Kathleen Denise Quinlan (born November 19, 1954) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her Golden Globe-nominated performance in the 1977 film of the novel I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, and her Golden Globe and Academy Award-nominated role in the 1995 film Apollo 13, along with many roles in other feature films, television movies and series, in a career spanning almost five decades.[1][2][3]

Kathleen Quinlan
Quinlan in 1975
Born
Kathleen Denise Quinlan

(1954-11-19) November 19, 1954 (age 69)
OccupationActress
Years active1972–present
Spouses
Warren Long
(m. 1987, divorced)
(m. 1994; div. 2022)
Children1

Early life and education

edit

She was born in Pasadena, California, the daughter of Josephine (née Zachry), a military supply supervisor, and Robert Quinlan, a television sports director,[4][5][6][7] and raised in Mill Valley, California,[8][9] where she attended Tamalpais High School and studied drama. In her senior year, George Lucas shot American Graffiti at her high school gym and Fred Roos asked her to read for a small part. She played opposite Cindy Williams at the Sock Hop. She was primarily a gymnast and 1, 3, and 5 meter diver in her school years, which led to her being cast as a stunt double for Trish Van Devere's triumphant dive at the end of the movie One is a Lonely Number. She continued both her athletics and drama education at College of Marin until it became necessary to find a way to make a living. She was invited to move to Los Angeles at 19 years old (because of American Graffiti) to try working as an actress.

Career

edit

Quinlan had an uncredited role in 1972's One Is a Lonely Number[7][10] but her official credited film debut was in George Lucas's 1973 movie American Graffiti, at the age of nineteen.[9]

As a young actress in the 1970s, she also had guest-starring roles in many popular television series of the day, including Police Woman, Kojak, Ironside, Emergency!, and The Waltons.[11][12]

Her most celebrated roles include playing Deborah, a sixteen-year-old schizophrenic, in the film version of the novel I Never Promised You a Rose Garden,[8][9] for which she earned a Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama Golden Globe nomination, and portraying Marilyn Lovell, the wife of Tom Hanks's astronaut character Jim Lovell, in the 1995 movie Apollo 13, earning her both a Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Golden Globe nomination and a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination.[9]

Quinlan also appeared in feature films like Lifeguard (1976), Airport '77 (1977), The Promise (1979), The Runner Stumbles (1979), Sunday Lovers (1980), Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), Sunset (1988), Clara's Heart (1988), and Trial by Jury (1994). She featured in numerous TV movies as well, including Little Ladies of the Night (1977), She's in the Army Now (1981), Blackout (1985), Trapped (1989), Strays (1991), Last Light (1993), the adaptation of the novel In the Lake of the Woods (1996), Blessings (2003), and more. She played Jim Morrison's Celtic pagan consort Patricia Kennealy-Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors. In 1997, she appeared in Event Horizon (1997) and won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award as Favorite Supporting Actress-Suspense for Breakdown (1997), playing Kurt Russell's character's kidnapped wife.[citation needed]

She had a main role for three seasons on the series Family Law, along with recurring roles as the mother of the two brothers on Prison Break, and in Chicago Fire and Blue. She was in two episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, plus episodes of many other shows, such as Diagnosis: Murder, Glee, The Event, and House. She appeared in the 2006 remake of the horror classic The Hills Have Eyes, the 2007 film Breach, the 2008 film Made of Honor, and played a senator in "Alliances," a 2011 episode of the science-fiction series Stargate Universe.[11]

As of 2022, Quinlan's recent work includes a 2019 episode of How to Get Away with Murder, a lead role in the film Walking with Herb, filmed in 2018 and released in 2021,[13] and a part in the horror flick The Stairs.

Personal life

edit

She was married to artist Warren Long in 1987.[14] She met actor Bruce Abbott on the TV movie Trapped (1989) and they married on April 12, 1994. They divorced December 24, 2022. They remain good friends, and have one son, Tyler, who was born in 1990.[4]

Filmography

edit

Film

edit
Year Title Role Notes
1973 American Graffiti Peg
1976 Lifeguard Wendy
1977 Airport '77 Julie
1977 I Never Promised You a Rose Garden Deborah Blake
1979 The Promise Nancy McAllister / Marie Adamson
1979 The Runner Stumbles Sister Rita
1980 Sunday Lovers Laurie Segment: "Skippy"
1982 Hanky Panky Janet Dunn
1983 Independence Day Mary Ann Taylor
1983 Twilight Zone: The Movie Helen Foley Segment: "It's a Good Life"
1984 Last Winter Joyce
1985 Warning Sign Joanie Morse
1987 Wild Thing Jane
1987 Man Outside Grace Freemont
1988 Sunset Nancy Shoemaker
1988 Clara's Heart Leona Hart
1991 The Doors Patricia Kennealy
1994 Trial by Jury Wanda
1995 Apollo 13 Marilyn Lovell
1995 Perfect Alibi Melanie Bauers
1997 Zeus and Roxanne Mary Beth Dunhill
1997 Breakdown Amy Taylor
1997 Event Horizon Peters
1997 Lawn Dogs Clare Stockard
1998 My Giant Serena Kamin
1998 A Civil Action Anne Anderson
2003 The Battle of Shaker Heights Eve Ernswiler
2004 El Padrino Judge Scorsi
2006 The Hills Have Eyes Ethel Carter
2007 American Fork Agnes Orbison
2007 Breach Bonnie Hanssen
2008 The Dissection of Thanksgiving Carol
2008 Made of Honor Joan
2009 Adult Film: A Hollywood Tale Mary Bernstein
2010 Elektra Luxx Rebecca Linbrook
2010 The River Why Ma
2010 Eagles in the Chicken Coop Mary Bernstein
2010 Harm's Way Bea
2012 Life's an Itch Audrey
2013 Horns Lydia Perrish
2014 After Nora Valentino
2017 Elizabeth Blue Carol
2017 ADDicted Kate Dawson
2018 Chimera Strain Masterson
2018 Parallel Marissa
2019 The Devil Has a Name Nancy
2021 The Stairs Grandma Bernice Martin
2021 Walking with Herb Sheila Amable-Amo
2024 Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 Annie Pine
TBA Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 3 Filming

Television

edit
Year Title Role Notes
1973 Emergency! Janet "Understanding"
1974 Harry O Sharon "Guardian at the Gates"
1974 Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law Jill "House of Friends"
1974 Can Ellen Be Saved Melissa TV film
1974 Police Woman Debbie Sweet "The Beautiful Die Young"
1974 Kojak Janet Conforti "Hush Now, Don't You Die"
1974 Where Have All the People Gone? Deborah Anders TV film
1974 Lucas Tanner Joyce Howell "Lucas Tanner", "Three Letter Word"
1974 Ironside Peggy Lynch "Run Scared"
1974–1976 The Waltons Selina Linville "The Thoroughbred", "The Collision"
1975 The Missing Are Deadly Michelle TV film
1975 The Abduction of Saint Anne Anne Benedict TV film
1975 The Turning Point of Jim Malloy Edith Evans TV film
1975 Switch Robin Morgan "The Deadly Missiles Caper"
1977 Little Ladies of the Night Karen Brodwick TV film
1981 She's in the Army Now Pvt. Cass Donner TV film
1984 When She Says No Rose Michaels TV film
1985 Blackout Chris Graham TV film
1985 Children of the Night Lois Lee TV film
1986 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Ann Foley "The Canary Sedan"
1987 Dreams Lost, Dreams Found Sarah McAllister TV film
1988 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Karen Wilson "Fogbound"
1989 Trapped Mary Ann Marshall TV film
1990 The Operation Ginnie TV film
1991 Strays Lindsey Jarrett TV film
1992 An American Story Hope Tyler TV film
1993 Stolen Babies Bekka TV film
1993 Tribeca Karen "Heros Exoletus"
1993 Last Light Kathy Rubicek TV film
1993 The Hidden Room Julia "Refuge"
1995 Picture Windows Hooker "Lightning"
1996 In the Lake of the Woods Kathy Waylan TV film
1999 Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke Nanaline Duke TV film
1999 Diagnosis: Murder Dr. Kate Delieb "Today Is the Last Day of the Rest of My Life"
1999–2002 Family Law Lynn Holt Main role
2003 Blessings Meredith Blessing TV film
2004 Perfect Romance Tess Kelly TV film
2004 The Riverman Sande Keppel TV film
2004 The Dead Will Tell Beth Hytner TV film
2006 House Arlene McNeil "Meaning"
2007 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Barbara Tallman "Monster in the Box"
2008–2009 Prison Break Christina Rose Scofield Recurring role (season 4)
2009 Empire State Colleen Cochrane TV film
2010 The Event Erika Jarvis "Your World to Take", "Everything Will Change"
2011 Stargate Universe Sen. Michaels "Alliances"
2011 Cinema Verite Mary TV film
2011 Glee Dr. Shane "Born This Way"
2012–2013 Chicago Fire Nancy Casey Recurring role
2012–2014 Blue Jessica Recurring role
2015 How Not to Propose Susan TV film
2018–2019 Marvel's Runaways Susan Ellerh 3 episodes
2018 Saving My Baby Virginia TV film
2019 How to Get Away with Murder Britt "Say Goodbye"
2023 Mayans M.C. Mrs. Buksar 3 episodes

Awards and nominations

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "The 68th Academy Awards | 1996". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  2. ^ "ACADEMY COLLECTIONS | details". collections.new.oscars.org. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  3. ^ a b c "Kathleen Quinlan". www.goldenglobes.com. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  4. ^ a b "Kathleen Quinlan Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  5. ^ "Family tree of Kathleen Denise Quinlan". Geneanet. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  6. ^ "Family tree of Robert Quinlan". Geneanet. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  7. ^ a b Brantley, Robin (22 July 1977). "New Face: Kathleen Quinlan (Published 1977)". The New York Times. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  8. ^ a b Reed, Rex (February 13, 1978). "I Deserve the Nomination -- Kathleen Quinlan". The Shreveport Journal. Louisiana, Shreveport. p. 9. Retrieved August 8, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b c d "Kathleen Quinlan is waiting for the right role". EW.com. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  10. ^ "Kathleen Quinlan". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  11. ^ a b "Kathleen Quinlan". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  12. ^ "Kathleen Quinlan". BFI. Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  13. ^ Lang, Brent (2020-12-28). "George Lopez Joins Dito Montiel's 'Afterward' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  14. ^ Goodman, Jeff (2016-01-15). "Beach memorial to honor late artist Warren Long". Santa Monica Daily Press. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  15. ^ "The 2nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards | Screen Actors Guild Awards". www.sagawards.org. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
edit