As of July 2026, Kathy Bates is best known for The Office and American Horror Story. Find every show and movie Kathy Bates has starred in — and where to watch them — below.
Kathy Bates

Kathy Bates

Actress Born 1948 Memphis, Tennessee, USA 10 TV Shows 8 Movies

Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actress and director. She has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards.

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, she studied theatre at the Southern Methodist University before moving to New York City to pursue an acting career. She landed minor stage roles before being cast in her first on screen role in Taking Off (1971). Her first Off-Broadway stage performance was in the 1976 production of Vanities. Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, she continued to perform on screen and on stage, and garnered a Tony Award nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Play in 1983 for her performance in 'night, Mother, and won an Obie Award in 1988 for her performance in Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.

Bates' performance as Annie Wilkes in the tense psychological thriller Misery (1990) marked her Hollywood breakthrough, winning her the Academy Award for Best Actress. Further acclaim came for her starring role in Dolores Claiborne (1995), The Waterboy (1998), and supporting roles in Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) and Titanic (1997). Bates received subsequent Oscar nods in the Best Supporting Actress category for her work in Primary Colors (1998), About Schmidt (2002), and Richard Jewell (2019).

Bates' television work has resulted in 14 Emmy Award nominations, including two for her leading role on the NBC series Harry's Law (2011–12). She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her appearance on the ninth season of Two and a Half Men (2012) and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for her portrayal of Delphine LaLaurie on the third season of American Horror Story (2013). She also received accolades for her portrayal of Miss Hannigan in the 1999 television adaptation of Annie. Her directing credits include several episodes of the HBO television series Six Feet Under (2001–03) and the television film Ambulance Girl (2005).

Alongside acting, Kathy Bates is also known as a director. Her screen credits lean toward Drama and Comedy.

Kathy Bates's most notable role to date came in Titanic (1997), where she played Molly Brown. She also appeared in The Big Bang Theory (2007) as Mrs. Fowler. Most recently appeared in Midnight in Paris (2011) as Gertrude Stein.

Fans wanting to catch up on Kathy Bates's work can find exactly where her shows and movies are streaming below — and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to keep track of them all. Just search the title, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers what you've already watched.

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📺 Kathy Bates's TV Shows

The Office
Jo Bennett
2005
American Horror Story
Delphine LaLaurie
2011
The Big Bang Theory
Mrs. Fowler
2007
Six Feet Under
Bettina
2001
St. Elsewhere
Polly Miller
1982
Matlock
Madeline 'Matty' Matlock
2024
Harry's Law
Harriet 'Harry' Korn
2011
FEUD
Joan Blondell
2017
Disjointed
Ruth
2017
Alice
Queen of Hearts
2009

🎬 Kathy Bates's Movies

Titanic
Molly Brown
1997
The Blind Side
Miss Sue
2009
Bee Movie
Janet Benson (voice)
2007
Misery
Annie Wilkes
1990
P.S. I Love You
Patricia
2007
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Regina Jackson
2008
Midnight in Paris
Gertrude Stein
2011
The Golden Compass
Hester (voice)
2007

📝 Created / Written by Kathy Bates

Everwood
Director
2002
NYPD Blue
Director
1993
Oz
Director
1997
Homicide: Life on the Street
Director
1993
The Great Lillian Hall
Executive Producer
2024

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