Elizabeth Perkins
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| Elizabeth Perkins | |
 Promotional picture |
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| Birth name | Elizabeth Perkins |
| Born | November 18, 1960 Queens, New York City, New York |
| Notable roles | "Celia Hodes" in Weeds, "Susan Lawrence" in Big, and "Joan" in About Last Night. |
Elizabeth Perkins (born November 18, 1960) is an Emmy-nominated American movie, television and theater actress.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Perkins was born in Queens, New York City in 1960 to James Perkins and Jo Williams. Her paternal grandparents were Greek immigrants who anglicized their surname from Pisperikos to Perkins when they immigrated to the United States.[1] Perkins was raised in Vermont; her parents divorced in 1963. After finishing high school she spent three years in Chicago studying acting at the famous Goodman School of Drama. In 1984 made her theatrical debut on Broadway in Neil Simon's "Brighton Beach Memoirs", and afterward worked in a number of ensemble companies, including The New York Shakespeare Festival and the Steppenwolf Theater. She has always considered theater work to be a priority in her career.
She was listed as one of the twelve "Promising New Actors of 1986" in John Willis' Screen World, and she has since landed numerous film roles.
[edit] Career
She made her film debut in 1986 in Edward Zwick's About Last Night... and had a career breakthrough co-starring with Tom Hanks in Big. She received critical acclaim for her performance in Barry Levinson's Avalon, and was the stand-out actor opposite William Hurt in The Doctor (1991), in which she received critical acclaim for her performance as a terminal cancer patient. Her biggest Hollywood success so far has been in Big, opposite Tom Hanks, in which she played the adult love interest to his 12 year old mind in an adult body.
In 1993 Perkins made her television debut in For Their Own Good. She later starred in the comedy series Battery Park and If These Walls Could Talk, and has since regularly appeared in television films.
Recently, Perkins appeared as a psychiatrist in the 2005 suspense thriller, The Ring Two, starring Naomi Watts. Perkins currently plays Celia Hodes, upstanding PTA mother, alongside Mary-Louise Parker and Justin Kirk on the new Showtime series Weeds. Thanks to her work on Weeds, Perkins has received a 2006 Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series, Miniseries or Made for TV Motion Picture. She has also been nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. At a screening of the season 2 finale of Weeds, at the Museum of TV and Radio on October 25, 2006, Perkins said that she considers playing Celia Hodes her favorite role in her career because she is so different than characters she is usually cast for.
[edit] Personal life
Perkins' first husband was Chicago actor Terry Kinney, from whom she is divorced. In 2000 she married her present husband, Argentinian-born cinematographer Julio Macat. She has one daughter.
[edit] Awards and Nominations
Primetime Emmy Awards
Golden Globe Awards
- 2006 Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series, Mini-series, or TV Movie for Weeds (nomination)
- 2007 Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series, Mini-series, or TV Movie for Weeds (winners not yet announced)
Satellitte Awards
- 2005 Best Actress in a Comedy Series for Weeds (nomination)
- 2006 Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-series, or TV Movie for Weeds (winners not yet announced)
[edit] Selected filmography
- Must Love Dogs (2005)
- The Ring Two (2005)
- Weeds (2005) (TV series)
- Speak (2004)
- Finding Nemo (2003)
- Try Seventeen (2002)
- Cats & Dogs (2001)
- From the Earth to the Moon (1998)
- The Flintstones (1995)
- Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
- He Said, She Said (1991)
- The Doctor (1991)
- Avalon (1990)
- Big (1988)
- About Last Night (1986)
