Biography
Already finding her niche in daytime and primetime drama, Kathleen has expanded her career by receiving a Masters Degree in Spiritual Psychology in August 2000, along with her current Masters of Fine Arts degree. The last few years have allowed Kathleen to show off her depth and versatility while playing a wide range of diverse roles in everything from sitcoms, movies-of-the-week and feature films. For most mature actresses, doors slowly begin to close but for Kathleen a whole new world is opening up - as she comes off a three-year-run as ‘Bette’ on Aaron Spelling’s SUNSET BEACH.
Best known for her Emmy-award winning portrayal as ‘Ellen Dalton’ on ALL MY CHILDREN and as conniving ‘Claudia Whittaker’ on KNOTS LANDING, SUNSET BEACH audiences fell in love with eccentric ‘Aunt Bette’, a wild and personable socialite who managed to get into more mischief than a lovesick teenager. Kathleen received her third Emmy nomination for this portrayal.
Kathleen continues to pursue other career opportunities. She made such an impression when she guest-starred as the grating ‘Ellie’ on the critically-acclaimed FOX series PARTY OF FIVE that she became a recurring character. She portrayed Kirsten’s controlling mother and was thrilled to be involved with such a high quality show. Kathleen appeared as ‘Jessie’s mom in CBS’s DIAGNOSIS MURDER, as well as the short-lived NBC series COLD FEET. In the realm of film, Kathleen seized the opportunity to spread her wings in three recent films. She was featured in Miramax’s CITIZEN RUTH with Laura Dern, portraying a woman who works in a right-to-life clinic. Kathleen worked with Ron Silver and James Coburn in the racial drama SKELETONS - a Pulitzer prize winning journalist moves to a small town in Maine only to find racists who are determined to keep their community Aryan pure, yet ‘Crazy Sadie’ (Kathleen) holds the key to the truth. She was also featured in HBO’s thriller, SERPENT’S LAIR, with Jeff Fahey.
Born in New York, Kathleen began her career as a singer in nightclubs and performed in musicals while simultaneously earning a B.F.A. attending Ithaca College and West Virginia University. While singing jazz in nightclubs she was asked to join the Jimmy Dorsey Band. She realized she must make a choice in her career as to the road she wished to follow. The answer was to study classical acting. Kathleen honed her classical skills at Southern Methodist University and received an M.F.A.
While performing for thirteen years in numerous
repertory, regional and Off-Broadway theatres, she won roles on AS THE WORLD
TURNS and ONE LIFE TO LIVE before landing the breakthrough role of Pine
Valley’s heroine ‘Ellen Dalton’ on ALL MY CHILDREN. For her portrayal as
‘Ellen’ she earned two Emmy nominations, and in 1987 she won the Emmy Award
for Best Supporting Actress on Daytime Television.
She was also acknowledged with three Soap Opera Digest nominations.
After 11 1/2 years she was ready for new challenges and decided to try
her luck in Los Angeles.
Numerous
daytime actors have tried to make the arduous leap to primetime and friends
discouraged Kathleen from taking the risk.
Not one to back down, she moved out west determined to give it her best
shot. Emmy Award or not, Kathleen
arrived in Los Angeles as just another new face and realized she had to
re-introduce herself to Hollywood. She
earned guest-starring roles on KATE &
ALLIE, QUANTUM
LEAP, HUNTER and EMPTY NEST
before landing a leading role on the immensely popular KNOTS LANDING. For the
final three seasons she portrayed the deceitful sister of ‘Greg Summer’ and
established herself as a primetime actress.
After
recurring on L.A. LAW, Kathleen
realized she’d like to make people
laugh for a change and concentrated on comedic roles. Following her role as ‘Maris’ fun and kooky aunt on FRASIER,
she began garnering numerous roles on sitcoms including LOVE
AND WAR, NED AND STACY, MURPHY BROWN and ELLEN. Kathleen
continued broadening her horizons with two made-for-television movies:
USA Network telefilm HEARTS ADRIFT
with Don Murray and CBS’ WHAT LOVE SEES
with Richard Thomas and Annabeth Gish.
Kathleen
explains, “The variety of roles I’m able to play are very challenging and
exciting to an actor; it reminds me of when I was in repertory theatre.
I was trained to do a variety of things and it’s nice to have the
opportunity to be able to show that.” Her
first love will always be the theatre. In
1994 she co-produced and starred in THE
CRIMSON THREAD. “I love
the process of the theatre. Every
night the audience becomes a new character in the play and I miss that
element.” Kathleen is a member of the Playwright’s Kitchen Ensemble
at the Coronet Theatre, which introduces playwrights to the Hollywood community
through play-readings.