Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#616
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Kathy Bates represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 35 years in, and Kathy is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Kathy Bates appears in 43 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Kathy. Titanic is the clearest case: a film rated 8.2 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for documentary, romance, comedy. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Richard LaGravenese, Michael Cristofer, Thaddeus O'Sullivan and others, Kathy Bates helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
Titanic (1997) as Molly Brown · The Blind Side (2009) as Miss Sue · Misery (1990) as Annie Wilkes
Career snapshot
Ranked #616 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
43
1990–2025
Career length
35 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
8.2
Titanic
Average Nutevio score
6.2
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
7.9
Titanic
Most frequent director
Rob Reiner
3 films together
Longest collaboration
3×
With Rob Reiner
Most common genre
Drama
23 titles
Average runtime
1h 45m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
6.9
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.5
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
1990s
6.5 average MV
The 1990s are where the work and the material meet. Annie, The Waterboy, Primary Colors — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
1990s
6.5
Across 11 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
1990s
6.5
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
1990s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. Annie, The Waterboy, Primary Colors.
Most productive era
2000s
14 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 6.87 films | 6.67 films | 6.65 films | 6.84 films |
| Action | — | 6.02 films | — | — |
| Thriller | 6.62 films | 6.22 films | 5.11 film | — |
| Comedy | 6.05 films | 6.07 films | 6.25 films | 6.14 films |
| Crime | 6.82 films | — | 7.41 film | — |
| Romance | 7.42 films | 6.25 films | 6.63 films | 5.71 film |
| Horror | 5.51 film | — | — | — |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio · Career peak
1990Misery
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Annie Wilkes. Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Highest rated performance
1997Titanic
8.2 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer.
Most recent film
2025Rob Reiner – Scenes from a Life
The current state of the argument, as Self.
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
43 of 43 films
as Molly Brown
Directed by James Cameron
as Annie Wilkes
Directed by Rob Reiner
as Dolores Claiborne
Directed by Taylor Hackford
as Gertrude Stein
Directed by Woody Allen
as Bobi Jewell
Directed by Clint Eastwood
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Molly Brown
Titanic (1997)
Performance score8.2
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Molly Brown gives Kathy Bates a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Annie Wilkes
Misery (1990)
Performance score8.2
Misery asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Annie Wilkes is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Dolores Claiborne
Dolores Claiborne (1995)
Performance score7.9
Dolores Claiborne asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Dolores Claiborne is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Gertrude Stein
Midnight in Paris (2011)
Performance score7.8
Midnight in Paris asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Gertrude Stein is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Molly Brown
Start here. Titanic is the clearest statement of what Kathy Bates does — accessible, 194 minutes, and rated 8.2 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Kathy at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
Misery (1990)
Keeps the drama register of Titanic but asks for a colder reading of it.
Dolores Claiborne (1995)
Keeps the drama register of Misery but asks for a colder reading of it.
Midnight in Paris (2011)
A deliberate change of key after Dolores Claiborne — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Richard Jewell (2019)
A deliberate change of key after Midnight in Paris — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Rob Reiner
Director
3 films together
Notably Misery
Frank Coraci
Director
2 films together
Notably The Waterboy
Ben Falcone
Director
2 films together
Notably The Boss
Richard LaGravenese
Director
2 films together
Notably P.S. I Love You
Warren Beatty
Director
1 film together
Notably Dick Tracy
Luis Mandoki
Director
1 film together
Notably White Palace
Taylor Hackford
Director
1 film together
Notably Dolores Claiborne
Jeremiah S. Chechik
Director
1 film together
Notably Diabolique
James Cameron
Director
1 film together
Notably Titanic
Steven Zaillian
Director
1 film together
Notably A Civil Action
Mike Nichols
Director
1 film together
Notably Primary Colors
Rob Marshall
Director
1 film together
Notably Annie
Les Mayfield
Director
1 film together
Notably American Outlaws
Tom Shadyac
Director
1 film together
Notably Dragonfly
Alexander Payne
Director
1 film together
Notably About Schmidt
Nick Hurran
Director
1 film together
Notably Little Black Book
Chris Weitz
Director
1 film together
Notably The Golden Compass
Simon J. Smith
Director
1 film together
Notably Bee Movie
Sam Mendes
Director
1 film together
Notably Revolutionary Road
Scott Derrickson
Director
1 film together
Notably The Day the Earth Stood Still
John Lee Hancock
Director
1 film together
Notably The Blind Side
Garry Marshall
Director
1 film together
Notably Valentine's Day
Nicole Kassell
Director
1 film together
Notably A Little Bit of Heaven
Woody Allen
Director
1 film together
Notably Midnight in Paris
Joshua Marston
Director
1 film together
Notably Complete Unknown
Mimi Leder
Director
1 film together
Notably On the Basis of Sex
Xavier Dolan
Director
1 film together
Notably The Death & Life of John F. Donovan
Clint Eastwood
Director
1 film together
Notably Richard Jewell
Franka Potente
Director
1 film together
Notably Home
Thomas C. Grane
Director
1 film together
Notably Titanic: Stories from the Heart
Thaddeus O'Sullivan
Director
1 film together
Notably The Miracle Club
Michael Cristofer
Director
1 film together
Notably The Great Lillian Hall
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Rob Reiner
Director
3 films together · 6.2 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
MiseryRichard LaGravenese
Director
2 films together · 6.5 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
P.S. I Love YouFrank Coraci
Director
2 films together · 6.0 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The WaterboyBen Falcone
Director
2 films together · 5.5 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The BossJames Cameron
Director
1 film together · 8.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
TitanicJohn Lee Hancock
Director
1 film together · 7.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Blind SideWoody Allen
Director
1 film together · 7.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Midnight in ParisClint Eastwood
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Richard JewellMimi Leder
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
On the Basis of SexTaylor Hackford
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Dolores ClaiborneMichael Cristofer
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Great Lillian HallThomas C. Grane
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Titanic: Stories from the HeartSam Mendes
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Revolutionary RoadXavier Dolan
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Death & Life of John F. DonovanAlexander Payne
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
About SchmidtFranka Potente
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
HomeTom Shadyac
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
DragonflyLuis Mandoki
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
White PalaceSteven Zaillian
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
A Civil ActionNicole Kassell
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
A Little Bit of HeavenRob Marshall
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
AnnieThaddeus O'Sullivan
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Miracle ClubMike Nichols
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Primary ColorsSimon J. Smith
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Bee MovieWarren Beatty
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Dick TracyChris Weitz
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Golden CompassGarry Marshall
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Valentine's DayLes Mayfield
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
American OutlawsScott Derrickson
Director
1 film together · 5.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Day the Earth Stood StillJeremiah S. Chechik
Director
1 film together · 5.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
DiaboliqueNick Hurran
Director
1 film together · 5.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Little Black BookJoshua Marston
Director
1 film together · 5.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Complete UnknownSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
The Blind Side
as Miss Sue
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
Titanic
as Molly Brown
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Titanic
as Molly Brown
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
A Civil Action
as Bankruptcy Judge (uncredited)
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Titanic
as Molly Brown
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Kathy Bates has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
35 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Drama Legend
Awarded
23 catalogue titles in drama, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
Titanic
as Molly Brown
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Dolores Claiborne
as Dolores Claiborne
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
Revolutionary Road
as Mrs. Helen Givings
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Dolores Claiborne
as Dolores Claiborne
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Titanic
as Molly Brown
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Around the World in 80 Days
as Queen Victoria
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
A Little Bit of Heaven
as Beverly Corbett
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Titanic
as Molly Brown
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
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Have your say
Community
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Reference
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