Laura Elizabeth "Laurie" Metcalf (born June 16, 1955) is an American actress and comedian. Known for her complex and versatile roles across the stage and screen, she has received various accolades throughout a career spanning more than four decades, including 4 Primetime Emmy Awards and 2 Tony Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and three Golden Globe Awards.
Metcalf began her career with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company and frequently works in Chicago theatre. She made her Broadway debut in the 1985 play My Thing of Love. She went on to receive two Tony Awards, her first for Best Actress in a Play for her role in A Doll's House, Part 2 (2017) followed by her win for Best Featured Actress in a Play for the revival of Edward Albee's Three Tall Women (2018). Her other Tony-nominated roles were for November (2008), The Other Place (2010), Misery (2016), and Hillary and Clinton (2019).
On television, she played Jackie Harris on Roseanne (1988–1997, 2018), for which she won three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and its spinoff The Conners (2018–2025). She also won an Emmy Award for her guest role in Hacks (2022), and was Emmy-nominated for 3rd Rock from the Sun (1999), Monk (2006), Desperate Housewives (2007), The Big Bang Theory (2016), Getting On (2013–2015), and Horace and Pete (2016). She also acted in The Norm Show (1999–2001), Frasier, and The Dropout (2022)''.
In film, Metcalf is best known for her performance as Marion McPherson in Greta Gerwig's comedy-drama film Lady Bird (2017). She was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a SAG Award, and a BAFTA Award. Since 1995, she has voiced Mrs. Davis, the mother of Andy, in the Toy Story franchise; she also voiced Sarah Hawkins in the Disney animated film Treasure Planet (2002). Other film credits include Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Uncle Buck (1989), JFK (1991), Dear God (1996), Georgia Rule (2007) and Scream 2 (1997).
Metcalf is an alumna of Illinois State University, class of 1976. Metcalf worked as a secretary while in college and has said that she enjoyed seeing a pile of paper in the to-do box on one side of her desk move over to the completed side by the end of the day. She was often so focused on her work she missed lunch. She originally majored in German, thinking she could work as an interpreter, and then in anthropology before accepting that majoring in theatre was her true passion. She has said that theatre work also involves interpreting and studying human behavior. She has described herself as hideously shy, and yet she found the courage to audition for a few plays in high school and was "hooked". She initially did not choose acting as a career, because it was unlikely to lead to regular work.
Metcalf has appeared in several television series, including being a cast member for a single episode of Saturday Night Live—the final episode of the show's tumultuous 1980–1981 season. In 1981, she appeared as a feature player on the first Dick Ebersol-produced episode of Saturday Night Live following the firing of Jean Doumanian. She appeared in a Weekend Update segment about taking a bullet for the president of the United States. Because of the sketch show's perceived severe decline in quality at the time and the 1981 Writers Guild of America strike, the show was put on hiatus for retooling. Metcalf was not asked to return as a cast member the following year.
Metcalf's first on-screen appearance was an uncredited role as a maid in Robert Altman's comedy A Wedding (1978). During the 1980s, Metcalf performed supporting roles in many popular films, including the Susan Seidelman comedies Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) and Making Mr. Right (1987), Gary Sinise's drama Miles from Home (1988), the Pat O'Connor comedy Stars and Bars (1988), and John Hughes' comedy film Uncle Buck (1989).
Throughout the 1990s, she played against type in a series of darker films, such as the John Schlesinger psychological thriller Pacific Heights (1990), Mike Figgis's thriller Internal Affairs (1990), the Hollywood dramedy Mistress (1992), the romantic drama A Dangerous Woman (1993), Michael Apted's neo-noir thriller Blink (1994), and reuniting with Figgis in his Oscar-winning drama Leaving Las Vegas (1995). She also played minor roles in Warren Beatty's political drama Bulworth (1998) and the Garry Marshall romantic comedy Runaway Bride (1999).
Her biggest film role of the decade was as Susie Cox, one of Jim Garrison's chief investigators, in Oliver Stone's historical epic JFK (1991). During this time, she also had a series of guest-starring roles on shows such as Duckman (1995–1996), King of the Hill (1997), Life with Louie (1997), Dharma & Greg (1997), and 3rd Rock from the Sun (1998), the last of which brought her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
Metcalf voiced Andy's mother in the Disney-Pixar animated film Toy Story (1995), reprising the role in Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Toy Story 4 (2019). All four films were huge financial and critical successes, grossing well over a collective billion dollars. In 1997, she portrayed Debbie Salt in the horror film Scream 2. She made a brief foray into television films in the late 1990s, portraying the real-life gun control activist Carolyn McCarthy in the NBC film The Long Island Incident (1998). The Long Island Incident TCM, accessed October 8, 2016
In the 2000s, Metcalf became known mostly for her voice work in film. In 2002, she voiced Sarah Hawkins in the Disney animated Treasure Planet (2002). Despite the film receiving positive reviews, the film was a financial box office failure. In 2007, she voiced Lucille Krunklehorn-Robinson in the Disney animated film Meet the Robinsons. The film, like Treasure Planet, was met with mixed reviews. A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote: " Meet the Robinsons is surely one of the worst theatrically released animated features issued under the Disney label in quite some time". Metcalf did not feature in many live action films during this period but she did appear in the raunchy comedy Beer League (2006), the Jim Carrey-led comedy remake Fun with Dick and Jane (2005), the coming-of-age drama Georgia Rule (2006) with Jane Fonda and Lindsay Lohan, and the war drama Stop Loss (2008) with Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. "Laurie Metcalf Filmography" Turner Classic Movies (TCM), accessed October 8, 2016
In 2007, Metcalf made her first appearance as Mary Cooper, the mother of Sheldon Cooper, one of the main characters, on the top-rated CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. She would reprise the role repeatedly over its twelve-season run, and in 2016, her performance earned Metcalf her fourth nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Her daughter Zoe Perry portrayed a younger version of Mary in the spinoff prequel series Young Sheldon.
In 2012, Metcalf joined David Suchet in a West End production of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night, for which she was nominated for the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress.Shenton, Mark (April 10, 2012). " 'Long Day's Journey Into Night', Starring David Suchet, Laurie Metcalf, Opens in West End April 10" Playbill. In 2013, The Other Place transferred to Broadway with Metcalf reprising her role and earning Tony and Drama League nominations. " 'The Other Place' Broadway" Playbill (vault), accessed October 7, 2016 She starred with her real-life daughter, Zoe Perry. In 2013, Metcalf starred in Bruce Norris's Off-Broadway play Domesticated with Jeff Goldblum at the Mitzi Newhouse Theater of Lincoln Center. "The Verdict: Critics Review 'Domesticated', Starring Laurie Metcalf and Jeff Goldblum Off-Broadway" Playbill, November 5, 2013. She was nominated for the 2014 Drama League Award, Distinguished Performance and the 2014 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play for her performance. "Laurie Metcalf Off-Broadway" Lortel Archives, accessed October 7, 2016
From 2013 to 2015, Metcalf starred in the HBO comedy series Getting On.Brennan, Matt. "The Emmys Year of Laurie Metcalf" Indie Wire, July 27, 2016 She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for its final season, losing to Julia Louis-Dreyfus of Veep. She was also the lead actress in the short-lived CBS family sitcom The McCarthys (2014–15). In 2015, she took the role of Annie Wilkes in the Broadway production of Stephen King's Misery, opposite Bruce Willis. The play premiered on November 15, 2015, at the Broadhurst Theatre. " 'Misery' Broadway" Playbill (vault), accessed October 7, 2016 It received mixed reviews from critics, but Metcalf's performance was widely acclaimed. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, her third Tony nomination overall.
In 2016, Metcalf took a dramatic turn in the third episode of Louis C.K.'s self-funded show Horace and Pete, for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. Matt Brenann of IndieWire praised Metcalf's performance: "Metcalf's inflections and expressions are central characters; C.K.'s unflinching direction drinks her performance to the lees, to the point that Sarah's recollection of an afternoon sunbathing bristles with suspense, approaching the edge of some invisible precipice." On April 28, 2017, it was announced that a revival of Roseanne was in the works and that Metcalf along with most of the original cast and some of the producers would return for the limited series that was being shopped around with ABC and Netflix the frontrunners to land the show. On May 16, 2017, producers confirmed that eight episodes would air mid-season in 2018 on ABC. On May 29, 2018, in the wake of racist remarks by Barr posted on Twitter regarding former president Barack Obama's advisor Valerie Jarrett, ABC cancelled the revival after a single season. Metcalf reprised her role in The Conners, a spinoff of Roseanne without Barr's involvement which premiered in fall 2018. In 2018, Metcalf's portrayal of Jackie Harris earned a fifth Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nomination for her work on the revival of Roseanne.Giardina, Carolyn (July 12, 2018). "Emmys: 'Roseanne' Scores Two Nominations Following Series' Cancellation" The Hollywood Reporter. The show would have a seven season run before concluding on April 23, 2025.
Metcalf appeared on Broadway in Lucas Hnath's A Doll's House, Part 2 with Chris Cooper at the John Golden Theatre. which opened in April 2017. She received critical acclaim for her performance and earned her first Tony Award, winning for Best Actress in a Play.Lefkowitz, Andy. " 'A Dolls House Part 2 Star Laurie Metcalf Wins Her First Tony Award" Broadway.com, June 11, 2017. In 2017, Metcalf received universal critical acclaim for her performance in Greta Gerwig's coming of age film Lady Bird starring alongside Saoirse Ronan and Tracy Letts. For her performance, she was nominated for numerous awards, including the Academy Award, Golden Globe, SAG, BAFTA, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Award. The following year Metcalf performed in the Broadway revival of Three Tall Women with Glenda Jackson and Allison Pill at the John Golden Theatre in 2018. She won her second consecutive Tony Award, this time for Best Featured Actress in a Play.Clement, Olivia (June 11, 2018). "5 of the Biggest Surprises at the 2018 Tony Awards" Playbill. Metcalf played Hillary Clinton opposite John Lithgow as Bill Clinton in Lucas Hnath's Hillary and Clinton on Broadway in 2019 at the John Golden Theatre. The play was directed by Joe Mantello and tells a fictional account of Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. It ran April 18, 2019, through June 23, 2019. Metcalf was nominated for the 2019 Tony Award, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play.McPhee, Ryan (April 30, 2019). "2019 Tony Award Nominations: 'Hadestown' and 'Ain't Too Proud' Lead the Pack Playbill.
Metcalf returned to Broadway in April 2023 in the play Grey House, which ran until July 30, 2023. Metcalf costarred in Ray Romano's directorial debut Somewhere in Queens (2023).
Metcalf later began a relationship with Matt Roth, the Roseanne co-star who played her abusive boyfriend Fisher. By November 1993, they had a son and eventually married in 2005. They also worked together on occasion, including in the 1994 feature film thriller Blink and the 1998 drama Chicago Cab; they also appeared together in an episode of Desperate Housewives. Their daughter, Mae Roth, was born in 2005. They became parents to a second son, whom they fostered at six years old in 2006 and later adopted. On November 26, 2008, Metcalf and Roth separated. In September 2011, Roth filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. In May 2014, the divorce was finalized.
Metcalf has described herself as a workaholic and stated that she is hard on herself during rehearsals. She has said that she prefers theatre over other acting media as it is where she feels most comfortable.
She has also appeared in commercials for Plan USA, a humanitarian organization that helps children in need around the world.
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