Frances McDormand
Acting • Born 1957-06-23
Biography
Frances Louise McDormand (born Cynthia Ann Smith; June 23, 1957) is an American film, stage and television actress. McDormand began her career on stage and made her screen debut in the 1984 film Blood Simple, having since appeared in several theatrical and television roles. McDormand has been recognized for her performances in 'Mississippi Burning' (1988), 'Short Cuts' (1993), 'Fargo' (1996), 'Wonder Boys' (2000), 'Almost Famous' (2000), 'North Country' (2005), 'Moonrise Kingdom' (2012), 'Hail, Caesar!' (2016), 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' (2017), 'Nomadland' (2020) and 'The Tragedy of Macbeth' (2021). Throughout her career, she has been nominated for eight Golden Globes, five Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards, and three Emmy Awards. She is one of the few performers to achieve the "Triple Crown of Acting", winning an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. She won her first Academy Award for Best Actress in 1997 for her role as Marge Gunderson in 'Fargo'. She also won Best Supporting Actress from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the Florida Film Critics Circle, and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association for her performance in 'Wonder Boys' (2000). McDormand returned to the stage in the David Lindsay-Abaire play Good People on Broadway from February 8, 2011 to April 24, 2011. In 2017, McDormand starred in 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' which earned her a second Academy Award for Best Actress. McDormand has been married to filmmaker Joel Coen since 1984, they reside in New York City along with their adopted son Pedro.
Filmography
81 credits
Fargo
Movie • 1996
Marge Gunderson
Raising Arizona
Movie • 1987
Dot
Primal Fear
Movie • 1996
Molly
Short Cuts
Movie • 1993
Betty Weathers
Mississippi Burning
Movie • 1988
Mrs. Pell
Almost Famous
Movie • 2000
Elaine Miller
Beyond Rangoon
Movie • 1995
Andy Bowman
The Man Who Wasn't There
Movie • 2001
Doris Crane
The Butcher's Wife
Movie • 1991
Grace
Wonder Boys
Movie • 2000
Sara Gaskell
Burn After Reading
Movie • 2008
Linda Litzke
Blood Simple
Movie • 1985
Abby
Crimewave
Movie • 1985
Nun
Something's Gotta Give
Movie • 2003
Zoe
Æon Flux
Movie • 2005
Handler
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Movie • 2008
Guinevere Pettigrew
Darkman
Movie • 1990
Julie Hastings
Lone Star
Movie • 1996
Bunny
North Country
Movie • 2005
Glory
City by the Sea
Movie • 2002
Michelle
Laurel Canyon
Movie • 2003
Jane
The Botany of Desire
Movie • 2009
Narrator (voice)
Madeline
Movie • 1998
Miss Clavel
Palookaville
Movie • 1995
June
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Movie • 2011
Mearing
Hidden Agenda
Movie • 1990
Ingrid Jessner
Vengeance: The Story of Tony Cimo
Movie • 1986
Brigette
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
Movie • 2012
Captain Chantel DuBois (voice)
Crafting the Tragedy of Macbeth
Movie • 2022
Self
This Must Be the Place
Movie • 2011
Jane
Talk of Angels
Movie • 1998
Conlon
Paradise Road
Movie • 1997
Dr. Verstak
Chattahoochee
Movie • 1990
Mae Foley
Crazy in Love
Movie • 1992
Clare
Upheaval
Movie • 2002
Anne
Minnesota Nice
Movie • 2003
Self
Promised Land
Movie • 2012
Sue Thomason
Moonrise Kingdom
Movie • 2012
Mrs. Bishop
Hidden in America
Movie • 1996
Gus
The Good Old Boys
Movie • 1995
Eve Calloway
Friends with Money
Movie • 2006
Jane
Hail, Caesar!
Movie • 2016
C. C. Calhoun
Johnny Skidmarks
Movie • 1998
Alice
She's The Best Thing in It
Movie • 2015
Self
Passed Away
Movie • 1992
Nora Scanlan
Exploring the Set of 'Moonrise Kingdom'
Movie • 2015
Self / Mrs. Bishop
The Good Dinosaur
Movie • 2015
Momma (voice)
Scandal Sheet
Movie • 1985
The Making of 'Hidden Agenda'
Movie • 1990
Self
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Movie • 2017
Mildred
Edwurd Fudwupper Fibbed Big
Movie • 2000
The Adult Fannie (voice)
Bleeding Hearts
Movie • 1995
Woman on T.V.
Talking With
Movie • 1995
Caro (segment "Handler")
Isle of Dogs
Movie • 2018
Interpreter Nelson (voice)
Sesame Street: Kid's Guide to Life: Big Bird Gets Lost
Movie • 2003
Herself
Barton Fink
Movie • 1991
Stage Actress (voice) (uncredited)
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun
Movie • 2021
Lucinda Krementz
Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country
Movie • 1993
Self
Nomadland
Movie • 2021
Fern
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Movie • 2021
Lady Macbeth
The Origins of Ebbing
Movie • 2018
Self
The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin
Movie • 2017
Self (voice)
The Oedipus Project
Movie • 2020
Jocosta
Women Talking
Movie • 2022
Scarface Janz
Searching for Debra Winger
Movie • 2002
Self
Miller's Crossing
Movie • 1990
Mayor's Secretary (uncredited)
Wolfs
Movie • 2024
Pam (voice)
Jack of Spades
Movie
Making "The Man Who Wasn't There"
Movie • 2002
Self
Finding the Burn
Movie • 2008
Self / Linda Litzke (archive footage)
DC Insiders Run Amuck
Movie • 2008
Self
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Melanie Upfoot (voice)
The Twilight Zone
TV • 1985
(segment "Need to Know")
Hill Street Blues
TV • 1981
Hunter
TV • 1984
Nina Sloan
Leg Work
TV • 1987
Willie Pipal
The Oscars
TV • 1953
Self
Olive Kitteridge
TV • 2014
Olive Kitteridge
Good Omens
TV • 2019
God (voice)
Great Performances
TV • 1971
Self
State of Grace
TV • 2001
Adult Hannah (voice)