Kathy Bates Reveals Retirement From Acting With Final Role
Kathy Bates, best known for her role in the Stephen King screen adaptation of Misery, has announced that her upcoming role in the modern reboot of Matlock will be her last. Her career has included an impressive repertoire of credits, but the actress has decided to retire once Matlock is finished, calling acting “exhausting,” and discussing her longing for a life outside of the business. While Bates might feel out of place in the Hollywood milieu, her fans will surely miss her, as she has pleased audiences and won awards for decades.
One Last Dance
In her role as Madeline Matlock in the new courtroom drama reboot of the 1986 to 1995 original series, Matlock, Kathy Bates will play a savvy lawyer who relies on an affable disposition and experience to reveal corruption and vanquish her opponents in court. Bates’ character, “Matty,” has re-entered the workforce after a career gap as an older, wiser attorney as she joins a prestigious law firm in her celebrated return to work. In an interview with the New York Times, she stated that this run will be her “last dance,” as it will be her final acting gig.
A New Take On An Old Character
Based on the character from the original TV series, Matlock, her character will depart from the 1986 character to tackle issues of aging and women in the workplace, as well as dishing out some classic courtroom drama.
From Stage To Screen
Beginning in New York, where she moved in 1970 to pursue acting, Kathy Bates became an accomplished stage actress, joining the Wayside Theater’s traveling company and going on to star in the Pulitzer-Prize-winning play ‘night, Mother, which she was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance. She also won an Obie for her starring role in Terrence McNally’s off-Broadway show, Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune. She turned toward screen acting in the late 1980s, landing a role in The Morning After in 1986.
Prominent Roles Throughout Bates’ Storied Career
Recognized as an exceptional performer, Kathy Bates has won awards for her performances in horror pieces like her Academy Award for Best Actress in Misery and her Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie in American Horror Story: Coven, but she has also been recognized for her work on drama projects.
In 1996, she won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Late Shift, and she won a Screen Actor’s Guild Award for Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in 1998 for her performance in Primary Colors. Kathy Bates has made a massive contribution to the field of entertainment and always stood out as a major talent for over 50 years.
Kathy Bates’ Body Of Work Speaks For Itself
While fans might be sad to see Kathy Bates retire from the screen following Matlock, this hard-working actress definitely deserves a retirement after more than half a century of entertaining us. At 76 years old, she has graced us with her work from Broadway to The Office. From her depiction of Eveline, a frustrated housewife who wants more out of life in Fried Green Tomatoes to her memorable version of the Unsinkable Molly Brown in Titanic she always adds her unique flavor to every character she plays.
Famous for her deadpan delivery and no-nonsense approach to life as well as acting, Kathy Bates’ retirement announcement will hopefully give her the rest and relaxation she deserves.
Source: The New York Times
