Mary Kay Place: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{short description|American actress~~, singer, director, and screenwriter~~ (born 1947)}}

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'''Mary Kay Place''' (born September 23, 1947)<ref>{{cite web |title=Place, Mary Kay |url=https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=PL002 |website=[[Oklahoma Historical Society]] |access-date=June 2, 2022}}</ref> is an American actress~~, singer, director, and screenwriter~~. She is best known for portraying Loretta Haggers on the television series ''[[Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman]]'', a role that won her the 1977 [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Comedy Series]]. Her numerous film appearances include ''[[Private Benjamin (1980 film)|Private Benjamin]]'' (1980), ''[[The Big Chill (film)|The Big Chill]]'' (1983), ''[[Captain Ron]]'' (1992) and [[Francis Ford Coppola]]'s 1997 drama ''[[The Rainmaker (1997 film)|The Rainmaker]]''. Place also recorded three studio albums for [[Columbia Records]], one in the Haggers persona, which included the Top Ten [[country music]] hit "Baby Boy.". For her performance in ''[[Diane (2018 film)|Diane]]'' (2018), Place won the [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress]]<ref>{{cite web|author=Ryan Lattanzio |url= https://www.indiewire.com/2019/12/la-film-critics-2019-winners-1202195434/ |title=LA Film Critics Crown 'Parasite,' Bong Joon Ho, Mary Kay Place, and Antonio Banderas |publisher=IndieWire |date=2019-12-08 |access-date=2019-12-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220321072807/https://www.indiewire.com/2019/12/la-film-critics-2019-winners-1202195434/ |archive-date=March 21, 2022}}</ref> and the [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bennett|first=Anita|date=2020-01-05|title='Parasite' Wins Top Honor From National Society Of Film Critics|url=https://deadline.com/2020/01/parasite-wins-top-honor-from-national-society-of-film-critics-1202820839/|access-date=2020-11-16|website=Deadline|language=en-US}}</ref>

== Early life ==

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==Career==

Place moved to Hollywood with aspirations of becoming an actress and writer. She was hired for ''The Tim Conway Comedy Hour'' in the 1970s as a production assistant to both [[Tim Conway|Conway]] and producer [[Norman Lear]]. Conway gave ~~her~~Place her first on-camera break, while Lear saw to it that Place received her first writing credit on his subsequent ''[[All in the Family]]''. On the episode, she and actress [[Patty Weaver]] sang "If Communism Comes Knocking on Your Door, Don't Answer It."<ref name=TCM>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/153094%7C0/Mary-Kay-Place/biography.html|title=Mary Kay Place|website=TCM.com|publisher=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|access-date=30 September 2019}}</ref> She appeared in the third-season episode of ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]'' titled "Springtime", for which she also received writing credits.

===''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'' and musical career===

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Both ''Tonite! At the Capri Lounge Loretta Haggers'' and its follow up ''Aimin' To Please'' featured A-list country and pop performers from the 1970s. [[Dolly Parton]], on whom the Loretta character was loosely based, provided backing vocals as well as the song "[[All I Can Do (Dolly Parton song)|All I Can Do]]" (which Parton also wrote). [[Emmylou Harris]], [[Anne Murray]] and [[Nicolette Larson]] sang backup as well.<ref name=TCM /> ''Aimin' to Please'''s "Something to Brag About," a duet with [[Willie Nelson]], earned the pair a place on the music charts in 1977.<ref name=TCM />

While working on ''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'', Place also wrote scripts for episodes of several TV [[situation comedies]], including ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]'', ''[[Phyllis (TV series)|Phyllis]]'' and ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]'', usually in collaboration with [[Linda Bloodworth-Thomason]] (who would later create ''[[Designing Women]]''). She appeared in the ''M*A*S*H'' episode "Springtime," which she co-wrote with Bloodworth. She also made an appearance as a character named "Betty Sue" in the sitcom ''[[All in the Family]]'' in the episode "Archie Goes Too Far" ~~as Betty Sue~~.<ref name=TVGuide />

Place hosted ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' in 1977 and was one of the few hosts who also appeared as the musical guest (with [[Willie Nelson]] on the duet "Something to Brag About").

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In 1983, Place had a key role in the [[Lawrence Kasdan]] ensemble piece ''[[The Big Chill (film)|The Big Chill]]'' as Meg, a single corporate attorney who wishes to be impregnated with her first child by one of her past college friends.<ref name=TCM />

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the actress appeared in a number of television ~~movies~~films and a starring role in the 1992 [[Kurt Russell]] and [[Martin Short]] comedy ''[[Captain Ron]]''.<ref name=TVGuide /> 1994 saw her return to television in the recurring role of Camille Cherski on ''[[My So-Called Life]]''. In 1996, Place comically portrayed an [[Evangelism|evangelistic]] [[Opposition to the legalization of abortion|~~pro~~anti-~~life~~abortion]] activist in [[Alexander Payne]]'s debut feature film ''[[Citizen Ruth]]''. She had a strong dramatic role as Dot Black, mother of a terminally ill young man, in [[Francis Ford Coppola]]'s version of John Grisham's ''[[The Rainmaker (1997 film)|The Rainmaker]]'' in 1997.<ref name=TCM />

Place was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her work in the 1996 film ''[[Manny & Lo]]'' with [[Scarlett Johansson]] and [[Aleksa Palladino]]. She plays the matronly Elaine, who would love to have a child and works in a maternity shop, but never married and is past her child-bearing years.

She directed episodes of the HBO sitcom ''[[Dream On (TV series)|Dream On]]'', NBC's ''[[Friends]]'' and the series ''[[Baby Boom (American TV series)|Baby Boom]]''. She provided at least two voices for [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]'s animated show ''[[King of the Hill]]'' in an episode in which Peggy Hill competes in the Mrs. Heimlich County Pageant. She voiced both a competitor and the coordinator of the pageant.

She appeared as Mrs. Betty Dustin in the made for TV drama “For my daughter’s honor”(a.k.a “Indecent Seduction”) in 1996 in which she plays a mom in her real life native Oklahoma whose daughter Amy (played by Nicholle Tom) is being sexually harassed by the school football coach. Place also appeared in ''[[Being John Malkovich]]'' as the hard-of-hearing receptionist, Floris, and in ''[[Girl, Interrupted (film)|Girl, Interrupted]]''.<ref name=TVGuide /> While not in any scenes together, this marked the third time that Mary Kay had done a film with one of her former ''[[My So-Called Life]]'' co-stars: first with [[Claire Danes]] in ''[[The Rainmaker (1997 film)|The Rainmaker]]'', second with [[Bess Armstrong]] in ''[[Pecker (film)|Pecker]]'', then with [[Jared Leto]] in ''Interrupted''.

=== 2000–2019 ===

In 2000, the actress co-directed [[Don Henley]]'s video for "Taking You Home". She had a small role in her second Lisa Krueger ~~movie~~film, ''[[Committed (2000 film)|Committed]]''.

She played the [[United States Surgeon General]] in a 2001 episode of [[NBC]]'s ''[[The West Wing]]''. The character returned in the 2004 season.<ref name=TVGuide />

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In the original PBS mini-series [[Armistead Maupin]]'s ''[[Tales of the City]]'', Place had a self-referential moment as a Maupin character during the ''Mary Hartman'' era in which the series is set.<ref name=TVGuide /> Laura Linney's character often watched ''[[Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman]]''. [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] picked up the ''Tales'' franchise, but Place was not in the second installment. She did have a role in the third mini-series, ''Further Tales of the City'' (2001), which featured her in the role of "Prue Giroux."<ref name=TCM />

In 2002, Place had a sizable role in the [[Reese Witherspoon]] ~~movie~~film ''[[Sweet Home Alabama (film)|Sweet Home Alabama]]'' as Witherspoon's character's mother, Pearl Smooter. That same year she was in ''[[Human Nature (2001 film)|Human Nature]]'' starring [[Tim Robbins]] and [[Patricia Arquette]] and ''A Woman's a Helluva Thing'' with [[Penelope Ann Miller]] as well as with [[Albert Brooks]] in the dark comedy ''[[My First Mister]]''. The story focuses on a developing relationship between an isolated, rebellious 18-year-old ([[Leelee Sobieski]]) and an engaging older man (Brooks). Place played Brooks' best friend. The film marked the directorial debut of actress [[Christine Lahti]].

Place played a Mormon mother in the film ''[[Latter Days]]'' (2003). From 2006 to 2011, she had a recurring role in HBO's ''[[Big Love]]'', playing Adaleen Grant, the mother of the [[Chloë Sevigny]] character, Nicki.<ref name=TCM /><ref name=TVGuide /> She also had a recurring role on the HBO comedy ''[[Bored to Death]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2010/11/bored-to-death-passive-characters-finally-fight-back/66503/|title='Bored to Death': Passive Characters Finally Fight Back|website=[[The Atlantic]]|first=Scott|last=Meslow|date=November 15, 2010|access-date=July 2, 2020}}</ref> [[Lily Tomlin]] and Place did the pilot and 5 episodes of ''[[12 Miles of Bad Road]]'' from [[Harry Thomason]] and [[Linda Bloodworth-Thomason]], who wrote television scripts with Place in the 1970s. [[HBO]] chose not to air the series, and producers were seeking other networks to air it.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2008/scene/news/hbo-passes-on-tomlin-s-bad-road-1117982579/|title=HBO passes on Tomlin's 'Bad Road'|website=Variety|first1=Michael|last1=Schenider|first2=Cynthia|last2=Littleton|date=March 17, 2008|access-date=July 2, 2020}}</ref>

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=== 2020–present ===

In 2020, Place guest starred on the comedy-drama series ''[[AJ and the Queen]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sdlgbtn.com/entertainment/2020/01/14/aj-and-queen-gets-better-it-rolls-along|title="AJ and the Queen" gets better as it rolls along|website=San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender News|first=Timothy|last=Rawles|date=January 14, 2020|access-date=July 2, 2020}}</ref> and on Fox's ''[[9-1-1: Lone Star]]'' as Theresa Blake, the mother to [[Liv Tyler]]'s character.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://telltaletv.com/2020/02/preview-9-1-1-lone-star-season-1-episode-4-act-of-god/|title=Preview — 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 1 Episode 4: Act of God|website=Tell Tale TV|first=Mary|last=Misasi|date=February 1, 2020|access-date=July 2, 2020}}</ref> In 2021, Place played Millie in the musical drama ''[[Music (2021 film)|Music]],'' co-written and directed by [[Sia]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hammond|first=Pete|date=2021-02-10|title='Music' Review: Kate Hudson In Misguided Autism Musical Is Definitely Not For Your Must-Sia List|url=https://deadline.com/video/music-review-sai-kate-hudson-maddie-ziegler-imax/~~|url-status=live~~|access-date=2021-02-12|website=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://theknockturnal.com/mary-kay-place-talks-diane-at-2019-ifp-gotham-awards/|title=Mary Kay Place Talks 'Diane' At 2019 IFP Gotham Awards|website=TheKnockturnal.com|date=December 6, 2019|access-date=July 2, 2020}}</ref> She also starred in the musical ''[[The Prom (film)|The Prom]]'' based on the [[The Prom (musical)|Broadway musical of the same title]] directed by [[Ryan Murphy (~~writer~~producer)|Ryan Murphy]], for [[Netflix]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ilovemywifepodcast.com/journal/2020/6/24/actor-kevin-chamberlin-chats-about-broadway-playing-bertram-on-jesse-on-the-disney-channel-and-filming-the-upcoming-netflix-ryan-murphy-film-the-prom|title=ACTOR KEVIN CHAMBERLIN CHATS ABOUT BROADWAY, PLAYING BERTRAM ON JESSE ON THE DISNEY CHANNEL AND FILMING THE UPCOMING NETFLIX RYAN MURPHY FILM THE PROM|website=I Love My Wife Podcast|date=June 25, 2020|access-date=July 2, 2020}}</ref>

== Filmography ==

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| ''[[Terms of Endearment]]''

| Doris ~~(voice)~~

|Voice

|rowspan=2|1985

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|rowspan=3|2009

| ''[[Julie & Julia]]''

| Mrs. Foster ~~(voice)~~

|Voice

| ''[[Youth in Revolt (film)|Youth in Revolt]]''

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|rowspan=2|2010

| ''[[Shrek Forever After]]''

| Guard Witch ~~(voice)~~

|Voice

| ''[[Leonie (film)|Leonie]]''

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| ''[[The Intern (2015 film)|The Intern]]''

| Mrs. Ostin ~~(voice)~~

|Voice

|rowspan=2|2016

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| 2017

| ''[[Downsizing (film)|Downsizing]]''

| Land's End Customer ~~(voice)~~

|Voice

|rowspan=2|2018

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| ''[[Diane (2018 film)|Diane]]''

| Diane

| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress]] <br>[[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress]] <br>Nominated–[[Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress]] <br>Nominated–[[Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Actress]] <br>Nominated–[[Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead]]

| 2020

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| 2022

| ''[[My Father's Dragon (2022 film)|My Father's Dragon]]''

| Narrator

~~| (voice)~~

| Voice

~~| Post-production~~

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| ''[[All in the Family]]''

| Betty Sue

| Episode: "Archie Goes Too Far"

| 1974

| ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]''

| Lt. Louise Simmons

| Episode: "Springtime"

| 1975

| ''{{sortname|The|Mary Tyler Moore Show}}''

| Sally Jo Hotchkiss

| Episode: "Murray in Love"

| 1976

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| ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''

| Herself (host)

| Episode: "Mary Kay Place/[[Willie Nelson]]"

| 1977–1978

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| ''[[ABC Afterschool Special]]''

| Ellie Skinner

| Episode: "Mom's on Strike"

| ''For Love or Money''

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| ''[[The Disney Sunday Movie]]''

| Prissy Thrash

| Episode: "The Girl Who Spelled Freedom"

| ''{{sortname|The|History of White People in America: Volume II|nolink=1}}''

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| ''[[Thirtysomething]]''

| Patsy Klein

| Episode: "Happy New Year"

| ''Traitor in My House''

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| ''[[Chicago Hope]]''

| Joanna Kenneally

| Episode: "Freeze Outs"

|rowspan=2|1996

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| 1998–2009

| ''[[King of the Hill]]''

| Various ~~(voice)~~

| Voice, 3 episodes

| 2000

| ''{{sortname|The|Wild Thornberrys}}''

| Nancy Tucker ~~(voice)~~

| Voice, episode: "Birthday Quake"

|rowspan=4|2001

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| ''[[Citizen Baines]]''

| Francesca Dunlop

| Episode: "The Appraisal"

| ''[[Leap Years]]''

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| ''{{sortname|The|West Wing}}''

| Surgeon General Millicent Griffith

| 3 episodes

~~| "Ellie", "In the Room", "Impact Winter"~~

|rowspan=2|2002

| ''[[Undeclared]]''

| Mrs. Lindquist

| Episode: "Parents' Weekend"

| ''[[Law & Order: Special Victims Unit]]''

| Hope Garrett

| Episode: "Vulnerable"

| 2004

| ''{{sortname|The|Handler|The Handler (TV series)}}''

| Naomi Prince

| Episode: "Acts of Congress"

| 2005

| ''[[Jack & Bobby]]''

| Rev. Rindhart

| Episode: "A Child of God"

| 2006

| ''[[Numbers (TV series)|Numb3rs]]''

| Hester Stirling

| Episode: "Protest"

| 2006–2018

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| ''{{sortname|The|Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman}}''

| Jeanette Woodman

| 2 episodes

~~| "We're Number Two!", "The Carolina Moonshiners"~~

| ''[[Saving Grace (TV series)|Saving Grace]]''

| Dorothy Edwina Talbert

| Episode: "It's Better When I Can See You"

|rowspan=2|2008

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| ''[[Pushing Daisies]]''

| Annabelle Vandersloop

| Episode: "The Legend of Merle McQuoddy"

| 2010

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| 2012

| ''{{sortname|The|Life & Times of Tim}}''

| Dorothy ~~(voice)~~

| Voice, episode: "Action Packed Heist/Fall Foliage"

|rowspan=5|2013

| ''[[Suburgatory]]''

| Gam Gam

| Episode: "Blowtox and Burlap"

| ''[[Californication (TV series)|Californication]]''

| Faith's Mother

| Episode: "Blind Faith"

| ''{{sortname|The|New Normal|The New Normal (TV series)}}''

| Colleen

| 2 episodes

~~| "The Big Day", "Finding Name-O"~~

| ''{{sortname|A|Country Christmas Story|nolink=1}}''

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| ''[[Rake (American TV series)|Rake]]''

| Judge Cunningham

| Episode: "Jury Tamperer"

| 2014–2015

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| ''[[The Mentalist]]''

| Mrs. Bittacker

| Episode: "The Whites of His Eyes"

| ''[[Looking (TV series)|Looking]]''

| Sarah

| Episode: "Looking for a Plot"

| ''Ellen More or Less''

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| ''[[Grace and Frankie]]''

| Amanda

| 3 episodes

~~| "The End", "The Credit Cards", "The Chicken"~~

| 2016

| ''[[Family Guy]]''

| Farting Lady ~~(voice)~~

| Voice, episode: "The Heartbreak Dog"

| 2016–2017

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| ''[[Black-ish]]''

| Doctor Harris

| Episode: "Good Dre Hunting"

| 2017–2018

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| ''[[The Romanoffs]]''

| Marilyn Hopkins

| Episode: "Expectation"

| 2019–2020

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| ''[[AJ and the Queen]]''

| Hospital Administrator

| Episode: "Baton Rouge"

| ''[[9-1-1: Lone Star]]''

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| 1973–1974

| ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]''

| Writer, 3 episodes

~~| Writer, "Hot Lips and Empty Arms", "Springtime", "Mad Dogs and Servicemen"~~

|rowspan=2|1974

| ''[[Paper Moon (~~film~~American TV series)#Other media|Paper Moon]]''

| Writer, episode: "Gimme That Old Time Relation"

| ''[[Friends and Lovers (TV series)|Friends and Lovers]]''

| Writer, episode: "The Groupie"

|rowspan=2|1975

| ''{{sortname|The|Mary Tyler Moore Show}}''

| Writer, episode: "Mary's Delinquent"

| ''[[Phyllis (TV series)|Phyllis]]''

| Writer, episode: "So Lonely I Could Cry"

| 1988

| ''[[Baby Boom (American TV series)|Baby Boom]]''

| Director, episode: "Stress"

| 1994

| ''[[Dream On (TV series)|Dream On]]''

| Director, 2 episodes

~~| Director, "Where There's Smoke, You're Fired", "Those Who Can't, Edit"~~

| 1995

| ''[[Friends]]''

| Director, episode: "The One with the List"

|rowspan=2|1996

| ''[[Dream On (TV series)|Dream On]]''

| Director, episode: "Tenants, Anyone?"

| ''[[Arliss (TV series)|Arliss]]''

| Director, episode: "The Company You Keep"

| 2007

| ''{{sortname|The|Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman}}''

| Director, 2 episodes

~~| Director, "Straight up Your Heart", "Good Times and Great Oldies"~~

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Note: Both of Place's albums just missed charting on the general pop [[Billboard Hot 200]] chart, her 1976 bubbled under in the ten ~~runnerup~~runner-up slots at #202 and the 1977 at #203.

===Singles===

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[[Category:Screenwriters from Oklahoma]]

[[Category:Country musicians from Oklahoma]]

[[Category:Nathan Hale High School alumni]]