Frances McDormand on screen and stage

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]

  1. ^ "Great role: Frances McDormand in Blood Simple". Entertainment Weekly. February 17, 2006. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Broadway was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference HSB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ von Tunzelmann, Alex (April 10, 2013). "Mississippi Burning: a civil rights story of good intentions and suspect politics". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  5. ^ "The 61st Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  6. ^ "Frances McDormand Wins Tony As Best Play Actress". CBS News. June 13, 2011. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  7. ^ "The 69th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  8. ^ Bramesco, Charles (June 21, 2021). "'So, does it hold up?': Fargo's stars and co-creator on its 25th anniversary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference PF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b "Frances McDormand". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  11. ^ Scott, Tony (November 25, 1996). "Hidden in America". Variety. Archived from the original on August 6, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  12. ^ Bell, Keaton (April 23, 2021). "Frances McDormand's 10 Best Roles, From Fargo to Nomadland". Vogue. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Flux was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ "The 78th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on October 1, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  15. ^ Ng, David (June 12, 2011). "Tony Awards: Frances McDormand wins for Good People". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  16. ^ Friedlander, Whitney (September 20, 2015). "Emmys: Big Winner Olive Kitteridge Was Passion Project for Frances McDormand". Variety. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  17. ^ "The 90th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on March 10, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  18. ^ "Bafta Film Awards 2018: Three Billboards wins top prizes". BBC News. February 19, 2018. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  19. ^ Lee, Benjamin (January 22, 2018). "SAG awards 2018: Three Billboards wins big in female-powered ceremony". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  20. ^ "The 93rd Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on March 15, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  21. ^ Shoard, Catherine (April 11, 2021). "Baftas 2021: Nomadland wins big as Promising Young Woman and Anthony Hopkins surprise". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.