A photograph of Frances McDormand on the set of Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day in 2007
McDormand on the set of Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day in 2007

Frances McDormand is an American actress and producer who made her film debut in the Coen brothers' neo-noir Blood Simple (1984) and also made her Broadway debut in the revival Awake and Sing! in the same year.[1][2] In 1985, she starred in the crime drama series Hunter and played a police officer on the procedural drama Hill Street Blues.[3] For her performance as a sheriff's wife in Mississippi Burning (1988), she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.[4][5] In the same year, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for playing Stella Kowalski in the revival A Streetcar Named Desire.[6]

McDormand received critical acclaim and won her first Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of a pregnant Minnesotan police chief in the Coen brothers' black comedy Fargo.[7][8] In the same year, she played a psychiatrist in legal thriller Primal Fear.[9] In 1997, McDormand garnered a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for her role as a mechanic in the television film Hidden in America.[10][11] She was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance as an overprotective mother in Almost Famous (2000).[12]

McDormand starred with Charlize Theron in both drama North Country and science fiction action film Æon Flux in 2005.[13] For the former, McDormand received a nomination for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.[14] She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance as a single mother in Good People (2011).[15] McDormand garnered critical acclaim and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie for playing the title character of an abrasive schoolteacher in Olive Kitteridge (2014), which she also produced.[10][16]

McDormand won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, and her second Best Actress Oscar for her role as a mother seeking justice in the Martin McDonagh-directed crime drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).[17][18][19] For her performance as a vandwelling nomad in the Chloe Zhao-directed 2020 drama Nomadland, she received her third Best Actress Oscar and second BAFTA for Best Actress. She also produced the film and received both the Academy Award for Best Picture and the BAFTA Award for Best Film.[20][21]

Film

List of film credits
Year Title Role(s) Notes Ref(s)
1984 Blood Simple Abby [22][23]
1985 Crimewave Nun [24]
1987 Raising Arizona Dot [24]
1988 Mississippi Burning Mrs. Pell [24]
1989 Chattahoochee Mae Foley [24]
1990 Darkman Julie Hastings [24]
Miller's Crossing Mayor's Secretary Uncredited [24]
Hidden Agenda Ingrid Jessner [25]
1991 Barton Fink Stage Actress Voice only
Uncredited 		[26]
The Butcher's Wife Grace [27]
1992 Passed Away Nora Scanlan [24]
1993 Short Cuts Betty Weathers [24]
1994 Bleeding Hearts Woman on TV [28]
1995 Beyond Rangoon Andy Bowman [29]
Palookaville June [24]
1996 Fargo Marge Gunderson [30]
Primal Fear Dr. Molly Arrington [9]
Lone Star Bunny [31]
1997 Paradise Road Dr. Verstak [32]
1998 Johnny Skidmarks Alice [33]
Madeline Miss Clavel [34]
Talk of Angels Conlon [35]
2000 Wonder Boys Dean Sara Gaskell [36]
Almost Famous Elaine Miller [37]
2001 The Man Who Wasn't There Doris Crane [38]
2002 Laurel Canyon Jane [24]
City by the Sea Michelle [39]
2003 Something's Gotta Give Zoe Barry [40]
2005 North Country Glory [24]
Æon Flux The Handler [13]
2006 Friends with Money Jane [24]
2008 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day Guinevere Pettigrew [24]
Burn After Reading Linda Litzke [24]
2011 This Must Be the Place Jane [24]
Transformers: Dark of the Moon Charlotte Mearing [24]
2012 Moonrise Kingdom Mrs. Bishop [24]
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted Captain Chantal Dubois Voice only [24]
Promised Land Sue Thomason [24]
2014 Every Secret Thing Newscaster Voice only
Uncredited; also producer 		[41]
2015 The Good Dinosaur Momma Ida Voice only [42]
2016 Hail, Caesar! C. C. Calhoun [43]
2017 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Mildred Hayes [44]
2018 Isle of Dogs Interpreter Nelson Voice only [45]
2020 Nomadland Fern Also producer [46]
2021 The French Dispatch Lucinda Krementz [47]
The Tragedy of Macbeth Lady Macbeth Also producer [48]
2022 Women Talking Scarface Janz [49]
Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television

List of television credits
Year(s) Title Role(s) Notes Ref(s)
1985 Hunter Nina Sloan Episode: "The Garbage Man" [50]
Hill Street Blues Connie Chapman 6 episodes [3]
1986 Spenser: For Hire Mary Episode: "A Day's Wages" [51]
The Twilight Zone Amanda Strickland Segment: "Need to Know" [52]
Vengeance: The Story of Tony Cimo Brigette Television film [53]
1987 Leg Work Willie Pipal 10 episodes [24]
1992 Crazy in Love Clare Television film [54]
1995 The Good Old Boys Eve Calloway [55]
1996 Hidden in America Gus [56]
1998 Sesame Street: Kids' Guide to Life: Big Bird Gets Lost Herself Short film [57]
2001 American Experience Victoria Price Voice only
Documentary
Episode: "Scottsboro: An American Tragedy" 		[58]
2001–2002 State of Grace Narrator / Adult Hannah Voice only
39 episodes 		[59]
2006 The Simpsons Melanie Upfoot Voice only
Episode: "Girls Just Want to Have Sums" 		[60]
2014 Olive Kitteridge Olive Kitteridge 4 episodes; also executive producer [61]
2019–present Good Omens God Voice only
7 episodes 		[62]

Stage

List of theater credits
Year(s) Title Theater Role Notes Ref(s)
1983–1984 Painting Churches Lamb's Theatre Margaret Church Understudy; November 22, 1983 – May 20, 1984 [63][64]
1984 Awake and Sing! Circle in the Square Theatre Hennie Berger March 8 – April 29 [2]
1988 A Streetcar Named Desire Stella Kowalski February 20 – April 17 [2]
1992–1993 The Sisters Rosensweig Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater Pfeni Rosensweig October 22, 1992 – February 28, 1993 [63]
1993 The Swan The Public Theater Dora November 9 – December 12 [63]
2002–2003 Far Away New York Theatre Workshop Harper November 11, 2002 – January 18, 2003 [63]
2006 An Oak Tree Barrow Street Theatre Father Each performance has a different guest actor playing Father [63][65][66]
2008 A Country Girl Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre Georgie Elgin April 27 – July 20 [2]
2011 Good People Samuel J. Friedman Theatre Margaret February 8 – May 29 [2]
2016 Macbeth Berkeley Repertory Theatre Lady Macbeth / Weird Sister February 19 – April 10 [67]

See also

References

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