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IMDbPro

Catherine Keener

  • Actress
  • Producer
  • Casting Department
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000322
Catherine Keener
Watch Catherine Keener
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Catherine Keener
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99+ Photos
Catherine Keener is an American actress, Oscar-nominated for her roles in the independent films Being John Malkovich (1999) and Capote (2005). Acclaimed in her community for her quirky roles in independent film and mainstream such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Keener got her start as a casting director in New York City.

Catherine Ann Keener was born in Miami, Florida, and was raised in Hialeah, FL. She is the daughter of Evelyn (Jamiel) and James Keener, who owned an auto shop. She is of Lebanese (mother) and English, Scottish, and German (father) descent. Keener attended Wheaton College in Massachusetts. She began taking acting classes when she was unable to sign up for a photography class. After graduating, Keener managed a McDonalds in New York City before becoming an assistant casting director and soon relocating to Los Angeles.

Not long after, Keener told her superior of her aspirations for acting and she landed a one-worded role as a waitress in About Last Night (1986). Two years later, she landed a role in a film called Survival Quest (1988), where she met her future husband, Dermot Mulroney. After struggling for years in the industry, Keener landed a role in an independent film, opposite the unknown Brad Pitt, in Johnny Suede (1991). Her ascent in independent film began as she starred in Living in Oblivion (1995) and Walking and Talking (1996) before her mainstream break with Being John Malkovich (1999) in 1999, which earned Keener her first Oscar nomination. Since then, Catherine Keener has starred in several critically acclaimed films.
BornMarch 26, 1959
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornMarch 26, 1959
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000322
  • Unlock contact info on IMDbPro
  • Nominated for 2 Oscars
    • 17 wins & 59 nominations total

Photos294

Catherine Keener in Seinfeld (1989)
Catherine Keener in Being John Malkovich (1999)
John Cusack and Catherine Keener in Being John Malkovich (1999)
Catherine Keener in Being John Malkovich (1999)
John Malkovich and Catherine Keener in Being John Malkovich (1999)
Catherine Keener in Being John Malkovich (1999)
Catherine Keener in Being John Malkovich (1999)
Catherine Keener in Being John Malkovich (1999)
Catherine Keener and Dev Patel in Modern Love (2019)
Catherine Keener and Dev Patel in Modern Love (2019)
Catherine Keener and Frank Langella in Kidding (2018)
Catherine Keener and Maya Rudolph in Forever (2018)

Known for

Being John Malkovich (1999)
Being John Malkovich
7.7
  • Maxine Lund
  • 1999
Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote (2005)
Capote
7.3
  • Nelle Harper Lee
  • 2005
Steve Carell in The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
7.1
  • Trish
  • 2005
Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out (2017)
Get Out
7.7
  • Missy Armitage
  • 2017

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress

  • Joker: Folie à Deux
    • In Production
    • 2024
  • Jennifer Garner, Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana, and Walker Scobell in The Adam Project (2022)
    The Adam Project
    • Maya Sorian
    • 2022
  • Rosa Salazar in Brand New Cherry Flavor (2021)
    Brand New Cherry Flavor
    • Boro
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2021
  • The Final Chapters of Richard Brown Winters (2021)
    The Final Chapters of Richard Brown Winters
    • Bunny
    • Podcast Series
    • 2021
  • Catherine Keener, Jackie Earle Haley, Rosa Salazar, Jefferson White, and Charlie Heaton in No Future (2021)
    No Future
    • Claire
    • 2021
  • Nicolas Cage, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman, Leslie Mann, Ryan Reynolds, Peter Dinklage, Clark Duke, Chris Sanders, James Ryan, Kailey Crawford, Emma Stone, and Kelly Marie Tran in The Croods: A New Age (2020)
    The Croods: A New Age
    • Ugga (voice)
    • 2020
  • Jim Carrey in Kidding (2018)
    Kidding
    • Deirdre
    • TV Series
    • 2018–2020
  • Minnie Driver, Anna Paquin, Sophie Okonedo, Kit Harington, and Dominique Fishback in Modern Love (2019)
    Modern Love
    • Julie
    • TV Series
    • 2019
  • Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph in Forever (2018)
    Forever
    • Kase
    • TV Series
    • 2018
  • Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro in Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)
    Sicario: Day of the Soldado
    • Cynthia Foards
    • 2018
  • John Eric Bentley, Jeff Bergman, Sarah Vowell, Eli Fucile, Maeve Andrews, Ally Johnson, and Huck Milner in LEGO The Incredibles (2018)
    LEGO The Incredibles
    • Evelyn Deavor (voice)
    • Video Game
    • 2018
  • Samuel L. Jackson, Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, Brad Bird, Michelle Rodriguez, Bill Wise, Sarah Vowell, Eli Fucile, Mina Sundwall, Clarke Wolfe, Gillian Flynn, and Huck Milner in Incredibles 2 (2018)
    Incredibles 2
    • Evelyn Deavor (voice)
    • 2018
  • Jon Hamm in Nostalgia (2018)
    Nostalgia
    • Donna
    • 2018
  • Chloë Grace Moretz and Ansel Elgort in November Criminals (2017)
    November Criminals
    • Fiona
    • 2017
  • Homecoming (2016)
    Homecoming
    • Heidi Bergman
    • Podcast Series
    • 2016–2017
  • Cary Elwes, Catherine Keener, Justin Chatwin, Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon, Anton Yelchin, and Riley Keough in We Don't Belong Here (2017)
    We Don't Belong Here
    • Nancy Green
    • 2017

Producer

  • War Story (2014)
    War Story
    • producer
    • 2014
  • James Gandolfini and Max Records in Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
    Where the Wild Things Are
    • associate producer
    • 2009
  • God Grew Tired of Us (2006)
    God Grew Tired of Us
    • co-producer
    • 2006

Casting Department

  • Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, Jim Belushi, and Elizabeth Perkins in About Last Night (1986)
    About Last Night
    • casting assistant
    • 1986
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos132

Catherine Keener
Clip 1:34
Catherine Keener
Please Give (Clip 4 of 4)
Clip 0:47
Please Give (Clip 4 of 4)
Please Give (Clip 3 of 4)
Clip 1:27
Please Give (Clip 3 of 4)
Please Give (Clip 2 of 4)
Clip 1:05
Please Give (Clip 2 of 4)
Please Give (Clip 1 of 4)
Clip 0:44
Please Give (Clip 1 of 4)
The Soloist: "Steve Meets Nathaniel"
Clip 0:59
The Soloist: "Steve Meets Nathaniel"
The Soloist: "I Want You to Help Him"
Clip 1:02
The Soloist: "I Want You to Help Him"
The Soloist: "Dinner at Awards Show"
Clip 0:39
The Soloist: "Dinner at Awards Show"
Say Something Awful
Clip 0:52
Say Something Awful
Massive Theater Piece
Clip 1:28
Massive Theater Piece
Massive Theater Piece
Clip 0:48
Massive Theater Piece
In and Around Synecdoche, NY  Incredibly Complicated
Clip 1:31
In and Around Synecdoche, NY Incredibly Complicated

Personal details

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  • Official site
    • Facebook
  • Height
    • 5′ 9½″ (1.77 m)
  • Born
    • March 26, 1959
    • Miami, Florida, USA
  • Spouse
    • Dermot MulroneyNovember 17, 1990 - December 17, 2007 (divorced, 1 child)
  • Children
    • Clyde Mulroney
  • Parents
      Evelyn Keener (Jamiel)
  • Relatives
    • Elizabeth Keener(Sibling)
  • Other works
    Plays Anna in "Burn This" play by Lanford Wilson (Union Square Theater, New York City, New York, USA).
  • Publicity listings
    • 6 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Gave birth to her only child at age 40, a son Clyde Mulroney on June 21, 1999. Child's father is her ex-husband, Dermot Mulroney.
  • Quotes
    [on her harshest rejection]: "One director said I just wasn't sexy. It was hard, really hard. I left town for two months with my tail between my legs. But you have to kind of go, okay, maybe I'm not their idea of [sexy], but hell, I can have sex!"
  • Trademark
      Often works with Nicole Holofcener and Spike Jonze

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