Kathleen Turner
Kathleen Turner rose to prominence with her role as Matty Walker in Body Heat (1981). Her film career includes leading roles in Romancing the Stone (1984), Prizzi’s Honor (1985), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), which earned her an Academy Award nomination for best actress, The War of the Roses (1989), and the voice role of Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).
Date of Birth: June 19, 1954 (72)
Birth Place: Springfield, MO, USA
Latest News on Kathleen Turner:
BIO
Kathleen Turner rose to prominence with her role as Matty Walker in Body Heat (1981). Her film career includes leading roles in Romancing the Stone (1984), Prizzi’s Honor (1985), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), which earned her an Academy Award nomination for best actress, The War of the Roses (1989), and the voice role of Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).
Turner made her Broadway debut in 1978 in Gemini. Her stage credits include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1990), Indiscretions (1995), The Graduate, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, High (2010), and Bakersfield Mist (2014). She has also appeared in productions at major regional theaters, including Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins, Mother Courage and Her Children, and The Year of Magical Thinking.
Her television work includes roles on Friends, Californication, and The Path, as well as voice acting on animated series such as The Simpsons and King of the Hill.
Photos
STAGE CREDITS
Productions
See how Kathleen Turner connects to other Broadway stars and creatives.
Six Degrees of Broadway Beta
See how many degrees separate Kathleen Turner from another Broadway star or creative.
Kathleen Turner
Connection
Movies
[ 1981 ] Matty Walker
[ 1983 ] Dolores Benedict
[ 1984 ] Stella Clayton
[ 1984 ] Joanna Crane / China Blue
[ 1984 ] Joan Wilder
[ 1985 ] Irene Walker
[ 1985 ] Joan
[ 1986 ] Peggy Sue
[ 1987 ] Giulia
[ 1988 ] Christy Colleran
[ 1988 ] Sarah Leary
[ 1989 ] Barbara Rose
[ 1991 ] Vic
[ 1993 ] Ruth Matthews
[ 1993 ] Dana Coles
[ 1993 ] Jane Blue
[ 1994 ] Nurse
[ 1994 ] Mom
[ 1995 ] Fanny Connelyn
[ 1995 ] Alberta Russell
[ 1996 ] Chelsea Stevens
[ 1997 ] Claudia
[ 1997 ] Mom - Voice
[ 1997 ] Self - Host
[ 1997 ] Dee Dee Taylor
[ 1998 ] Brenda Whitlass
[ 1999 ] Elena
[ 1999 ] Middleman
[ 1999 ] Mrs. Lisbon
[ 2000 ] Verna Chickle
[ 2000 ] Claudette
[ 2000 ] Rebecca Cairn
[ 2006 ] Constance - Voice
[ 2008 ] Ms. Kornblut
[ 2011 ] Eileen Cleary
[ 2012 ] Barbara Rose
[ 2013 ] Head Nurse
[ 2014 ] Fraida
[ 2015 ] Narrator
[ 2017 ] Barbara
[ 2019 ] Grace
[ 2022 ] Aunt Hilda
[ 2022 ] Bev
TV Shows
[ 1978-1979 ] Nola Dancy Aldrich
[ 1984-1987 ] Matty Walker, Joan Wilder, Irene Walker
[ 1994 ] Stacy Lavelle
[ 1998 ] The Snow Queen, The Magic Woman
[ 2000 ] Miss Liz Strickland
[ 2001 ] Helena
[ 2005 ] Joanna Crane, China Blue
[ 2005 ] Barbara Rose, Joanna Crane, China Blue
[ 2006 ] Rebecca Shane
[ 2006 ] Cindy Plumb
[ 2006 ] Jessica Rabbit
[ 2008 ] Alberta Russell
[ 2005-2008 ] Christy Colleran, Mrs. Lisbon, Peggy Sue
[ 2009 ] Sue Collini
[ 1986-2010 ] Irene Walker, Ms. Kornblut, Matty Walker
[ 2011 ] Peggy Sue
[ 2011 ] Peggy Sue
[ 2011 ] Mom
[ 2015 ] Peggy Sue
[ 2017 ] Kathleen Turner disguised as Peter Griffin
[ 2016-2017 ] Brenda Roberts
[ 2019 ] Gwendolyn
[ 1992-2019 ] Matty Walker, Barbara Rose
[ 2019 ] Miss Mary Shaw
[ 2019 ] Monogatron Queen
[ 2019 ] The Duchess of Krakenthorp
[ 2020 ] Cookie
[ 2020 ] Mole Judge
[ 2020 ] Lady of the Lake
[ 2019-2021 ] Roz
[ 2022 ] Dita Beard
[ 2024 ] Mariah McKay
[ 2025-2025 ] Gertrude Stein
[ 2025-2025 ] Benjamin (voice)
[ 2025-2025 ] Narrator
Awards and Nominations
Kathleen Turner, Mother Courage and Her Children
Kathleen Turner, Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins
Kathleen Turner, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf
Kathleen Turner, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Kathleen Turner, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Kathleen Turner, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
winner
Kathleen Turner, Special Award
Videos
Video: Watch a Preview of SOUTH PACIFIC at The John W. Engeman Theater
by Michael Major - 2025-05-19 12:53:35
Video: Dame Maggie Smith Discusses Career with Kathleen Turner in Final Recorded Interview
by Blair Ingenthron - 2024-10-05 09:09:06
Video: First Look At Kathleen Turner & More In A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC at Ogunquit Playhouse
by Joshua Wright - 2024-07-31 12:24:10
News
by A.A. Cristi - Sep 1, 2026
Theater Resources Unlimited will hold its Writer-Producer Speed Date, pairing writers with producers for one-on-one pitch sessions and coaching in a virtual format.
by A.A. Cristi - Aug 24, 2026
Ann Dowd appeared on a live episode of You Might Know Her From at The Art House in Provincetown, MA, hosted by Anne Rodeman and Damian Bellino. The full interview is now streaming. Check out the photos.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Aug 20, 2026
Windows, a new play written by Tawni O'Dell, will be presented for two performances at Arizona Theatre Company at the Temple of Music and Art, featuring Bryan Batt, Rachel York and more.
by Stephi Wild - Jul 23, 2026
Randy Graff and Alfred Molina will lead a one-night-only performance of A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. The Core Theatre Group fundraising performance will take place in August.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jul 14, 2026
Emmy-winning actress Ann Dowd will join comedy-interview podcast You Might Know Her From for a live recording at The Art House in Provincetown, MA, featuring career-spanning conversation, games, and Hollywood stories.
by A.A. Cristi - Jul 5, 2026
The Green Room 42 will present Almost Midnight, a one-night concert celebrating the Broadway eleven o'clock number, featuring a cast of 18 performers and music direction by Noah Turner.
by A.A. Cristi - Jun 26, 2026
The Green Room 42 will present Let's Get Schooled, a cabaret featuring Broadway performers from SCHOOL OF ROCK, ONCE, TREVOR, and more, celebrating school-themed musicals in person and via livestream.
by R. Scott Reedy - Jun 15, 2026
The popular stage performer – an original cast member in the 2005 Broadway production of “Lennon” and the fifth Elphaba in “Wicked” – is currently making her Boston directorial debut with the Psych Drama Company production of “Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune,” which will be at the Boston Center for the Arts Plaza Black Box Theatre,
by R. Scott Reedy - May 20, 2026
Playwright Luis Alfaro aimed high when he decided to bring Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex” from 429 BC into the 21st century with “Oedipus El Rey,” his contemporary retelling of the Greek tragedy set in a Los Angeles barrio.
by Stephi Wild - Apr 22, 2026
Josh Radnor and Noah Galvin will make their London stage debuts in the world premiere of HIT MACHINE, a darkly comic sibling drama with original music by Ben Harper, at Soho Theatre.
by R. Scott Reedy - Apr 14, 2026
Seven years ago, an already hot summer in Boston heated up even more during a pre-Broadway tryout of a truncated version of playwright Matthew Lombardo’s “Tea at Five” at the Huntington Theatre when its star, Academy Award winner Faye Dunaway, was fired after allegations that she physically and verbally assaulted crew members on the troubled production.
by Josh Sharpe - Apr 6, 2026
A new trailer has been released for Andy Serkis’s animated adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, featuring a star-studded voice cast including Jim Parsons, Gaten Matarazzo, and Glenn Close.
by Stephi Wild - Mar 26, 2026
PRIDEARTS will present A.R. Gurney’s LOVE LETTERS with same-sex couples on April 11-12 and 18-19 at the Center on Halsted. The production will feature four couples, two male and two female.
by Stephi Wild - Mar 23, 2026
HB Studio has announced the addition of Kimberly Allen-Mills, Sandra Polsak, Victor Slezak, and Michael Thomas Duffy to its board. Learn more about them here!
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Mar 10, 2026
Zach Theater alum Nicholas Rodriguez will return to the stage in Nicholas Rodriguez Live: Sincerely, Sondheim for one night only at The Topfer at Zach Theater.
by A.A. Cristi - Mar 3, 2026
You Might Know Her From, the acclaimed podcast hosted by Anne Rodeman and Damian Bellino, recorded its first-ever live episode on February 28th at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in New York City - marking a major milestone as the show just launched its highly anticipated seventh season. Check out photos of the show.
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 18, 2026
You Might Know Her From, the acclaimed podcast hosted by Anne Rodeman and Damian Bellino, will record its first-ever live episode on February 28th at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in New York City.
by Nicole Rosky - Feb 6, 2026
TheaterWorks Hartford, under the direction of Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero and Managing Director Jeff Griffin, just announced details for its 25/26 production of The Counter by Meghan Kennedy.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jan 30, 2026
The Muny has selected the seven teams of directors, choreographers, music directors and lead designers whose creative visions will shape the Tony Award-winning theatre’s 2026 season in Forest Park.
by Josh Sharpe - Dec 15, 2025
Andy Serkis’s animated adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, which features a voice cast including Seth Rogen, Gaten Matarazzo, and Glenn Close, will be released on May 1, 2026, by Angel Studios. Check out the trailer now.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Kathleen Turner has appeared on Broadway in 6 shows.
Kathleen Turner has appeared on London's West End in 1 shows.
Kathleen Turner's first West End show was Bakersfield Mist which opened in 2014
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play, HAYES Production (Helen Hayes Awards) for Mother Courage and Her Children, Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play (Helen Hayes Awards) for Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins, Best Actress (Olivier Awards) for Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, Outstanding Actress in a Play (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Best Actress - Play (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Performance (Theatre World Awards) for Special Award.
Kathleen Turner has received recognition for her work in theater, including a Theatre World Award for Special Award and a Performance award. These accolades acknowledge her contributions to Broadway and theatrical performance.
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