Catherine Ann Keener (born March 23, 1959)[1] is a two time Academy
Award-nominated American actress.
Biography
Early life
Keener, the third of five children, was born in Miami, Florida, to Evelyn and Jim
Keener, a manager of an automotive store.[2] Keener is of
Irish descent on her father's side and of Lebanese descent
on her mother's.[3] Keener attended Immaculate Conception
Catholic School in Hialeah, Florida. Although she didn’t get into trouble growing up, by the time she reached high school at
Monsignor Edward Pace High School, Keener 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.
She attended Wheaton College, a women’s school in Norton, Massachusetts. She stayed with an aunt who lived
nearby to save on room and board, 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. In 1983, upon graduation, Keener
moved to New York, where she interned as an assistant to casting agent Gail Eisenstadt. When Eisenstadt relocated to Los Angeles
shortly afterward, Keener followed her employer, still relatively unambitious. But when Eisenstadt had a heart-to-heart with
Keener about her future, she admitted she wanted to try acting - an unusual transition from the casting industry. Eisenstadt
pulled some strings and Keener 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 she struggled professionally the next few years, one low-quality project had an unexpected dividend. Keener 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 the infamous portrait of Kramer. 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 Spirit 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
co-starred with Edward Norton in the off-Broadway
revival of Burn This and the films Full
Frontal, S1m0ne, and Death to
Smoochy, all of which 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.
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
played Jan Burres in the movie adaption of the book Into the Wild, directed by
Sean Penn.
Personal life
Keener has been married to actor Dermot Mulroney since 1990, although the couple separated in September 2005.[4] They have a son named Clyde (b. 1999). In June 2007, Mulroney filed for divorce,
citing the reason as irreconcilable differences.[5] 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
BAFTA Awards
- 2006 Best Supporting Actress for Capote (nomination)
Chlotrudis Awards
Golden Globes, USA
Independent Spirit Awards
Satellite Awards
- 2000 Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Musical for Being John Malkovich (win)
- 2003 Best Lead Actress in a Comedy or Musical for Lovely and Amazing (nomination)
Screen Actors Guild Awards
- 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)
- 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)
Filmography
References
External links
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