when she was cast by Spike Jonze -- at the suggestion of Jonze’s wife, Sophia Coppola -- to play Maxine in Being John Malkovich (1999). Catherine’s tough and sexy performance ultimately led to an Oscar nomination.
Catherine’s son, Clyde, was born in 1999, and her output naturally declined for a time. But from there, Catherine’s range of roles only grew. She gave an impressive performance for Steven Soderbergh in Full Frontal (2002), having previously worked for the acclaimed director in Out of Sight (1998). She also had notable roles in Death to Smoochy (2002) and Simone (2002).
Catherine didn’t grace the screen for a while, but she returned for four releases in 2005. She appeared in the acclaimed dramas The Ballad of Jack and Rose and The Interpreter, while having no trouble switching to comedy when she starred alongside Steve Carell in The 40 Year Old Virgin. Catherine’s standout role, however, came as author Harper Lee in Capote, and the performance earned her a second Oscar nomination.
Although Catherine separated from husband Dermot Mulroney in 2005, her career has shown no sign of slowing down. She reunited with director Nicole Holofcener for Friends with Money (2006), and she was cast in An American Crime (2007), Into the Wild (2007) and Where the Wild Things Are (2008). |
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© Jim Spellman
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