Grace Zabriskie
A character actress given to tasty bit parts, Grace Zabriskie vacillates between erotic exhibitionists and colorful, brassy mothers. Since making her feature debut in "Norma Rae" (1978), the New Orleans-born actress has gone on to leave an indelible mark on both the small and big screens. She has been particularly effective in movies playing mothers, albeit not the kind that would be embraced by June Cleaver. In "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982), Zabriskie portrayed Debra Winger's mom while in "Drugstore Cowboy" (1989), she was the rejecting parent of Matt Dillon. The actress drew on her roots as Dennis Quaid's Cajun mom in "The Big Easy" (1986) and was another Southern mother, this time to Sissy Spacek, in "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" (1994). Two of her most memorable feature parts were as a crazed killer (in a role tailored specifically for her) in David Lynch's "Wild at Heart" (1990) and as Malcolm McDowall's wife in "Chain of Desire" (1993), for which she donned a maid's uniform and wig for a softly sadistic sex scene. Along with a steady string of low-profile indie films, Zabriskie has appeared in "A Family Thing" (1996), "Armageddon" (1998), "Gone In Sixty Seconds" (2001), "The House on Turk Street" (2002) and, in a particularly effective turn, as the near-catatonic victim of "The Grudge" (2004). On the small screen, the actress has lent her unique talents to a variety of memorable roles. Zabriskie was effective as a snake-handler who attempts to romance a detective in a two-part 1986 installment of NBC's "Hill Street Blues" and as the supportive wife of Admiral Elmo Zumwalt in the CBS biopic "My Father, My Son" (1988). Zabriskie went on to play the grandmother of a child stricken with AIDS in "The Ryan White Story" (ABC, 1989), and the therapist of a sexually abused teen in "A Deadly Silence" (ABC, 1989). The following year, David Lynch tapped her to portray the excessively sobbing mother of murder victim Laura Palmer in the quirky primetime serial "Twin Peaks" (ABC), which she reprised in the confusing 1993 feature prequel "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me." Zabriskie had the recurring role of the mother of Susan Ross, George Costanza's ill-fated fiancee in several episodes of "Seinfeld." She also offered an effective supporting turn as Jennifer Jason Leigh's mother in the controversial but critically-praised "Bastard Out of Carolina" (Showtime, 1996). She also had a recurring stint as Yellow Teeth on the sci-fi series "John Doe" (UPN, 2002-2003) and appeared as The Crone on the popular WB witchcraft-lite series "Charmed."
Photos
Grace Zabriskie
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
71% |
|
Cryptozoo | Joan (Voice) | $32.3K | 2021 |
No Score Yet |
|
Polaroid | Lena Sable (Character) | - | 2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Joe Frank: Somewhere Out There | Unknown (Character) | - | 2018 |
No Score Yet |
|
Rosemont | Josephine (Character) | - | 2015 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Polaroid | Lena (Character) | - | 2015 |
49% |
|
The Judge | Mrs. Blackwell (Character) | $2.7M | 2014 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Blind Malice | Nanna (Character) | - | 2014 |
55% |
|
Wrong Cops | Donna (Character) | - | 2013 |
50% |
|
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done | Mrs. McCullum (Character) | - | 2009 |
17% |
|
Bob Funk | Mrs. Funk (Character) | - | 2009 |
No Score Yet |
|
Brothel | Madam (Character) | - | 2008 |
7% |
|
License to Wed | Grandma Jones (Character) | $43.8M | 2007 |
72% |
|
Inland Empire | Visitor #1 (Character) | - | 2006 |
80% |
|
Chrystal | Gladys (Character) | $80.7K | 2004 |
40% |
|
The Grudge | Emma Williams (Character) | $110.2M | 2004 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Last Letter | Mrs. Allison (Character) | - | 2004 |
25% |
|
The House on Turk Street | Mrs. Quarre (Character) | - | 2002 |
20% |
|
R.S.V.P. | Mary Franklin (Character) | - | 2002 |
No Score Yet |
|
They Crawl | Mrs. Gage (Character) | - | 2002 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Home: The Horror Story | Grace Parkinson (Character) | - | 2000 |
No Score Yet |
|
A Texas Funeral | Murtis (Character) | - | 2000 |
26% |
|
Gone in Sixty Seconds | Helen Raines (Character) | $101.6M | 2000 |
No Score Yet |
|
Trash | Mrs. DeMarie (Character) | - | 1999 |
No Score Yet |
|
Houdini | Mrs. Weiss (Character) | - | 1998 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Dante's View | Geraldine (Character) | - | 1998 |
No Score Yet |
|
Me & Will | Edith (Character) | - | 1998 |
43% |
|
Armageddon | Dottie (Character) | $201.6M | 1998 |
55% |
|
Sparkler | Sherri (Character) | $5.5K | 1998 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | George B. | The Mother (Character) | - | 1997 |
No Score Yet |
|
Dead Men Can't Dance | Brig. Gen. Burke (Character) | - | 1997 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Devil's Child | Rose DeMarco (Character) | - | 1997 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Murder at My Door | Grandma (Character) | - | 1996 |
73% |
|
A Family Thing | Ruby (Character) | $10.1M | 1996 |
No Score Yet |
|
A Promise to Carolyn | Francie Harper (Character) | - | 1996 |
100% |
|
Bastard Out of Carolina | Granny (Character) | - | 1996 |
44% |
|
The Passion of Darkly Noon | Roxy (Character) | - | 1995 |
22% | No Score Yet | Desert Winds | Jackie's Mother (Character) | - | 1995 |
No Score Yet |
|
A Good Day to Die | Rose (Character) | - | 1995 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Crew | Gloria Pierce (Character) | - | 1994 |
39% |
|
Drop Zone | Winona (Character) | $26.7M | 1994 |
No Score Yet |
|
Black Widow Murders: The Blanche Taylor Moore Story | Ethel (Character) | - | 1993 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Bonds of Love | Emma Smith (Character) | - | 1993 |
17% |
|
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues | Mrs. Hankshaw (Character) | $1.7M | 1993 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Miracle Child | Adeleine Newberry (Character) | - | 1993 |
60% | No Score Yet | Chain of Desire | Linda Bailey (Character) | $3.1K | 1993 |
94% |
|
The Waterdance | Pat (Character) | $1.7M | 1992 |
67% |
|
FernGully ... the Last Rainforest | Magi Lune (Voice) | $20.9M | 1992 |
64% |
|
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me | Sarah Palmer (Character) | $4.2M | 1992 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A House of Secrets and Lies | Ruby (Character) | - | 1992 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Servants of Twilight | Grace Spivey (Character) | - | 1991 |
80% |
|
My Own Private Idaho | Alena (Character) | $6.4M | 1991 |
No Score Yet |
|
Ambition | Mrs. Merrick (Character) | $282.5K | 1991 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Prison Stories: Women on the Inside | Genevieve (Character) | - | 1991 |
No Score Yet |
|
Intimate Stranger | Dana P. Ashley (Character) | - | 1991 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Megaville | Mrs. Palinov (Character) | - | 1990 |
47% |
|
Child's Play 2 | Grace Poole (Character) | $26.9M | 1990 |
65% |
|
Wild at Heart | Juana Durango (Character) | $14.5M | 1990 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hometown Boy Makes Good | Helen Geary (Character) | - | 1990 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Ryan White Story | Gloria White (Character) | - | 1989 |
40% |
|
The Boost | Sheryl (Character) | $766.8K | 1988 |
50% |
|
Rampage | Naomi Reece (Character) | $322.5K | 1987 |
89% |
|
The Big Easy | Mama (Character) | $15.5M | 1986 |
No Score Yet |
|
Nickel Mountain | Ellie Wells (Character) | - | 1985 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Shadow Chasers | Mary Komatar (Character) | - | 1985 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Burning Bed | Flossie Hughes (Character) | - | 1984 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | M.A.D.D.: The Candy Lightner Story | Silvie Alice Kohler (Character) | - | 1983 |
27% |
|
Galaxy of Terror | Captain Trantor (Character) | - | 1981 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Private Eyes | Nanny (Character) | - | 1980 |
91% |
|
Norma Rae | Linette Odum (Character) | - | 1979 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs: Nightmareathon | Unknown (Character) | 2024 |
43% | 42% | Mike | Camille D'Amato (Character) | 2022 |
94% | 83% | Twin Peaks: The Return | Sarah Palmer (Character) | 2017 |
72% | 85% | Ray Donovan | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2015 |
80% | 82% | Big Love | Lois Henrickson (Character) | 2006-2007 2009-2011 |
No Score Yet | 90% | Charmed | The Crone (Guest Star) | 2003 |
73% | No Score Yet | John Doe | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2002-2003 |
No Score Yet | 83% | The Guardian | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2002 |
81% | 95% | The West Wing | Isabel (Guest Star) | 2000 |
No Score Yet | 80% | The King of Queens | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1999 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Dharma & Greg | Naomi (Guest Star) | 1998 |
89% | 92% | Seinfeld | Mrs. Ross (Guest Star) | 1992 1996 1998 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | High Incident | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1997 |
83% | 95% | NYPD Blue | Wanda Padzik (Guest Star) | 1995 1997 |
43% | No Score Yet | The Burning Zone | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1996 |
50% | No Score Yet | Second Noah | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1996 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Fallen Angels | Virna (Character) | 1995 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Children of the Dust | Unknown (Character) | 1995 |
71% | No Score Yet | Angel Falls | Cuema (Character) | 1993 |
78% | 92% | Twin Peaks |
Sarah Palmer (Character), Unknown (Voice) |
1990-1991 |
82% | 90% | Tales From the Crypt | Unknown (Character) | 1990 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | People Like Us | Unknown (Character) | 1990 |
97% | 85% | Hill Street Blues | Terry Sylvestri (Guest Star) | 1986 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Paper Dolls | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1984 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hart to Hart | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1981 |