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Arab Americans

Catherine Keener

Catherine Keener

Catherine Ann Keener (born March 23, 1959)[2] is an American actress. She has been twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles as Maxine Lund in Being John Malkovich (1999) and Harper Lee in Capote (2005). Keener also appeared in the films Into the Wild (2007) and Synecdoche, New York (2008), which were well-received by critics. Keener is also the noted muse of director Nicole Holofcener, having appeared in every work of hers to date.

Early life and education

Keener was born in Miami, Florida, the third of five children of Evelyn (née Jamiel) and Jim Keener, a manager of an automotive store.[4] She is of Irish descent on her father’s side and of Lebanese descent on her mother’s.Keener was raised Roman Catholic and attended Catholic schools. She attended Monsignor Edward Peace High School.

Keener’s sister, Elizabeth Keener, is also an actress. Her brother Michael was a Catholic priest for many years, serving at St. Peter and Paul in Miami.

Keener attended Wheaton College, in Norton, Massechusetts, where she lived with an aunt in order to save on room and board, feeling out of place among her more privileged peers.Keener majored in English and history, enrolling in a theater course only when she was unable to get into a photography class. Her first theatrical production was the Wendy Wasserstein play, Uncommon Women and Others, during her Junior year at Wheaton. She graduated with her B.A. from Wheaton College in 1983.

Career

Keener had a supporting role as Lt. Cricket Sideris in the television series, Ohara about an Asian-American detective. The series ran from January 1987 to May 1988.

Her first film appearance was one line in .About Last Night (1986). Although she struggled professionally over the next few years one low-quality project had an unexpected dividend. Keener met her future husband, actor Dermot Mulroney in 1987 while working on Survival Quest (1989), after Mulroney became stuck while attempting to scale a cliff.

She also guest-starred as an artist on an episode of Seinfeld called “The Letter”. She played Jerry’s girlfriend, an artist who painted a famous 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 went on to work with director Tom Dicillo, again, in Living in Oblivion (1995). Two years later, she was once again nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her performance in Walking and Talking, an independent cult-comedy film directed by Nicole Holofcener.

In 2000, Keener earned her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Being John Malkovich, directed by Spike Jonze. In 2001, she 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 film Death to Smoochy. She also took part in the film FullFrontal, and S1m0ne alongside Al Pacino.

In 2005, she starred in the political Thriller The InterpreterThe Ballad of Jack and Rose, with Daniel Day-Lewis and played the love interest of  Steve Cerell in ‘sJudd Apatow  The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Keener’s performance as writer Harper Lee in Capote (also 2005) earned her several awards and nominations, including her second Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.[9] In 2006, she starred in the film Friends with Money, directed by Nicole Holofcener.

In 2007, Keener played Jan Burres in Sean Penn’s critically acclaimed film  Into the Wild, based on Jon Krakauer’s best-selling  book of the same name. In 2008, her film An American Crime, the true story of  Gertrude Baniszewski, a middle-aged mother who tortured and killed Sylvia Likens in her Indiana home, was aired on Showtime. Keener plays Baniszewski and her portrayal earned her an Emmy nomination in the Best Actress in a TV Mini-Series or Movie category. In 2008, Keener portrayed Philip Seymour Hoffman’s wife Adele in  Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut, Synecdoche, New York. She collaborated with Hoffman as husband and wife again in the 2012 film A Late Quartet. Keener played the title character’s mother in the 2010 film Persy Jackson & the OlympiansThe Lightening Thief, based on the series of books by Rick Riordan.

Keener will star in the six-episode HBO miniseries Show Me a Hero which is based on the 1999 nonfiction book of the same name by Lisa Belkin. It will premiere in August 2015. In 2016, Keener starred in the independent film Unless.

Personal life

Keener married actor  Dermot Mulroney in 1990. They have a son, Clyde, born in 1999.[9] In June 2007, Mulroney filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce became final on December 19, 2007.

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1986 About Last Night… Cocktail Waitress
1989 Survival Quest Cheryl
1990 Catchfire Trucker’s girl
1991 Switch Steve’s Secretary
Johnny Suede Yvonne Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead
Thelma & Louise Hal’s wife Scenes cut[16]
1992 The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag Suzanne
1993 The Cemetery Club Ester’s Daughter
1995 Living in Oblivion Nicole Springer
1996 Walking and Talking Amelia Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead
Boys Jilly
Box of Moonlight Floatie Dupre
1997 The Real Blonde Mary
1998 Out of Sight Adele Delisi
Your Friends & Neighbors Terri
1999 8mm Amy Welles
Simpatico Cecilia
Being John Malkovich Maxine Lund Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Nominated—Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actress
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2001 Lovely & Amazing Michelle Marks Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2002 Adaptation Herself Cameo
Full Frontal Lee
Death to Smoochy Nora Wells
S1m0ne Elaine Christian
2005 The Ballad of Jack and Rose Kathleen Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
The Interpreter Dot Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
The 40-Year-Old Virgin Trish Piedmont Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Capote Nelle Harper Lee Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated—Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
2006 Friends with Money Christine
2007 An American Crime Gertrude Baniszewski TV Movie
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
Into the Wild Jan Burres Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2008 Hamlet 2 Brie Marschz
What Just Happened Lou Tarnow
Synecdoche, New York Adele Lack Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast
Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award
Genova Barbara
2009 The Soloist Mary Weston
Where the Wild Things Are Connie also associate producer
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actress
2010 Please Give Kate Nominated—Comedy Film Award for Best Leading Actress
Nominated—Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Cyrus Jamie
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Sally Jackson
Trust Lynn Cameron
2011 The Oranges Paige Walling
Peace, Love & Misunderstanding Diane
Maladies Catherine
2012 A Late Quartet Juliette Gelbart
2013 The Croods Ugga
Enough Said Marianne
Captain Phillips Andrea Phillips
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa Ellie
2014 War Story Lee also producer
Post-production
Begin Again Miriam
Elephant Song Susan Peterson
2015 Accidental Love Rep. Pam Hendrickson
Blackbird Pre-production
Show Me a Hero Mary Dorman TV Miniseries
2016 November Criminals