Catherine Keener
☼ Born on 26 December 1959, in Miami, Florida, USA
Biography
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 (1989), 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
(click to expand)
then, Catherine Keener has starred in several critically acclaimed films.
In the role of actor
Joker: Folie À Deux (01/10/2024)
Arthur Fleck finds love as he is put on trial for his crimes in Joker: Folie À Deux. For the past two years, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) has been in the maximum security wing of Arkham State Hospital, subject to cruel and mocking treatment by the guards headed by Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson). While being […]
Joker (06/10/2019)
An alternate history of the DC comics villain is told in Joker. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a lonely man with mental health issues, who lives alone with his mother Penny (Frances Conroy) and dreams of being a popular standup comedian and appearance on a talk show hosted by Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro). During […]
Sicario: Day of the Soldado (01/07/2018)
The war against the Mexican drug cartels heats up in Sicario: Day of the Soldado. Following a suicide bombing in Texas, where the terrorists sneaked in through the Mexican border, CIA Special Activities Division agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) is assigned by Secretary of Defense James Riley (Matthew Modine) to help instigate a war between the Mexican cartels, as […]
Incredibles 2 (17/06/2018)
The family of superheroes return to action in Incredibles 2. After a battle with the Underminer (John Ratzenberger) leaves a lot of collateral damage, Bob Parr, aka Mr Incredible (Craig T. Nelson), Helen Parr, aka Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), and their kids Violet (Sarah Vowell), Dash (Huck Milner), and Jack-Jack (Eli Fucile) are informed by their handler […]
Get Out (01/03/2017)
A young African American man discovers that something is horribly off about the family of his girlfriend in Get Out. Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) leaves with her girlfriend Rose Armitage (Allison Williams) to meet her parents Missy (Catherine Keener) and Dean (Bradley Whitford). Initially concerned about Rose’s parents not knowing he is black, they appear to […]
Begin Again (11/07/2014)
Seven years after his breakthrough film Once, Irish director John Carney returns with another musical drama set in New York City. Dan Mulligan (Mark Ruffalo) is a disgraced record executive, who stumbles upon an acoustic performance by singer-songwriter Greta (Keira Knightley). An English ex-patriot, Greta is struggling with her recent break-up with her rock star […]
Captain Philips (27/10/2013)
From director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum) comes this true story about the captain of an Amercian cargo ship and his near-death experience with Somali pirates. In 2009, Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) sets sail in the MV Maersk Alabama on journey towards Mombasa, Kenya. Phillips’ journey takes him off along the coast of Somalia, which […]
Cyrus (06/07/2010)
Cyrus is the first somewhat mainstream from the “mumblecore” duo of Jay and Mark Duplass. The film deals with a divorced man (John C. Reilly), who begins a relationship with a woman (Marisa Tomei) and has to deal with her overprotective (and somewhat sociopathic) son (Jonah Hill). Jonah Hill is mostly known for his loudmouth roles […]
Where the Wild Things Are (17/10/2009)
Where the Wild Thing Are is one of the most beloved children’s books and I am sure that there are many people (myself included) that have beloved memories of the story from their childhood. Spike Jonze (one of most imaginative directors currently out there) was given the task of converting this very pictorial story to […]
Adam (10/08/2009)
Adam is a film about a man with Asperger’s syndrome that develops a relationship with his neighbour. This film features a personal subject for me, since I was diagnosed with Asperger’s last year. As a result, while I was watching the film I kept comparing the character of Adam to my own experieces and found […]
Synecdoche, New York (12/11/2008)
Charlie Kaufman has never been known for easily coherent plots and his directorial debut is a doozy. In a nutshell the film is about a theatre director (played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman), suffering from a deteriorating condition, who spends many years creating a play on his life, which in turn effects the reality of his […]
Hamlet 2 (24/08/2008)
In the end, Hamlet 2 will probably be most well known for featuring a song entitled “Rock Me Sexy Jesus.” That musical number, which happens late in the film, is probably the high point of this film, which only features a so-so story about a drama teacher trying to get his controversial play shown. A […]
Into The Wild (30/09/2007)
Into The Wild is one of the films that I missed seeing earlier this month at the Toronto Film Festival. This film, which is based on a true story, plays out almost like an Odyssean journey, with the young Christopher McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch) journeying across North America towards Alaska and meeting a lot […]