Kathy Bates is an incredibly versatile actress whose iconic roles in horror anthology American Horror Story are just one of many ways Bates has participated in the horror movie scene.
Kathy Bates’ filmography spans well over 100 roles. Bates studied theater at the Southern Methodist University before moving to New York to pursue a career in acting. She was active in the television, movie, and stage sphere through the 1970s and 80s, but didn’t get her big break until 1990. Bates is known to horror fans for iconic roles in Stephen King movie and television adaptations, but was familiar with the genre long before her big break. Even so, Bates is undoubtedly a profound talent, and her interest in taking on horror roles is not only good for the genre, but has made her a favorite performer for many fans.
Bates first ed the cast of American Horror Story in its third season: American Horror Story: Coven. In it, she plays the deplorably racist Madame Delphine LaLaurie to such great success she was nominated for and won an Emmy. After that, she became a series regular, appearing in Freak Show, Hotel, Roanoke, and Apocalypse.
Misery Was Not Kathy Bates’ First Brush With Horror
Kathy Bates was in many movies and television shows before she got her big break. Her first foray into horror came in the form of a 1987 horror comedy movie titled My Best Friend Is A Vampire. It follows the “life” of teenaged delivery boy Jeremy Capello (Robert Sean Leonard) after he gets turned into a vampire. Bates plays the minor role of Helen Blake, mother to love interest Darla (Cheryl Pollack). She brings a lightness to the bumbling parent archetype, corny without being cloying. Interestingly, this movie is not only significant to Bates. It is also the first movie Robert Sean Leonard, of House, M.D. fame, ever got a leading role in.
Misery Was Kathy Bates’ Breakout Movie
The 1990 Stephen King adaptation the best big screen adaptations of King’s work, in large part due to Bates’ careful and measured acting.
What Kathy Bates Has Acted In Since Misery
After the success of Misery, Kathy Bates did not limit the roles she accepted to horror. However, she has appeared in a handful of horror movies and television shows. Her acting range and broad background bring a delicacy to every role she approaches. Her comfort in front of a camera is evident. Most of the horror Bates participated in falls into the thriller genre in one way or another; she is able to bring humanity even to wild premises. She appeared in another King adaptation in 1995, playing the eponymous role in Dolores Clairborne. Her acting as domestic-worker-turned-accused-murderer got her an Oscar nomination. A year later, she played PI Shirley Vogel in 1996’s psychological thriller Diabolique, although that film was met with all-around negative reviews and bombed at the box offices.
She made an appearance as an unnamed student in 2000s exorcism tv-movie Possessed. The film lists her credit as Katherine Bates. In 2008, Bates played the United States Secretary of Defense, Regina Jackson, in sci-fi thriller The Day The Earth Stood Still. She only had two weeks to film that role. There was a five-year gap in which Bates focused on different genres before she finally returned to horror in American Horror Story. With director Ryan Murphy confirming that she is signed on to appear in the 10th season of the horror anthology, it looks like Kathy Bates’ relationship with horror will continue to develop into the future.
