Frances Conroy

Info

Full Name: Frances Conroy
Date of birth: November 13, 1953 (72 years old)
Location: Monroe, Georgia
Country: USA
Height: 1,72m

Frances Conroy has been active for 47 years, participating in 23 movies that average a 6.2/10 score.

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Tráiler en VOSE de 'Harry Potter' T1

Biography

Frances Conroy was born on 13 November 1953 in Monroe, Georgia, and knew from childhood that she wanted to act, with the enthusiastic backing of her parents. She trained at the prestigious Juilliard School and, long before making the leap to the screen, built a hugely respected name on the stage: she made her Broadway debut in 1980 and collected theatre honours such as the Obie Award, along with a Tony nomination. Her first film role was a small part as a Shakespearean actress in 'Manhattan' (1979), directed by Woody Allen. Hers, though, would be a long and patient career as a character actress.

A first-class supporting player

For decades she specialised in memorable supporting roles, the kind that linger in the memory even when they last only a few minutes. She worked with Woody Allen again on 'Crimes and Misdemeanors' (1989), turned up in classics such as 'Scent of a Woman' (1992) and 'The Crucible' (1996), and in the new century played Katharine Hepburn's mother in 'The Aviator' (2004), moved into superhero territory in 'Catwoman' (2004) and shone in the delightful 'Broken Flowers' (2005).

Ruth Fisher, the role of her life

But the character that changed everything came on television. In 'Six Feet Under' (2001) she played Ruth Fisher, the repressed yet tender matriarch of a family that runs a funeral home, in one of the great series of recent times. The role earned her the Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, cementing her status as a performer of the very highest order.

The grande dame of TV horror

Far from resting on her laurels, she found a second youth in the horror genre. In 'American Horror Story' (2011) she became a fixture of the anthology, transforming season after season into characters as different as the maid Moira and the witch Myrtle Snow, which elevated her to the status of a horror icon.

That versatility let her try her hand at everything on the small screen: she was Barney's outrageous mother in 'How I Met Your Mother' (2005), passed through the horror of 'The Mist' (2017) and the mystery of 'Castle Rock' (2018), and won audiences over in the black comedy 'Dead to Me' (2019).

Penny Fleck and an unmistakable gaze

The wider public rediscovered her on the big screen as Penny Fleck, the fragile mother of the title character in 'Joker' (2019), one of the great phenomena of the decade. Then came the acclaimed Western 'The Power of the Dog' (2021) and the animated feature 'Nimona' (2023). In her private life, she has been married to actor Jan Munroe since 1992 and fiercely guards her privacy. To her talent she adds a secret weapon: a hypnotic, asymmetrical gaze, the legacy of an old accident, which rather than hiding she has come to wear openly, lending her characters an unsettling aura. Isn't that rare blend of fragility and mystery exactly what has made her unforgettable?