Tessie Jean Harper (; born August 15, 1950) is an American actress. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her first film role in 1983's Tender Mercies, and for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1986 film Crimes of the Heart. Her other film appearances include Amityville 3-D (1983), Flashpoint (1984), Ishtar (1987), Far North (1988), and No Country for Old Men (2007). She also had a recurring role on the first three seasons of Breaking Bad (2008–2010) as Jesse Pinkman’s mother, as well as reprising her role in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019).
Early life Harper grew up in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas, the daughter of Rosemary and Ed Washam, who operated Washam's Hardware. Harper has a brother and sister. She graduated from Mammoth Spring High School and attended Arkansas State University-Beebe, earning an associate degree in Fine Arts, before transferring to Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University) in Springfield, Missouri, graduated with a degree in education, and taught ninth-grade English in Springfield, Missouri.Tess Harper: 'Ozark Hillbilly', St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 11, 1987, page 101
Career Harper began acting in theater productions, theme parksRobert Cochran & Suzanne McCray, Lights! Camera! Arkansas pages 63-64, University of Arkansas Press, 2015 (including Dogpatch, USA and Silver Dollar City), dinner theater, and children's theater. She moved to Texas in order to appear in television commercials. The institution wanted to produce a TV spot and asked her to be in the spot, which she accepted. In a twist of fate, a casting person with Tender Mercies had to spend the night in Dallas and saw Harper's spot on TV. She called Robert Duvall and arranged an audition. Director Bruce Beresford was impressed with Harper and cast her in the lead female role of Rosa Lee, the young widow and mother who marries country singer Mac Sledge. Beresford said that Harper brought a kind of rural quality to the role without coming across as simple or foolish. He said of Harper, "She walked into the room and even before she spoke, I thought, 'That's the girl to play the lead.'" Harper did not realize this, and recalled shortly after the film's release, "After I did the final screen test, I went to see Breaker Morant and started sobbing uncontrollably halfway through it. A friend had to take me home, and I kept crying, 'You don't understand! They're not gonna let me do this part!'"
Tender Mercies was Harper's feature film debut.Peter Wilson, Truth no stranger in this fiction, The Vancouver Sun, June 18, 1983, page 27 She earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for the role.Clay Hutt, Golden Globes often mirror Oscars, El Paso Herald-Post, January 27, 1984, page 58
Harper appeared in the TV mini-series Chiefs (1983) and Celebrity (1984), as well as many television movies including Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land (1983) and Reckless Disregard (1985). In 1983, she appeared in the full-length feature Silkwood.Peggy Soric, Former SMS student Tess Harper enjoys success, Springfield Leader and Press (Springfield, Missouri), December 21, 1986, page 80 In 1986, Harper was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work as Chick Boyle in Crimes of the Heart, which was directed by her Tender Mercies director Bruce Beresford. She later played parts in Ishtar (1987), Far North (1988), The Man in the Moon (1991), The Jackal (1997) and Loggerheads (2005). She also took part in Michael Jackson's music video "Black or White" (1991), playing the mother.
From 1994 to 1995 Harper had a regular role on the CBS series Christy, playing mountain woman Fairlight Spencer.Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946 – Present (7th edition), page 185, Ballantine, 1999 She also had a recurring role on another CBS television series, Early Edition, from 1996 to 2000. She portrayed the mother of lead character Gary Hobsen. Harper shared a Screen Actors Guild Award (in the Best Ensemble Cast category) with her fellow cast members in the Oscar-winning film No Country for Old Men, in which she played the wife of Tommy Lee Jones's character.
She had the recurring role of Mrs. Pinkman on Breaking Bad, appearing in the first three seasons, as well as the sequel Netflix movie El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes1983Tender MerciesRosa Lee1983Amityville 3-DNancy Baxter1983SilkwoodLinda Dawson1984FlashpointEllen1986Crimes of the HeartChick Boyle1987IshtarWilla Rogers1988Far NorthRita1988Criminal LawDet. Stillwell1989Her AlibiSally Blackwood1990Daddy's Dyin': Who's Got the Will?Sara Lee Turnover1991My Heroes Have Always Been CowboysCheryl Dalton-Hornby1991The Man in the MoonAbigail Trant1991Pretty Hattie's BabyMaya1992Martha Harnish1992My New GunKimmy Hayes1996Dirty LaundryBeth Greene1997The JackalThe First Lady2000Dr. Amanda Giles2001The Rising PlaceRebecca Hodge2001MorningMargaret2003Studio CityLinda LittleShort2005LoggerheadsElizabeth2005Jesus, Mary and JoeyLiz O'Callahan2006KarlaMolly Czehowicz2006JamRuby2006Broken BridgesDixie Rose Delton2006BrokenClare2007No Country for Old MenLoretta Bell2007Kiss the BrideBarbara2007Saving Sarah CainMiriam Esh2009Fatal SecretsNaomi2013Sunlight Jr.Kathleen2014Hello, My Name Is FrankAunt Flossie2014FrankFrank's mum2015SurpriseLindaShort2015Mrs. McCarthy2018BurdenHazel Griffin2019El Camino: A Breaking Bad MovieDiane Pinkman 2020 The Evening Hour Dorothy Freeman 2021 Our (Almost Completely True) Love Story Tess 2023 American Outlaws Loretta Hillhouse
Television Year Title Role Notes1983Kentucky WomanLorna WhateleyTV film1983Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't LandJanet BriggsTV film1983ChiefsCarrie LeeTV miniseries1984CelebritySusan FrenchTV miniseries1985Jeannie WylerTV film1985Promises to KeepGwen PalmerTV film1986SarahEpisode: "Quarantine"1986Reckless DisregardMeredith CraigTV film1987Murder, She WroteIrene RutledgeEpisode: "Simon Says, Color Me Dead"1987L.A. LawPatricia PittmanEpisode: "Sparky Brackman R.I.P. ????-1987"1987DaddyAnn BurnetteTV film1988Little Girl LostClara BradyTV film1989UnconqueredMary FlowersTV film1989Incident at Dark RiverBetty McFallTV film1990ThirtysomethingDeborahEpisode: "Post-Op"1992In the Line of Duty: Siege at MarionVickie SingerTV film1992Willing to Kill: The Texas Cheerleader StoryVerna HeathTV film1993The Hidden RoomDedeEpisode: "After the Crash"1994–95ChristyFairlight SpencerMain role1995Death in Small DosesAsst. D.A. Jerri SimsTV film1996Julia ArcherTV film1996Linda GrantTV film1997Tina De CapprioTV film1997Grace Under FireJoanEpisode: "Matthew's Old Lady"1997Joanna ChandlerTV film1997GunVirginiaEpisode: "Ricochet"1997Walker, Texas RangerKatie MalloyEpisode: "Sons of Thunder"1997CrackerLea Ann GarnerEpisode: "An American Dream"1998–2000Early EditionLois HobsonRecurring role1999Beyond the PrairieNarrator / Older Laura Ingalls WilderTV film2000Touched by an AngelBetsy BaxterEpisode: "The Empty Chair"2001CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationJulia BarrettEpisode: "Bully for You"2002Beyond the Prairie, Part 2Narrator / Older Laura Ingalls WilderTV film2003Polly DankoEpisode: "Oh Mother, Who Art Thou?"2004One Tree HillMay ScottEpisode: "Crash Course in Polite Conversations"2004Jack & BobbyKaren CarmichaelEpisodes: "Pilot", "An Innocent Man"2004Angel in the FamilyMrs. Nelly TomkinsTV film2005Judging AmyBarbara NissmanEpisode: "Sorry I Missed You"2007Without a TraceMrs. SpadeEpisode: "At Rest"2007Brothers & SistersBeth RidgeEpisode: "History Repeating"2007Judy's Got a GunSusan LemenTV film2008Ghost WhispererEllen WilkinsEpisode: "Stranglehold"2008–10Breaking BadDiane PinkmanRecurring role2009Law & Order: Special Victims UnitMrs. HallanderEpisode: "Stranger"2009Cold CaseSharon LertolaEpisode: "November 22"2009CrashWendy OlinvilleRecurring role2010Proposition 8 Trial Re-EnactmentSandy StierTV documentary2010Grey's AnatomyPam NelsonEpisode: "Perfect Little Accident"2010In Plain SightA.U.S.A. RollyEpisode: "Coma Chameleon"2011Private PracticeAugusta KingEpisode: "Something Old, Something New"2011Trudy WillisTV film2012RevengeCarole MillerEpisodes: "Absolution", "Grief"2012ElizabethTV film2014True DetectiveMrs. KellyEpisode: "Seeing Things"2014Nikki & Nora: The N&N FilesMary Delaney2 episodes2015Criminal MindsDinah TroyEpisode: "Rock Creek Park"2019How to Get Away with MurderSheila MillerEpisode: "We Know Everything"
Awards and nominations Year Association Category Nominated workResult1984Golden Globe AwardBest Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion PictureTender Mercies1987Academy AwardsBest Actress in a Supporting RoleCrimes of the Heart1994CableACE AwardActress in a Dramatic SeriesThe Hidden Room2004Method FestBest Actress in a Short FilmLonely Place2007National Board of ReviewBest Acting by an EnsembleNo Country for Old Men2008Screen Actors Guild AwardOutstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture2008Gold Derby AwardsEnsemble Cast2011California Independent Film FestivalLifetime Achievement Award
References
External links
Encyclopedia of Arkansas bio