Laurie Metcalf

Laurie Metcalf
Metcalf in February 2008
Born	Lauren Ophelia Metcalf June 16, 1955 (1955-06-16) (age 54) Carbondale, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1978–present
Spouse(s)	Jeff Perry Matt Roth (1993-present)

Lauren Elizabeth "Laurie" Metcalf (born June 16, 1955) is an American actress. She is widely known for her performance as "Jackie Harris" on Roseanne and the voice of Mrs. Davis in Toy Story. She is also a major force in Chicago theater, probably best known for her performance in the 1983 revival of Balm in Gilead. She is also a part of Planusa.org helping children in need around the world.

Personal life

Metcalf was born in Carbondale, Illinois, the eldest of three children, and was raised in Edwardsville, Illinois. Her father was the budget director at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and her mother was a librarian.^[1] Her great aunt was the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Zoe Akins. Among Metcalf's childhood pursuits was theater; she would put on plays with her friends.^[2]

Metcalf dated Steppenwolf Theatre Company actor Terry Kinney and married Steppenwolf co-founding member Jeff Perry. With Perry she has daughter Zoe (1984) (named after her great-aunt) and the two subsequently divorced. Metcalf met actor Matt Roth when he played her Jackie character's abusive boyfriend, "Fisher", on Roseanne. They married in 1993 and have two children: Will Theron Roth (born 20 Nov 1993) and Mae Akins (born 3 July 2005 via surrogate). In 2005, Metcalf and family moved to a ranch in Idaho.

As of April 2008, the Metcalf-Roths have a young foster son.^[3]

Both Metcalf and Roth appeared in the same episode of Desperate Housewives. Roth's character played a role in Metcalf's character being killed in that episode.

Career

Stage career

Metcalf attended Illinois State University and obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Theater in 1977. While at ISU, she met fellow theater students, among them John Malkovich, Glenne Headley, Joan Allen, and Gary Sinise - who went on to establish Chicago's famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Metcalf began her professional career at Steppenwolf. It was in Steppenwolf that Metcalf got the nickname "crazy pants." In 1981, she was brought on as a performer on Saturday Night Live for their cast, but appeared in only one episode before the season abruptly ended due to a writer's strike; she was not asked back in the fall. In 1983, Metcalf went to New York to appear in a Steppenwolf production of Balm in Gilead, for which she received the 1984 Obie Award for Best Actress. Metcalf was showered with praise for her performance as, "Darlene," specifically for her tour de force twenty minute Act Two monologue. She relocated to Manhattan and began to work in both film and theater, most recently in David Mamet's November.

Through the end of June 2009, Metcalf starred in Justin Tanner's play "Voice Lesson," in Hollywood before beginning rehearsals to play Kate Jerome in the Broadway revival of Neil Simon's semi-autobiographical plays "Brighton Beach Memoirs" and "Broadway Bound" directed by David Cromer.

Television-film career

Metcalf at the 1992 Emmy Awards

She has performed in roles that range from very large to very small in many films, including Desperately Seeking Susan, Making Mr. Right, Miles from Home, Internal Affairs, Stars and Bars, Uncle Buck, Beer League, A Dangerous Woman, Pacific Heights, Blink, The Secret Life of Houses, Treasure Planet, Toy Story, Runaway Bride, Bulworth, Meet the Robinsons, Georgia Rule, Fun with Dick and Jane, Leaving Las Vegas, Scream 2, and Stop Loss. In JFK, she played a dramatic role against type, as one of Jim Garrison's chief investigators. She appeared as the murderous mother of "Billy Loomis" in the horror film Scream 2 and portrayed real-life Carolyn McCarthy in the television movie The Long Island Incident.

Metcalf has appeared in several television series, including being a cast member for only one episode of Saturday Night Live, but she is best known as "Jackie," sister to the title character in the hit series Roseanne. Her performance as Roseanne's complex, intelligent, quirky sister garnered her three consecutive Emmy Awards. Roseanne ran from 1988 to 1997, and Laurie appeared as Jackie over the show's entire run.

She subsequently appeared with Norm Macdonald on The Norm Show (or Norm), which ran for three seasons, and was also a regular character on the 2003 Nathan Lane series Charlie Lawrence, which was cancelled after only two episodes aired. The actress has made guest appearances on series including Absolutely Fabulous, Malcolm in the Middle, Monk, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Frasier, Without a Trace, Grey's Anatomy, My Boys, Dharma & Greg and more recently on the CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory (along with former cast member Johnny Galecki, one episode after Sara Gilbert). She recently appeared in a recurring role on Desperate Housewives and alongside her ex-husband Jeff Perry for an episode of Grey's Anatomy. In fall 2008, Metcalf starred in the 2008 CW dramedy Easy Money as the matriarch of a family of loan sharks. The series was canceled after only three episodes. She has also had a recurring guest star role as Sheldon Cooper's mother, Mary Cooper, on The Big Bang Theory, alongside former Roseanne castmates Johnny Galecki and Sara Gilbert.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Emmy Awards

• 1992 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for: Roseanne
• 1993 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for: Roseanne
• 1994 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for: Roseanne

Nominations

• 1995 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Roseanne
• 1999 Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for: 3rd Rock From the Sun
• 2006 Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for: Monk
• 2007 Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for: Desperate Housewives

Golden Globe Awards

Nominations

• 1993 Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV for: Roseanne
• 1995 Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV for: Roseanne

Tony Awards

Nominations

• 2008 Best Featured Actress In A Play for: November

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Laurie Metcalf

External links

• Laurie Metcalf at the Internet Movie Database