Wikipedia

Frances Fisher

Not to be confused withFrancis Fisher.

Frances Louise Fisher[1](born May 11, 1952) is an American actress. She began her career in theater and later starred as Detective Deborah Saxon in the CBS daytime soap operaThe Edge of Night(1976–1981). In film, she is known for her roles inUnforgiven(1992),Titanic(1997),True Crime(1999),House of Sand and Fog(2003),Laws of Attraction(2004),The Kingdom(2007),In the Valley of Elah(2007),Jolene(2008),The Lincoln Lawyer(2011), andThe Host(2013). From 2014 to 2015, Fisher starred in the ABC drama seriesResurrection.In 2019, she starred in theHBOtelevision seriesWatchmen,a sequel to thegraphic novelof the same name.

Frances Fisher
Fisher in 2014
Born
Frances Louise Fisher

(1952-05-11)May 11, 1952(age 72)
Milford on Sea,England,United Kingdom
NationalityAmerican
OccupationActress
Years active1976–present
WorksFilmography
Spouse
Billy Mack Hamilton
​
​
(m.1970;div.1972)​
PartnerClint Eastwood(1990–1995)
ChildrenFrancesca Eastwood
AwardsHRIFF:
Award of Excellence (2012)

Early life and education

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Fisher was born on May 11, 1952, inMilford on Sea,[2][3]the daughter of American parents Olga Rosine (née Moen), a housewife, and William Irving "Bill" Fisher, Sr, an oil refinery construction superintendent. Her father was of Russian-Jewish and Hungarian-Jewish descent,[4]whereas her mother was of Norwegian ancestry.[5]Before she reached the age of 15, she had moved nine times and travelled because of her father's job, going to places including Italy, Turkey, Colombia, France, Canada, and Brazil.[6][7][8]

When she was 15, her mother died and she took on the responsibility of raising her younger brother.[7]She completed her high school at Lutcher Stark High School inOrange, Texas,where she performed in theatre productions, and later worked as a secretary.[9]

Career

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Theatre

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Deciding to follow her interest in theatre, she moved to New York City, where she subsequently enjoyed a 14-year stage career in regional and off-Broadway productions. She became involved with theActors Studio,where she studied withLee Strasberg.[6]Fisher moved toAbingdon, Virginia,where she began her acting career at theBarter Theatre,a year-round repertory theatre.

During the next 10 years, she concentrated on theatre in New York City and in regional theaters around the East Coast. She has also returned to theatre; she appeared inArthur Miller's last play,Finishing the Picture,produced at theGoodman Theatrein Chicago and in a 2006 production ofThe Cherry Orchardat theMark Taper Forumin Los Angeles.

In 2019, she starred in theLaguna Playhouseproduction ofThe Lion in WinterwithGregory Harrison.[10][11]

Television

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Fisher at the 2007 Jules Verne Adventure Film Special Awards Presentation

Fisher gained recognition playing Detective Deborah Saxon on theABCdaytime soap operaThe Edge of Nightfrom 1976 to 1981. She later joined the cast ofCBS'sGuiding Lightas Suzette Saxon in 1985. After leaving daytime television, Fisher guest starred as a bartender, Savannah, at "The Lobo" in the first season of ABC comedy seriesRoseanne.She also appeared onNewhart,MatlockandIn the Heat of the Night.

Fisher was originally cast to playJill Tayloron the ABC sitcomHome Improvement,but was replaced after initial filming because producers felt that her pilot episode performance did not test well with the audience. She was cast in the unaired pilot to the short-lived 1992 ABC summer seriesHuman Target(originally filmed in 1990, her role was recast by the time the series was picked up in October 1991, replaced by actressSigny Coleman).

In 1991, Fisher was cast asLucille Ballin the television filmLucy & Desi: Before the Laughter,which aired to strong ratings and good reviews. From 1994 to 1995 she starred in theFoxdrama seriesStrange Luck.In 2000, Fisher portrayedAudrey Hepburn's mother, Ella Hepburn, in thebiographical filmof the actress. In the same year she played the role ofJanet Lee BouvierinJackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis.[2]

Fisher had recurring roles in the CBS sitcomBeckeras Dr. Elizabeth 'Liz' Carson from 1999 to 2000, and on Fox'sTitusas Juanita Titus (2000–2001). In 2002 she starred in the short-livedThe WBseriesGlory Days,and in 2003 starred in another drama cancelled after a single season,The Lyon's Denon NBC.[2]In 2005, she appeared on theERepisode "Just As I Am," as Helen Kingsley, the long-lost birth mother of Dr.Kerry Weaver,played byLaura Innes,even though Fisher is only five years older. She also starred in a pilot forNBC/USA entitledTo Love and Die.In 2008, she appeared in a recurring role on theSci-Fi Channeltelevision seriesEureka,portraying the character Eva Thorne.[12]Fisher also guest-starred onGrey's Anatomy,The Shield,Two and a Half Men,Private Practice,Sons of Anarchy,Torchwood: Miracle Day,CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,Cold Case,andCastle.[13][14]

In 2014, Fisher was starring in the ABC drama seriesResurrectionabout the residents of Arcadia, Missouri, whose lives are upended when their loved ones return from the dead, unaged since their deaths. She played the role of Lucille Langston.[15]

In 2017, she and her daughterFrancesca Eastwoodboth starred in the acclaimedFargoepisode "The Law of Non-Contradiction"as the older and younger versions of the same character.[16]

In 2019, she starred in theHBOtelevision seriesWatchmen,a sequel to thegraphic novelof the same name.[17]

Film

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Fisher made her film debut inCan She Bake a Cherry Pie?(1983) and later appeared inPatty Hearstdirected byPaul Schrader.[2]In 1989 she appeared inPink CadillacoppositeClint Eastwood,and the pair began an offscreen relationship.[2]The following year she appeared inWelcome Home, Roxy Carmichael.

In 1992, Fisher had her break-out role inUnforgiven,anAcademy Award-winning film directed by Clint Eastwood, who also starred.[2]In later years she began acting regularly in major and independent films. Her most famous role in film was as the society matron Ruth DeWitt Bukater, the mother of the character played byKate Winslet,in the 1997blockbusterTitanic.She appeared inTrue Crime(1999) with Eastwood as D.A.,[2]andGone in 60 Seconds(2000) as Junie, the wife of the character played byRobert Duvall.

Fisher had a role inHouse of Sand and Fog(2003), another Academy Award-nominated film. In 2004, she appeared inLaws of AttractionasJulianne Moore's mother, even though she is only eight years older. Fisher worked on four films in 2006, includingPeter Berg'sThe Kingdom,andPaul Haggis'In the Valley of Elah.The same year, she appeared in the filmJolenewithJessica Chastainas her lover. She served as an official festival judge for the2011 Noor Iranian Film Festivalin Los Angeles. In 2011, she appeared inThe Lincoln LawyerandThe Roommate.

Fisher appeared as Maggie Stryder in the 2013 filmThe HostwithSaoirse RonanandWilliam Hurt.[18]She also appeared in the filmsThe PottersandYou're Not You,both released in 2014.[19]

Fisher appeared in the filmWoman in Gold(2015), playing the mother ofRandol Schoenberg(Ryan Reynolds).[20]

Political activities

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Fisher has been described as aprogressiveDemocrat.[21][22]She has served asSAG-AFTRALos Angeles Chapter's first vice-president,[23][24]as well as a member ofScreen Actors GuildNational Board of Directors since 2004 (before its merger withAFTRA)[25]and after the merger.[26]

In the2014 United States House of Representatives elections in California,Fisher endorsed and campaigned forIndependentcandidate for district 33,Marianne Williamson,an author and founder ofProject Angel Food.[27][28]Fisher later endorsed Williamson for her2020 presidential campaign[29]and again for her2024 presidential campaign.[30]

In the2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries,Fisher endorsed and canvassed forU.S. SenatorBernie Sanders.[31][32]Later that same year, onJane Fonda's 79th birthday, Fisher, Fonda,Lily Tomlin,andCatherine Keenermarched alongside labor leaderDolores Huertain support of theStanding Rock protestagainst theDakota Access Pipeline.[33]In 2022, she was cast inOn Sacred Ground,a movie set during the protest.[34]

In August 2019, Fisher jokingly called forU.S. President Donald Trump,who is a SAG-AFTRA member and whom she had previously called "the biggest bully in the world", to vote for the union election's opposition MembershipFirst slate, in a bid to mobilize all the union members, regardless of whether they are Democrat, Republican, or Independent, to cast their ballots to have their voices heard.[21]

In 2021, afterEd Asnerand nine other SAG-AFTRA members filed a lawsuit against SAG-AFTRA over alleged wage discrimination, Fisher and her co-plaintiffs filed a "similar" lawsuit alleging that the union had deceived members into agreeing toCollective Bargaining Agreementsthat reduced healthcare benefits for retirees and their families.[35][36]The co-plaintiffs included fellow actorsDavid Andrews,Belinda Balaski,Stephen R. Hart,andAnne Lockhart.[24]In July 2022, after the lawsuit was previously dismissed without prejudice in July 2021 and amended,[35]JudgeChristina A. Snyderdismissed the lawsuitwith prejudice.[24]

Personal life

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In 1970, when Fisher was 18, she married her high school sweetheart Billy Mack Hamilton. They divorced two years later.[7]

Fisher was in a relationship withUnforgivenco-starClint Eastwoodin the early-to-mid-1990s. During that time, the couple had a daughter,Francesca(b. 1993).[7][37]

After her split from Eastwood, Fisher dated fellow actorGeorge Clooneyin 1995.[38]

Fisher has explained that finding a boyfriend was difficult while raising a child on her own. She stated in 2010 that "as a single mom, you know, it's been a different thing. No gentleman callers."[39]

In a 2011 interview, she proclaimed hercelibacy.[40]

Filmography

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Main article:Frances Fisher filmography

References

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  1. ^"Frances Fisher Movies and TV Shows".Apple TV+.RetrievedOctober 28,2023.
  2. ^abcdefg"Frances Fisher".Turner Classic Movies.RetrievedJune 19,2022.
  3. ^"Celebrity birthdays: May 11".St. Louis Post-Dispatch.May 11, 2023.RetrievedOctober 28,2023.
  4. ^Sihlangu, Junie (March 20, 2018)."Clint Eastwood's little daughter is all grown up now, and her dad can be proud of this hot lady".AmoMama.RetrievedApril 20,2023.
  5. ^Racette, Loretta (June 15, 2022)."Is Francesca Eastwood Destined For Stardom?".Vizaca.RetrievedApril 20,2023.
  6. ^abFlint Marx, Rebecca (2013)."Frances Fisher – Biography – Movies & TV – NY Times".Movies & TV Dept.The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon December 19, 2013.
  7. ^abcdSchenden, Laurie K. (September 15, 1995)."How's Life After Clint? Look at Frances Fisher's Schedule".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on September 21, 2013.
  8. ^museumofthegulfcoast.org"Notable People – Frances Fisher".Archived fromthe originalon May 14, 2006.RetrievedMay 14,2006.
  9. ^"Frances Fisher Biography".TV Guide.RetrievedMarch 26,2014.
  10. ^Laguna Beach Indy Curtains Up Column
  11. ^Playbill Regional Theatre Blog
  12. ^"Frances Fisher joining Sci Fi Channel's ˜Eureka'".Media Life Magazine. May 12, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon February 2, 2016.
  13. ^Matt Webb Mitovich (December 10, 2013)."Castle Casts Frances Fisher as a Woman from Beckett's Fashion Model Past".TVLine.Archived fromthe originalon March 4, 2016.
  14. ^"'Castle's' Frances Fisher on Arc, Striking a Chord With 'Resurrection'".The Hollywood Reporter.February 3, 2014.RetrievedMarch 26,2014.
  15. ^Andreeva, Nellie (March 2, 2013)."Zach Cregger Joins NBC's 'Assistance', Frances Fisher Boards ABC's 'The Returned'".Deadline.RetrievedMarch 26,2014.
  16. ^"5 Things You Might Have Missed In 'Fargo' Season 3: 'The Law of Non-Contradiction'".Moviepilot.May 5, 2017. Archived fromthe originalon May 17, 2017.
  17. ^Bisset, Jennifer (October 22, 2019)."HBO's Watchmen TV series: Everything you need to know".CNET.Archivedfrom the original on November 16, 2020.RetrievedNovember 2,2019.
  18. ^Brooks, Brian (February 24, 2012)."Frances Fisher Joins Cast Of 'The Host'".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedMarch 26,2014.
  19. ^Kit, Borys (November 12, 2012)."'You're Not You' Adds Loretta Devine, Ali Larter, Jason Ritter to Cast (Exclusive) ".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedMarch 26,2014.
  20. ^Yamato, Jen (July 9, 2014)."Frances Fisher Joins Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds In 'Woman in Gold'".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedJuly 10,2014.
  21. ^abRobb, David (August 7, 2019)."Frances Fisher Asks Donald Trump For His Vote In SAG-AFTRA Elections".Deadline.Archived fromthe originalon August 7, 2019.RetrievedApril 19,2023.
  22. ^"Sen. Bernie Sanders to Headline Major Gathering of Progressive Activists - June 9-11 Chicago | National Nurses United".National Nurses United.March 28, 2017.RetrievedApril 19,2023.
  23. ^Robb, David (July 22, 2019)."Membership First Unveils Full Slate Of Candidates For SAG-AFTRA Elections".Deadline.Archived fromthe originalon July 22, 2019.RetrievedApril 19,2023.
  24. ^abcRobb, David (July 30, 2022)."Judge Dismisses Frances Fisher's Lawsuit Against SAG-AFTRA" With Prejudice "".Deadline.Archived fromthe originalon July 30, 2022.RetrievedApril 19,2023.
  25. ^"Results of SAG National Board Elections Announced".www.sagaftra.org.September 24, 2004.RetrievedApril 19,2023.
  26. ^McNary, Dave (July 17, 2015)."SAG-AFTRA Election Draws Frances Fisher, Diane Ladd, Amy Aquino, Lisa Vidal".Variety.RetrievedApril 19,2023.
  27. ^Price, Dick (May 26, 2014)."Time for a Disruptive Marianne Williamson in Congress".LA Progressive.RetrievedApril 19,2023.
  28. ^Leiby, Richard (March 11, 2014)."Marianne Williamson, Hollywood self-help guru, wants to heal Washington".The Washington Post.RetrievedApril 19,2023.
  29. ^Greenspan, Rachel E. (August 1, 2019)."A Marianne Williamson Supporter Instructed a CNN Staffer How to Knock on a Door at This Week's Presidential Debate".Time.RetrievedApril 20,2023.
  30. ^Porter, Steven (August 18, 2023)."Marianne Williamson (and friends) touring N.H. this weekend".The Boston Globe.RetrievedOctober 28,2023.
  31. ^"Bernie Sanders campaign enlists celebs to register LA college students".ABC7 Los Angeles.May 10, 2016.RetrievedApril 19,2023.
  32. ^Johnson, Ted (August 11, 2015)."Bernie Sanders Rails Against 'Rigged' Economy at L.A. Rally".Variety.RetrievedApril 19,2023.
  33. ^Fernández, Alexia (December 21, 2016)."Jane Fonda Celebrates 79th Birthday Supporting Standing Rock with Lily Tomlin and Frances Fisher".People.RetrievedApril 19,2023.
  34. ^Papadatos, Markos (January 11, 2023)."Frances Fisher of 'Titanic' talks about her new movie 'On Sacred Ground'".Digital Journal.RetrievedApril 19,2023.
  35. ^abRobb, David (July 31, 2021)."Frances Fisher's Application To File Suit Against SAG-AFTRA Over Health Plan Changes Rejected By Judge, But Case Could Still Go Forward".Deadline.Archived fromthe originalon July 31, 2021.RetrievedApril 20,2023.
  36. ^"Actress Files Class Action Against SAG-AFTRA For Undisclosed Benefit Cuts".Lexology.October 20, 2021.RetrievedApril 20,2023.
  37. ^DeNinno, Nadine (November 30, 2012)."Francesca Eastwood, Daughter of Clint Eastwood and Frances Fisher, Named Miss Golden Globe 2013".International Business Times.
  38. ^"'ER' hunk ropes new love ".The Cincinnati Enquirer.August 5, 1995.
  39. ^Schulman, Marla (December 4, 2010)."Frances Fisher at the 7th Annual Artivist Film Festival Awards Red Carpet"(Interview). Red Carpet Report on Mingle Media TV. Event occurs at 3:54.Archivedfrom the original on November 7, 2021.
  40. ^Snyder, JJ (March 31, 2011)."Frances Fisher at Premiere of Cougars Inc"(Interview). Red Carpet Report on Mingle Media TV. Event occurs at 0:43.Archivedfrom the original on November 7, 2021.
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