Patricia Clarkson biography and movies
This remarkable, one-of-a-kind actress has, since the early 1990s, intrigued film and TV audiences with her glowing, yet careworn eccentricity and old world-styled glamour. Very much in demand these days as a character player, Patricia Clarkson nevertheless continues to avoid the temptation of money-making mainstream filming while reaping kudos and acting awards in out-of-the-way projects.The New Orleans born-and-bred performer with the given name of Patricia Davies Clarkson was born on December 29, 1959, the daughter of Arthur ('Buzz') Clarkson, a school administrator, and Jacquelyn (Brechtel) Clarkson, a local city politician and councilwoman. Patricia demonstrated an early interest in acting and managed to appear in a few junior high and high school-level plays while growing up. She took her basic college studies at Louisiana State University, studying speech for two years, before transferring to New York's Fordham University and graduating with honors in theatre arts.Accepted into the prestigious Yale School of Drama graduate program, she earned her Master of Fine Arts after gracing a wide range of productions including 'Electra,' 'Pericles,' 'Twelfth Night', 'The Lower Depths,' 'The Misanthrope,' 'Pacific Overtures' and 'La Ronde'. From there she took on New York City where she attracted strong East Coast notice in 1986 for her portrayal of Corrina in 'The House of Blue Leaves' and in such other plays as 'Eastern Standard' (1988) and 'Wolf-Man' (1989).Known for her organic approach to acting, the flaxen-maned actress decided to try out her trademark whiskey voice in Hollywood at age 28, making her movie debut as Mrs. Elliot Ness in Brian De Palma's The Untouchables (1987) starring Kevin Costner. The following years she gained attention for playing Samantha Walker in The Dead Pool (1988) where she starred opposite Clint Eastwood's popular 'Dirty Harry' character. Playing supportive, wifely types at the onset, she became a strong contender for character stardom by the mid-to-late 1990s, not only on stage but in the independent film arena.On stage Patricia received impressive notices for her contributions to the plays 'Raised in Captivity,' 'The Ride Down Mt. Morgan,' 'Three Days of Rain' and, in particular, 'The Maiden's Prayer,' which nabbed her both Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Award nominations. In 2004, she finally enacted the classic part she seemed born to play, that of Southern belle Blanche DuBois in the Kennedy Center production of 'A Streetcar Named Desire'. She earned glowing notices. On camera she was offered roles of marked diversity. From the heavier dramatics of a film like Pharaoh's Army (1995), she could move deftly into light comedy, courtesy of Neil Simon in the TV-movie London Suite (1996) (TV). It was, however, her bleak, convulsive portrayal of Greta, a strung-out, heroin-happy German has-been actress, opposite a resurgent Ally Sheedy in the acclaimed art film High Art (1998) that truly put Patricia on the indie map. From this she was handed a silver plate's worth of excitingly offbeat roles. In 2003 alone, Patricia received a special acting prize at the Sundance Film Festival for her superb work in three films: as a somber, grieving artist in The Station Agent (2003), a cold-hearted cancer victim in Pieces of April (2003) and a jokey, get-with-it mom in All the Real Girls (2003). She was nominated for a 'Supporting Actress' Oscar for the first movie mentioned.On TV Patricia received two Emmys for her recurring guest part as Frances Conroy's free-spirited sister in the acclaimed black comedy series "Six Feet Under" (2001). She also received the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics awards for her supporting work in the gorgeous, 1950s-styled melodrama Far from Heaven (2002), as a prim and proper Stepford-wife and deceptive friend to Julianne Moore.No matter the size, such as her extended cameos in The Green Mile (1999), All the Real Girls (2003), Miracle (2004) and Elegy (2008/I), Patricia manages to make the most of whatever screen time she has, often stealing scenes effortlessly. Seen everywhere because of her in-demand status in Hollywood, Patricia recently worked for director/actor Woody Allen. Impressed with her small but excellent contribution in Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), she was promoted to a lead in his more recent picture Whatever Works (2009).

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Rate: 7.3 Whatever Works

Year: 2009

Genres: Romance, Comedy

Director: Woody Allen

Artists: Samantha Bee, Yolonda Ross, Carolyn McCormick, Patricia Clarkson, Nicole Patrick, Evan Rachel Wood, Marcia DeBonis, Conleth Hill, Larry David, Adam Brooks, Lyle Kanouse, Michael McKean, Clifford Lee Dickson


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Rate: 7.4 Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Year: 2008

Genres: Drama, Romance

Director: Woody Allen

Artists: Kevin Dunn, Emilio de Benito, Patricia Clarkson, Chris Messina, Christopher Evan Welch, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Juan Antonio Bayona, Juan Quesada, Ricard Salom, Doctor, Maurice Sonnenberg, Javier Bardem


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Rate: 6.8 Elegy

Year: 2008

Genres: Drama, Romance

Director: Isabel Coixet

Artists: Alessandro Juliani, Dennis Hopper, Ben Kingsley, Patricia Clarkson, Chelah Horsdal


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Rate: 7.1 Phoebe In Wonderland

Year: 2008

Genres: Fantasy, Family, Drama, Comedy

Director: Daniel Barnz

Artists: Max Baker, Maddie Corman, Madhur Jaffrey, Peter Gerety, Bailee Madison, Ian Colletti, Caitlin Sanchez, Mackenzie Milone, King of Hearts, Austin Williams, Teala Dunn, Felicity Huffman, Patricia Clarkson, Elle Fanning, Bill Pullman, Campbell Scott


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Rate: 7.1 Phoebe In Wonderland

Year: 2008

Genres: Fantasy, Family, Drama, Comedy

Director: Daniel Barnz

Artists: Patricia Clarkson, Campbell Scott, Ian Colletti, Max Baker, Elle Fanning, Bill Pullman, Felicity Huffman, Madhur Jaffrey, Maddie Corman, Bailee Madison, Peter Gerety, King of Hearts, Mackenzie Milone, Teala Dunn, Austin Williams, Caitlin Sanchez


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Rate: 7.4 Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Year: 2008

Genres: Drama, Romance

Director: Woody Allen

Artists: Patricia Clarkson, Rebecca Hall, Juan Quesada, Scarlett Johansson, Christopher Evan Welch, Chris Messina, Emilio de Benito, Doctor, Juan Antonio Bayona, Javier Bardem, Maurice Sonnenberg, Ricard Salom, Kevin Dunn


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Rate: 9.7 Elegy

Year: 2008

Genres: Drama, Romance

Director: Isabel Coixet

Artists: Peter Sarsgaard, Patricia Clarkson, Dennis Hopper, Ben Kingsley, Penélope Cruz


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Rate: 9.7 Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Year: 2008

Genres: Drama, Romance

Director: Woody Allen

Artists: Patricia Clarkson, Chris Messina, Christopher Evan Welch, Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson


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Rate: 9.7 Elegy

Year: 2008

Genres: Drama, Romance

Director: Isabel Coixet

Artists: Peter Sarsgaard, Patricia Clarkson, Dennis Hopper, Ben Kingsley, Penélope Cruz


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Rate: 7.1 Phoebe In Wonderland

Year: 2008

Genres: Adventure, Family, Drama, Comedy

Director: Daniel Barnz

Artists: Elle Fanning, Patricia Clarkson, Felicity Huffman, Madhur Jaffrey, Bill Pullman, Bailee Madison, Max Baker, Campbell Scott, Maddie Corman, King of Hearts, Ian Colletti, Peter Gerety, Caitlin Sanchez, Teala Dunn, Austin Williams, Mackenzie Milone


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Rate: 6.3 No Reservations

Year: 2007

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Director: Scott Hicks

Artists: Abigail Breslin, Aaron Eckhart, Patricia Clarkson, Celia Weston, Lily Rabe


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Rate: 9.7 Married Life

Year: 2007

Genres: Crime, Drama, Romance

Director: Ira Sachs

Artists: Rachel McAdams, Patricia Clarkson, Pierce Brosnan, Annabel Kershaw, Chris Cooper


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Rate: 6.3 No Reservations

Year: 2007

Genres: Romance, Drama, Comedy

Director: Scott Hicks

Artists: Anna, Dearbhla Molloy, Ken, Matthew Rauch, Charlotte, Celia Weston, John McMartin, Christine, Arija Bareikis, Eric Silver, Lily Rabe, Bob Balaban, Jenny Wade, Patricia Clarkson, Abigail Breslin, Aaron Eckhart


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Rate: 6 All the King's Men

Year: 2006

Genres: Drama, Thriller

Director: Steven Zaillian

Artists: Thomas McCarthy, Kevin Dunn, Paul Desmond, Frederic Forrest, Travis Champagne, Lucy Stark, Talia Balsam, Kathy Baker, Jackie Earle Haley, James Gandolfini, Patricia Clarkson, Mark Ruffalo, Kate Winslet, Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law, Sean Penn


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Rate: 7.9 Dogville

Year: 2003

Genres: Drama, Thriller, Mystery

Director: Lars von Trier

Artists: Philip Baker Hall, James Caan, Paul Bettany, John Hurt, Patricia Clarkson


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Rate: 7.9 Dogville

Year: 2003

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Drama

Director: Lars von Trier

Artists: Patricia Clarkson, John Hurt, Paul Bettany, James Caan, Philip Baker Hall


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Rate: 7.9 The Station Agent

Year: 2003

Genres: Drama, Comedy

Director: Thomas McCarthy

Artists: Patricia Clarkson, Peter Dinklage, Lynn Cohen, John Slattery, Richard Kind


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Rate: 8.4 The Green Mile

Year: 1999

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Drama, Fantasy

Director: Frank Darabont

Artists: Elaine Connelly, Eve Brent, Old Paul Edgecomb, Dabbs Greer, Harry Dean Stanton, Melinda Moores, Patricia Clarkson, Harry Terwilliger, Jeffrey DeMunn, Barry Pepper, Sam Rockwell, Doug Hutchison, Graham Greene, Michael Jeter, James Cromwell, Bonnie Hunt, David Morse, Michael Clarke Duncan, Tom Hanks


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