Stage mother

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In the performing arts, a stage mother is a term for the mother of a child actor. The mother will often drive her child to auditions, make sure he or she is on the set on time, etc. The term sometimes has a negative connotation, suggesting that the individual is prone to obnoxiously demand special treatment for her child, or suggesting that the individual has placed inappropriate pressure on her child to succeed. Some believe that a stage mom is vicariously living out her own dreams through her child.

Quite often the stage mother will also be the official manager of her child (e.g., Lindsay Lohan) — representing her child in negotiations for the professional services of her child.

Fathers have also been known to manage their children in this way (sometimes in a worse manner than the mother), such as Joseph Jackson (patriarch of the Jackson family), Joe Simpson (father of Jessica and Ashlee Simpson), Billy Ray Cyrus (father of Miley Cyrus), Jeff Archuleta (father of American Idol runner-up David Archuleta), and Kit Culkin (father of Macaulay Culkin).

The employee of a strip club that helps dancers with their makeup and outfits is also referred to as a stage mother.

[edit] Stage mother in popular culture

Stage Mother is the name of a 1933 film.
Bellissima (film) by Luchino Visconti is about a stage mother in Cinecittà, Rome, starred by Anna Magnani
The musical Gypsy is about a child actress and her relationship to her stage mother.
An episode of the television show Kate & Allie was titled "Stage Mother". In the episode, Allie is overly enthusiastic about Jennie getting a job to sing on cable television.
Bakekang, a Filipino TV series, which stars Sunshine Dizon is a story of an ugly woman who begets a very beautiful girl from a foreigner. A movie fan as she is, she compels her daughter, named Krystal, to join show business. Her daughter becomes a big star and Bakekang, a stage mother.