Kathleen Turner

Mary Kathleen Turner (born June19, 1954) is an American actress. Known for her deep, husky voice, she is the recipient of two Golden Globes, as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Grammy, and two Tony Awards.

After debuting both off and on Broadway in 1977, followed by her television debut as Nola Dancy Aldrich on the NBC soap opera The Doctors (1978–1979), Turner rose to prominence with her portrayal of Matty Walker in Body Heat (1981), which brought her a reputation as a sex symbol. She worked solidly throughout the 1980s, in films such as The Man with Two Brains (1983), Crimes of Passion, Romancing the Stone (both 1984), Prizzi's Honor, The Jewel of the Nile (both 1985), Switching Channels, The Accidental Tourist (both 1988), and The War of the Roses (1989). For her portrayal of the title character in Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Turner was nominated for the 1987 Academy Award for Best Actress. Subsequent credits include V.I. Warshawski (1991), Serial Mom (1994), Baby Geniuses, The Virgin Suicides (both 1999), Beautiful (2000), Marley & Me (2008), and Dumb and Dumber To (2014).

Outside film, Turner guest-starred as Sue Collini on Showtime's Californication (2009) and Roz Volander on Netflix's The Kominsky Method (2019–2021). She also played Charles Bing, the transgender father of Chandler Bing, on the seventh season of Friends (2001). Turner's voice work includes Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), as well as characters on television series such as The Simpsons, Family Guy, King of the Hill, and Rick and Morty.

Early life and education Born June 19, 1954 in Springfield, Missouri to Patsy and Allen Richard Turner, a U.S. Foreign Service officer

Raised in a strictly conservative Christian home, Turner's interest in performing was discouraged by both of her parents: "My father was of missionary stock", she later explained, "so theater and acting were just one step up from being a streetwalker, you know? So when I was performing in school, he would drive my mom [there] and sit in the car. She'd come out at intermissions and tell him, 'She's doing very well.

Owing to her father's position with the Foreign Service, Turner grew up in Canada, Cuba, Venezuela, and in London, England. She attended high school at The American School in London, graduating in 1972. "The start of real acting for me began during high school in London", she stated in her 2008 memoir. "There were seven of us who were sort of a theater mafia. We produced, directed, acted, chose the plays, got one teacher fired and another one hired." Her father died of a coronary thrombosis one week before her graduation, During that period, Turner acted in several productions directed by film and stage director Steve Yeager.

Career

Theatre work and Broadway debut In 1973, Turner spent the summer with her mother in Midland, Texas. There, at the Yucca Theater, Turner made history when she was cast as the first female villain in the Summer Mummers 1973 melodrama, Plodding Among the Planets.

Several months after moving to New York City in 1977, Turner took over the female lead in Michael Zetter's play Mister T, which co-starred Jonathan Frakes and played at Soho Repertory Theatre. That production marked her off-Broadway debut. Several months later, Turner made her Broadway debut as Judith Hastings in Gemini by Albert Innaurato, staged at The Little Theatre (later the Helen Hayes Theater) and starring Danny Aiello. It opened May 21, 1977, during the time when she was appearing in the soap The Doctors.

Transition to TV and film In 1978, Turner made her television debut in the NBC daytime soap The Doctors as the second Nola Dancy Aldrich. She made her film debut in 1981 as the ruthless Matty Walker in the thriller Body Heat; the role brought her to international prominence. Empire cited the film in 1995 when it named her one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in Film History. The New York Times wrote in 2005 that, propelled by her "jaw-dropping movie debut [in] Body Heat ... she built a career on adventurousness and frank sexuality born of robust physicality".

Because of her deep, husky voice, Turner was often compared to a young Lauren Bacall. When the two met, Turner reportedly introduced herself by saying, "Hi, I'm the young you."

Stardom After Body Heat, Turner steered away from femme fatale roles to "prevent typecasting" and "because femme fatale roles had a shelf-life". Consequently, her first project after this was the 1983 comedy The Man With Two Brains. Turner co-starred in Romancing the Stone with Michael Douglas and Danny DeVito. Film critic Pauline Kael wrote of her performance as writer Joan Wilder, "Turner knows how to use her dimples amusingly and how to dance like a woman who didn't know she could; her star performance is exhilarating." Romancing the Stone was a surprise hit: she won a Golden Globe for her role in the film, and it became one of the top-ten-grossing movies of 1984. Turner teamed with Douglas and DeVito again the following year for its sequel, The Jewel of the Nile. Pre-production for the movie was fraught with conflict, because Turner refused to commit to the "terrible" script she had been delivered. When she said no, 20th Century Fox threatened her with a US$25 million breach of contract lawsuit. Eventually Douglas, also the film's producer, agreed to undertake rewrites on the script to make it more acceptable to Turner, which led to much back-and-forth between the two as the script was retooled right up to when shooting started in Fez, Morocco.

Several months before Jewel, Turner starred in Prizzi's Honor with Jack Nicholson, winning a second Golden Globe award, and later starred in Peggy Sue Got Married, which co-starred Nicolas Cage. For Peggy Sue, she received the award for Best Actress from the U.S. National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, as well as an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

In 1988's toon-noir Who Framed Roger Rabbit, she was the speaking voice of cartoon femme fatale Jessica Rabbit, intoning the famous line, "I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way." Her uncredited, sultry performance was acclaimed as "the kind of sexpot ball-breaker she was made for". (Amy Irving provided Jessica Rabbit's singing voice in the scene in which the character first appears in the movie.) That same year, Turner also appeared in Switching Channels, which was a loose remake of the 1940 hit film His Girl Friday; this, in turn, was a loose remake of the Ben Hecht-Charles MacArthur comedy The Front Page.

Turner was the subject of the 1986 song "The Kiss of Kathleen Turner" by Austrian techno-pop singer Falco. In 1989, Turner teamed with Douglas and DeVito for a third time, in The War of the Roses, but this time as Douglas's disillusioned wife, with DeVito in the role of a divorce attorney who told their shared story. The New York Times praised the trio, saying that "Mr. Douglas and Ms. Turner have never been more comfortable a team ... each of them is at his or her comic best when being as awful as both are required to be here ... [Kathleen Turner is] evilly enchanting." In that film, Turner played a former gymnast and, as in other roles, did many of her own stunts. (She broke her nose two years later, filming 1991's V.I. Warshawski.)

Slowed by rheumatoid arthritis Turner remained an A-list film star leading lady in the early 1990s, starring in V.I. Warshawski and Undercover Blues, until rheumatoid arthritis seriously restricted her activities. She also blamed her age, stating, "when I was 40, the roles started slowing down, I started getting offers to play mothers and grandmothers."

In 1992, during the filming of Serial Mom, she began experiencing "inexplicable pains and fevers." The rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis was made about a year later. She was replaced by Suzanne Pleshette in the final film.

Remission Turner's rheumatoid arthritis progressed for about eight years. Then, thanks to newly available treatments, it went into remission. She was seen increasingly on television, including three episodes of Friends, where she appeared as Chandler Bing's father, a drag performer.

In 2006, Turner guest-starred on FX's Nip/Tuck, playing a phone sex operator in need of laryngeal surgery. She appeared in a small role in 2008's Marley & Me and also played a defense attorney on Law & Order. In 2009, she played the role of Charlie Runkle's sexually hyperactive boss in season three of the television series Californication.

Turner starred in the indie film The Perfect Family in 2011 and had supporting roles in Nurse 3D (2013) and the comedy sequel Dumb and Dumber To in 2014.

She appeared in two episodes of the Hulu series The Path (2016–17), starred in an episode of the anthology series Dolly Parton's Heartstrings (2019) and guest-starred on two episodes of the CBS comedy series Mom in 2020. On the Netflix dramedy series The Kominsky Method, Turner was a guest in season 2 (2019) and became a main cast member in season 3 (2021). The series reunited her with fellow actor Michael Douglas for the first time since The War of the Roses.

Voice acting Turner provided the voice of Jessica Rabbit in the 1988 live action/animated film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, its three animated short film spinoffs, and in the Disneyland attraction spinoff, Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. In 2006, Turner voiced the character Constance in the animated film Monster House. Later, she provided radio commercial voice-overs for Lay's potato chips. BBC Radio 4 produced four radio dramas based on the V. I. Warshawski novels by Sara Paretsky. Two of them, Killing Orders and Deadlock, released in 2007, featured Turner reprising her 1991 film role, which had been based on Paretsky's novel Deadlock; however, the final series, Bitter Medicine, released in 2009, had Sharon Gless take over the part. In 2015, she narrated the anthology drama film Emily & Tim. Turner also had voice guest roles on the animated series King of the Hill, Family Guy, 3Below: Tales of Arcadia, Rick and Morty, Summer Camp Island, and Wizards: Tales of Arcadia.

Stage career After 1990s roles in Broadway productions of Indiscretions and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (for which she earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress), Turner moved to London in 2000 to star in a stage version of The Graduate. The BBC reported that initially mediocre ticket sales for The Graduate "went through the roof when it was announced that Turner, then aged 45, would appear naked on stage". While her performance as the seductive Mrs. Robinson was popular with audiences, with sustained high box office for the duration of Turner's run, she received mixed reviews from critics. The play transferred to Broadway in 2002 to similar critical reaction.

In 2005, Turner beat a score of other contenders (including Jessica Lange, Frances McDormand, and Bette Midler)

As Martha, Turner received her second Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play, losing to Cherry Jones. The production was transferred to London's Apollo Theatre in 2006. She starred in Sandra Ryan Heyward's one-woman show, Tallulah, which she toured across the U.S.

In August 2010, Turner portrayed the role of Sister Jamison Connelly in Matthew Lombardo's drama High at Hartford TheaterWorks. The production transferred to Broadway at the Booth Theatre where it opened in previews on March 25, 2011, officially on April 19, 2011, and an announced quick closing on April 24, 2011. However, in a rare move, the production was revived, still headed by Turner, to undertake a national tour which began in Boston in December 2012.

From August to October 28, 2012, Turner appeared in Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins, a play about the legendary liberal Texas columnist Molly Ivins, at Arena Stage in Washington, DC. In December 2014 and January 2015, Turner performed the same show at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. She appeared again at Arena Stage in the title role of Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children, which opened in February 2014, and playing Joan Didion in the one-woman show The Year of Magical Thinking, based on Didion's memoir of the same name, in October and November 2016. In February 2019, Turner made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in the speaking role of The Duchess of Krakentorp in Donizetti's opera La fille du régiment.

Other work In addition to her work on stage and screen, Turner has taught acting classes at New York University.

Reception and public image Turner's performance in Body Heat gave her a reputation as a sex symbol. She is considered one of the most prominent sex symbols of the 1980s, a designation largely attributed to her performance in Body Heat. Turner worked to avoid being typecast in similar roles. She described "rage" as a common theme running through most of her characters. Ann Lee of The Guardian described her as "magnetic" on screen "fierce, bold and sultry, with an impeccable sense of comic timing to match that oh-so-husky and commanding voice".

Personal life Turner married real estate entrepreneur Jay Weiss of New York City in 1984, and they had one daughter, singer Rachel Ann Weiss, who was born on October 14, 1987. Turner and Weiss divorced in December 2007, but Turner has said, "[Jay]'s still my best friend."

Health In 1992, Turner began experiencing "inexplicable pains and fevers." She was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis about a year later. By the time she was diagnosed, she "could hardly turn her head or walk, and was told she would end up in a wheelchair".

Despite drug therapy to help her condition, Turner's rheumatoid arthritis progressed for about eight years. Then, thanks to newly available treatments, it went into remission.

A few weeks after leaving the production of the play The Graduate in November 2002, Turner was admitted into the Geisinger Marworth Treatment Center in Waverly, Pennsylvania, for the treatment of alcoholism. "I have no problem with alcohol when I'm working", she explained. "It's when I'm home alone that I can't control my drinking ... I was going toward excess. I mean, really! I think I was losing my control over it. So it pulled me back."

Memoirs and interviews In the mid-2000s, Turner collaborated with Gloria Feldt on the writing of her memoirs, Send Yourself Roses: Thoughts on My Life, Love, and Leading Roles. The book was published in 2008. In the book, Turner claimed that, while they were filming Peggy Sue Got Married, her co-star Nicolas Cage had got drunk and stolen a Chihuahua that he liked. In turn, Cage filed a lawsuit against Turner and her book publisher in the UK, who took an excerpt from the book and posted it on their website (before publication). During an interview on The View, Turner apologized for any distress she might have caused Cage regarding an incident that took place 20 years earlier.

On August 7, 2018, Vulture published an in-depth interview with Turner, wherein she expressed her opinion on a wide range of issues, from Elizabeth Taylor's acting skills to what it was like meeting Donald Trump in the 1980s. Turner's frankness and certain revelations she made caused the article to be widely shared in different media outlets, which led to her name trending on Google.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1981 Body Heat Matty Walker 1983 Dolores Benedict 1984 Romancing the Stone Joan Wilder Stella Clayton Crimes of Passion Joanna Crane / China Blue 1985 Prizzi's Honor Irene Walkervisks / Irene Walker Joan Wilder 1986 Peggy Sue Got Married Peggy Sue Bodell 1987 Julia and Julia Julia 1988 Switching Channels Christy Colleran Who Framed Roger Rabbit Jessica Rabbit (voice) Uncredited Sarah Leary 1989 Tummy Trouble Jessica Rabbit (voice) Short film Barbara Rose 1990 Roller Coaster Rabbit Jessica Rabbit (voice) Short film 1991 V.I. Warshawski Victoria "V. I." Warshawski 1993 Trail Mix-Up Jessica Rabbit (voice) Short film Naked in New York Dana Coles House of Cards Ruth Matthews Undercover Blues Jane Blue 1994 Serial Mom Beverly R. Sutphin 1995 Moonlight and Valentino Alberta Trager The Snow Queen The Snow Queen (voice) English dub 1997 Bad Baby Gloria Goode (voice) Claudia Dee Dee Taylor 1999 Baby Geniuses Elena Kinder Love and Action in Chicago Middleman Mrs. Lisbon 2000 Beautiful Verna Chickle Prince of Central Park Rebecca Cairn 2005 The Lady in Question is Charles Busch Herself Documentary 2006 Monster House Constance (voice) 2008 Marley & Me Ms. Kornblut 2011 The Perfect Family Eileen Cleary2013 Nurse 3D Head Nurse Betty Watson Gods Behaving BadlyStyxUnreleased 2014 Dumb and Dumber To Fraida Felcher 2015 Emily & Tim The Narrator (voice) 2017 Someone Else's Wedding Barbara Haines Released as Another Kind of Wedding 2022 The Swearing Jar BevThe EstateAunt Hilda 2024 The Long Game Mariah McKay 2025 Animal FarmBenjamin (voice) Listen to Me Gertrude Stein 2026 Joan's Teeth Joan Short film

Television

Theater +Theater work by Kathleen Turner Year Play Role Venue Notes 1977 Gemini Judith Hastings Little Theatre, Broadway Replacement 1981 A Midsummer Night's Dream Titania Arena Stage, Regional 1989 Love Letters Melissa Gardner Promenade Theatre, Off-Broadway 1990 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Maggie Eugene O'Neill Theatre, Broadway 1995 Indiscretions Yvonne Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway 2000 The Graduate Mrs. Robinson Gielgud Theatre, West End 2000–2001 Tallulah Tallulah Bankhead National tour 2002 The Graduate Mrs. Robinson Plymouth Theatre, Broadway 2004 The Exonerated Sunny Jacobs Casa Mañana Theatre, Regional 2005 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Martha Longacre Theatre, Broadway 2006 Apollo Theatre, West End 2007 National tour Crimes of the Heart Unknown Williamstown Theatre Festival, Regional Directed only 2008 Laura Pels Theatre, Off-Broadway 2009 The Third Story Peg / Dr. Rutenspitz Lucille Lortel Theatre, Off-Broadway 2010 Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins Molly Ivins Philadelphia Theatre Company, Regional High Sister Jamison Connelly TheaterWorks, Regional Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Regional The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Regional 2011 Booth Theatre, Broadway 2012 Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins Molly Ivins Geffen Playhouse, Regional Arena Stage, Regional The Killing of Sister George June Buckridge Long Wharf Theatre, Regional Also directed 2014 Mother Courage and Her Children Mother Courage Arena Stage, Regional Bakersfield Mist Maude Gutman Duchess Theatre, West End 2014–2015 Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins Molly Ivins Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Regional 2015 Would You Still Love Me If... Victoria Pruitt New World Stages Stage V, Off-Broadway Also directed 2016 The Year of Magical Thinking Joan Didion Arena Stage, Regional 2017 An Act of God God George Street Playhouse, Regional2024 A Little Night MusicMadame Armfeldt Ogunquit Playhouse, Regional

Audio +Audio work by Kathleen TurnerYearTitleRole Notes 2023White House Plumbers PodcastHerselfEpisode 2

Accolades