Kathryn Joosten

Kathryn Joosten (; December 20, 1939 – June 2, 2012) was an American actress. Her best known roles include Delores Landingham on NBC's The West Wing from 1999 to 2002 and Karen McCluskey on ABC's Desperate Housewives from 2005 to 2012, for which she won two Primetime Emmy Awards in 2005 and 2008.

Early life Joosten was born Kathryn Rausch in Chicago, Illinois, to Dutch-German parents. Her first career was as a psychiatric nurse at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago, living in nearby Lake Forest, Illinois, where she married a psychiatrist and raised two sons. Following her 1980 divorce,

Career In 1992, aged 53, she was hired as a street performer working for the Disney-MGM Studios theme park at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. In 1995, she moved to Hollywood, where she took guest roles in television series such as Roseanne, Home Improvement, Picket Fences, Murphy Brown, ER, Seinfeld, Frasier, Just Shoot Me!, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dharma & Greg, Las Vegas and The Drew Carey Show. In a 1997 episode of Frasier, "Roz's Turn", Joosten appeared as Vera, the mother and personal secretary of Frasier's agent Bebe Glazer, played by Harriet Sansom Harris. The pair later reunited to play opposite neighbors in Desperate Housewives.

In 1999, Joosten took the role of Mrs. Landingham, personal secretary to President Josiah Bartlet (played by Martin Sheen) in The West Wing. Joosten played the role for two seasons, until her character's death in a car crash in 2001, and returned to the show twice more in flashback appearances. Her role on The West Wing gave her an entrance into more significant guest roles on notable television series.

After 2001, she appeared in such shows as Scrubs (appearing in "My Old Lady", which won a Humanitas Prize, as well as reappearing in two later episodes), My Name Is Earl, Spin City, The X-Files, Judging Amy, Monk, Charmed, Will & Grace, Malcolm in the Middle, Grey's Anatomy, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Reba, So Little Time, Gilmore Girls, The Closer and a recurring role as one of the less intimidating incarnations of God seen by the title character (played by Amber Tamblyn) on the TV series Joan of Arcadia. In 2005, Joosten appeared in the film Wedding Crashers, starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.

Joosten had a recurring role on Desperate Housewives as Karen McCluskey. For this role, Joosten won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2005 and 2008 and once again was nominated for 2010, and appeared as a presenter at the 2005 and 2008 Emmy Awards telecasts. She received Screen Actors Guild Award nominations with the rest of the cast for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series from 2006 to 2008. She was promoted to a member of the regular cast in Season 6. However, the Emmys still billed her as a "Guest Actress" when she was nominated for a third time for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for the 2010 Emmys. She was then nominated for a fourth Emmy, this time for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2012. She played Aunt Jackie in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel in 2009.

In 2009, Joosten and Lily Tomlin were in talks to star in a Desperate Housewives spin-off. The spin-off was given a preliminary green light to proceed. However, the series did not proceed.

Health and death Joosten appeared in numerous television commercials such as those for V8 and Fiber One. In 2007, in an appearance on The View, she revealed that she was in remission from lung cancer, after many years of chain smoking (which she had by then quit). She offered some tips on how to beat the habit of smoking. Coincidentally, her guest roles on My Name Is Earl and Grey's Anatomy revolved largely around her character attempting to quit smoking. In 2001, she quit her 45-year smoking habit when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. In September 2009, Joosten was diagnosed with lung cancer for a second time. She subsequently underwent surgery and four rounds of chemotherapy, and was reportedly found to be cancer-free in January 2010.

Joosten made a guest appearance on The Bold and the Beautiful on February 7, 2011, as part of the show's 6,000th episode, which featured several other real-life lung cancer survivors discussing their experiences with two of the show's characters, played by Susan Flannery and Jack Wagner, who were dealing with lung cancer.

Joosten was named the national spokesperson for the Lung Cancer Profiles campaign on behalf of Pfizer.

Joosten died from a recurrence of lung cancer on June 2, 2012. She died 20 days after her Desperate Housewives character, Karen McCluskey, died of lung cancer onscreen.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1984 Grandview, U.S.A. Mrs. Clark 1985 Lady Blue Margo 1 episode 1987 Sable Waitress 1 episode 1989 The Package Waitress 1995 Pointman Lois 1 episode Family Matters Grocery Checker 1 episode Picket Fences Waitress Grace Under Fire Ida Reilly 1 episode 1996 3rd Rock from the Sun Cafeteria Lady 1 episode ER Lois 1 episode Roseanne Carol 2 episodes Goode Behavior Delores 1 episode Murphy Brown Caroline Langston, Secretary #83 1 episode Boston Common Mrs. Schuster 1 episode 1997 Seinfeld Betsy Episode: "The Little Jerry" Frasier Vera 1 episode Profiler Morganna Styles 1 episode Men Behaving Badly Saleswoman 1 episode NYPD Blue Mrs. Prows 1 episode Life with Roger Dee-Dee Mitchell 1 episode Brooklyn South Mariah Westbrook 2 episodes Best Men Edie 1998 Prey Nettie 1 episode Just Shoot Me! Dina Pierce 1 episode Harriet 1 episode Phoenix Esther 1998–2003 Natalie 2 episodes (separate roles) 1998–2001 Dharma & Greg Claire 7 episodes (recurring role) 1999 Home Improvement Thelma McCreedy 1 episode Thanks Anne Sturges 3 episodes Tracey Takes On... Dana 1 episode Kiss Toledo Goodbye Inez 1999–2001 Providence Renee James O'Meara 2 episodes 1999–2002 Dolores Landingham 30 episodes (recurring role) 2000 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Genevive Holt 1 episode Becker Edna Goldsmith 1 episodeHellraiser: InfernoMary Thorne 2001 Ally McBeal Sister Alice 1 episode Arli$$ June 1 episode Dead Last Nurse Alicia 1 episode Raising Dad Ella 1 episode Spin City Sister Agnes 1 episode 2001–2009 Scrubs Barbara 'Babs' O'Neil Tanner 3 episodes: 1 uncredited 2002 Agent Edie Boal episode: "Trust No 1" Titus Betty 1 episode Constance 'Connie' Langtry 1 episode So Little Time Louise Van Horn 1 episode Even Stevens Edna Manning 1 episode 2002–2003 General Hospital Ida Warren 5 episodes 2003 Judging Amy Judge Drabowsky 1 episodeA.U.S.A.Ginny Romano2 episodes Wasabi Tuna Erma Hope & Faith Jean Smith Uncredited Charmed Marnie 1 episode Less than Perfect Agnes 1 episode Strong Medicine Kathryn Nolan 1 episode Red Roses and Petrol Nurse Gretchen Maureen 1 episode 2003–2005 Joan of Arcadia Margo (incarnation of God) 8 episodes 2003–2008 Monk Neysa Gordon Stempler 2 episodes 2004 Curb Your Enthusiasm Jenny 1 episode 10-8: Officers on Duty Mrs. Utenberger 1 episode Will & Grace Felicia 1 episode Yes, Dear Claire Atkinson 1 episode Life with Bonnie Phyllis 1 episode Everwood Mrs. Hammerhill 1 episode Gilmore Girls Maisy Fortner 1 episode Breaking Dawn Neighbor 2005 Hostage Officer Louise Taking Your Life Helen Grey's Anatomy Stephanie Drake 1 episode Love, Inc. Doris 1 episode Wedding Crashers Chazz's Mom Malcolm in the Middle Claire 1 episode Cheaper by the Dozen 2 Theatre Patron 2005–2008 My Name Is Earl Agatha 2 episodes 2005 McBride: It's Murder, Madam Judge Broderick 1 Episode 2005–2012 Desperate Housewives Mrs. Karen McCluskey-Bender 87 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (Won; 2005, 2008, Nominated; 2010)Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (2012)Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2006, 2007, 2008) 2006 Reba Jackie Harmony, Director of Homeless Shelter 1 episodeIntellectual PropertyNurse Grandma Marilyn 1 episode The TV Set Lois Midge 1 episode Saved Evelyn Wilson 1 episode 2007 In Case of Emergency Fran Walsh 1 episode Nurse Townsend 1 episode 2008 Las Vegas 'Robby' 1 episode Bedtime Stories Maureen Dixon 2009 Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Aunt Jackie 2011 Herself The Cleveland Show Hazel Mega Python vs. Gatoroid Angie Polk 2012 The Mentalist Gloria Williams 1 episode