Patricia Clarkson is an American actress who made her film debut in Brian De Palma's mob drama The Untouchables (1987), followed by a supporting role in Clint Eastwood's The Dead Pool (1988). After appearing in minor roles in the early and mid-1990s, she garnered critical attention for her portrayal of a drug-addicted actress in the independent drama High Art (1998). She appeared in numerous supporting roles in such films as The Green Mile (1999), The Pledge (2001), Far from Heaven (2002), and Dogville (2003).

She received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for her role in the 2003 drama film The Station Agent, as well as a nomination for Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Pieces of April. Clarkson also appeared as a recurring guest star on the HBO series Six Feet Under from 2002 to 2005, and won two Primetime Emmy Awards for her performance. Other credits from the 2000s include Good Night, and Good Luck with David Strathairn (2005), Lars and the Real Girl with Ryan Gosling (2007), and Elegy with Penélope Cruz (2008). She also appeared in Woody Allen films Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) and Whatever Works (2009).

In 2010, Clarkson had a supporting role in Martin Scorsese's thriller Shutter Island, followed by roles in the comedies Easy A and Friends with Benefits. She subsequently portrayed the villainous Ava Paige in The Maze Runner (2014) and its two sequels. In 2017, she won a British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Sally Potter's drama The Party, and guest-starred on the Netflix series House of Cards. She co-starred with Amy Adams on the HBO miniseries Sharp Objects in 2018, for which she won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film.

Clarkson's theater career started in 1986 where she was the replacement for the role of Corrinna Stroller in The House of Blue Leaves. She played both roles of Nan and Lina in the 1997 play Three Days of Rain. She returned to theater in 2014, playing the role of Madge Kendal in a Broadway production of The Elephant Man, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress.

Film

Year Title Role Notes 1987 Catherine Ness 1988 Samantha Walker Rocket Gibraltar Rose Black Everybody's All-American Leslie Stone 1990 Tune in Tomorrow Aunt Olga 1995 Pharaoh's Army Sarah Anders Jumanji Carol Anne Parrish 1998 Playing by Heart Allison High Art Greta 1999 Melinda Moores Wayward Son Wesley Simply Irresistible Lois McNally 2000 Falling Like This Caroline Lockhart Joe Gould's Secret Vivian Marquie 2001 Annette Jennings Margaret Larsen Wendigo Kim 2002 Welcome to Collinwood Rosalind Far from Heaven Eleanor Fine Heartbreak Hospital Lottie Ohrwasher The Baroness 2003 Dogville Vera Olivia Harris All the Real Girls Elvira Fine Pieces of April Joy Burns 2004 Miracle Patti Brooks 2005 Good Night, and Good Luck Shirley Wershba Elaine Tishop 2006 Ms. Traverse All the King's Men Sadie Burke 2007 No Reservations Paula Lars and the Real Girl Dr. Dagmar Bergman Married Life Pat Allen 2008 Blind Date Janna Phoebe in Wonderland Miss Dodger Elegy Carolyn Vicky Cristina Barcelona Judy Nash 2009 Whatever Works Marietta Celestine 2081 Narrator Short film For the Love of Movies Narrator Documentary Cairo Time Juliette Grant 2010 Shutter Island 2nd Rachel Solando Legendary Sharon Chetley Main Street Willa Jenkins Easy A Rosemary Penderghast 2011 Friends with Benefits Lorna One Day Alison Mayhew 2013 The East Sharon 2014 The Maze Runner Ava Paige Last Weekend Celia Green Learning to Drive Wendy Shields October GaleHelen Matthews Annie Focus group woman Cameo 2015Maze Runner: The Scorch TrialsAva Paige 2017 The PartyApril The BookshopMrs. Violet Gamart 2018Maze Runner: The Death CureAva Paige JonathanDr. Mina Nariman Alt URLDeliriumBrody Out of Blue Detective Mike Hoolihan 2019 Almost Love Ravella Brewer 2022 Monica Eugenia She Said Rebecca Corbett 'She Said': Patricia Clarkson Joins Movie About NY Times' Harvey Weinstein Investigation 2024 Lilly Lilly Ledbetter TBA Post-production +Key Denotes works that have not yet been released

Television Year Title Role Notes 1985 Spenser: For Hire Elizabeth Haller Episode: "The Choice" 1986 Deborah Wade Episode: "Breakpoint" 1990 Tales from the Crypt Suzy Episode: "Mute Witness to Murder" Law & Order Laura Winthrop Episode: "By Hooker, By Crook" The Old Man and the Sea Mary Pruitt Television film 1991 Davis Rules Cosmo Yeargin 13 episodes Blind Man's Bluff Dr. Virginia Hertz Television film 1992 Barbara Meade Legacy of Lies Pat Rafael Four Eyes and Six Guns Lucy Laughton 1993 Caught in the Act Meg Alex Haley's Queen Lizzie Perkins Miniseries 1994 She Led Two Lives Desiree Parnell Television film 1995–96 Murder One Annie Hoffman 23 episodes 1996 London Suite Diana Nichols Television film 1998 Della McNeil 2000 Wonderland Mrs. Tammy Banger 2 episodes 2001 Frasier Claire French 6 episodes 2002 Carrie Margaret White Television film 2002–05 Six Feet Under Sarah O'Connor 7 episodes 2007 American Masters Narrator Episode: "The American Dream" 2009–11 Saturday Night Live Mother 2 episodes 2011 Parks and Recreation Tammy Swanson I 2012 The Dust Bowl Hazel Lucas Shaw Television documentary Five Mia Knowles Television film 2015 Broad City Timothy's Mom Episode: "St. Mark's" 2016 American Dad! Meredith Fields (voice) Episode: "The Dentist's Wife" Nature Narrator Episode: "Hummingbirds" 2017–18 House of Cards Jane Davis Season 5-6; 13 episodes 2018 Sharp Objects Adora Crellin Main role 2020 American Experience Additional voices Episode: "The Vote" 2022 State of the Union Ellen 10 episodes Green Eggs and Ham Pam-I-Am (voice) 2023 Gray Cornelia Gray 8 episodes; also producer 2026 Ransom Canyon Claire O'Grady Season 2

Theater Year Title Roles Venue 1986 The House of Blue Leaves Corrinna Stroller (replacement) Vivian Beaumont Theater 1989 Eastern Standard Phoebe Kidde John Golden Theatre 1995 Raised in Captivity Bernadette Dixon Vineyard Theatre 1996 The Ride Down Mount Morgan Leah Williamstown Theatre Festival 1997 Three Days of Rain Nan and Lina New York City Center 1998 The Maiden's Prayer Libby Vineyard Theatre 2004 A Streetcar Named Desire Blanche DuBois Kennedy Center 2014 The Elephant Man Mrs. Kendal Booth Theatre 2024 Long Day's Journey into Night Mary Tyrone Wyndham's Theatre

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