Biography
Genteel actress Blythe Danner earned her reputation as one of the more accomplished performers in film and on stage and television over the course of an exceptional career. Early in her career, Danner became a Broadway sensation with her Tony Award-winning performance in "Butterflies Are Free" (1969). Screen work in smaller films like the off-beat comedy "Hearts of the West" (1975) soon led to the actress earning widespread critical acclaim …
Blythe Danner SlideShow
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Career Milestones
2012 | Cast in romantic comedy "Hello I Must Be Going," starring Melanie Lynskey | |
2012 | Co-starred with Zac Efron in "The Lucky One," based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks | |
2011 | Cast opposite Anna Faris in the romantic comedy "What's Your Number?" | |
2010 | Once again reprised the role of Dina Byrnes for the comedy sequel "Little Fockers" | |
2006 | Co-starred in "The Last Kiss"; directed by Tony Goldwyn and scripted by Paul Haggis | |
2004 | Starred in the TV-movie "Back When We Were Grownups" (CBS); received Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for Best Actress | |
2004 | Reprised her role as Dina Byrnes for the comedy sequel, "Meet the Fockers" | |
2004 | Starred as Hank Azaria's mother on the Showtime drama "Huff" | |
2003 | Portrayed Sylvia Plath's mother opposite her real life daughter Gwyneth Paltrow in "Sylvia" | |
2002 | Cast as Dr. Harriet Lanning on the short-lived CBS medical drama "Presidio Med" | |
2001 | Regularly appeared on NBC's "Will & Grace" as Will Truman's mother Marilyn; earned an Emmy nomination for Best Guest Actress in 2005 and 2006 | |
2001 | Cast as Phyllis in the all-star Broadway revival of "Follies"; received a Tony nomination | |
2001 | Played the mother of Cameron Diaz and Jordana Brewster in "The Invisible Circus" | |
2000 | Cast as Robert De Niro's understanding wife in the comedy "Meet the Parents" | |
1999 | Co-starred with Edward Herrmann in a staged reading of A. R. Gurney's "Ancestral Voices" | |
1999 | Played Kate Capshaw's mother in "The Love Letter" | |
1998 | Hosted "Sophisticated Ladies: Charleston and Savannah With Blythe Danner" (PBS) | |
1997 | Voiced Martha Jefferson in Ken Burns' PBS documentary "Thomas Jefferson" | |
1997 | Portrayed the matriarch of a troubled family in "The Myth of Fingerprints" | |
1995 | Appeared Off-Broadway in A. R. Gurney's "Sylvia" | |
1994 | Portrayed Arkadina in Williamstown production of "The Seagull" with daughter Gwyneth Paltrow as Nina | |
1992 | Played Juliette Lewis' mother in Woody Allen's "Husbands and Wives" | |
1992 | Re-teamed with daughter Gwyneth Paltrow in the NBC miniseries "Cruel Doubt" | |
1991 | Portrayed Nick Nolte's wife in "The Prince of Tides" | |
1991 | Acted alongside daughter Gwyneth Paltrow in the Williamstown production of "Picnic" | |
1990 | Second film with Woody Allen, "Alice" | |
1990 | Co-starred with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in "Mr. & Mrs. Bridge" | |
1990 | Cast as the mother of a child molested by a priest in the HBO drama "Judgment" | |
1988 | Appeared in Woody Allen's "Another Woman" | |
1988 | Played the co-owner of a NYC restaurant on the short-lived NBC drama, "Tattinger's"; series was retooled as an NBC sitcom called "Nick & Hillary," which lasted only a handful of episodes | |
1988 | Earned a Tony nomination as Blanche Du Bois in a stage revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire" | |
1987 | Co-starred with Richard Chamberlain and Judith Ivey in a revival of Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit" | |
1986 | Played the matriarch of a Jewish family in the film version of Neil Simon's "Brighton Beach Memoirs" | |
1985 | Played the wife of a philandering attorney (Anthony Hopkins) who was plotting to kill her in "Guilty Conscience" (CBS) | |
1984 | Made guest appearance on an episode of "St. Elsewhere" (NBC) | |
1982 | Portrayed the wife of German architect Albert Speer in the ABC miniseries "Inside the Third Reich" | |
1980 | Starred in the Lincoln Center revival of "The Philadelphia Story" | |
1980 | Returned to Broadway appearing alongside Raul Julia and Roy Scheider in Harold Pinter's "Betrayal"; earned a Tony nomination | |
1979 | Delivered a strong turn as the devoted wife of a military officer in "The Great Santini" | |
1978 | Earned critical praise as Eleanor Gehrig in "A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story" (NBC) | |
1977 | Portrayed Elizabeth Custer in "The Court-Martial of General George Armstrong Custer" (ABC) | |
1976 | Re-teamed with Alan Alda for a memorable episode of "M*A*S*H*" (CBS) | |
1975 | Played the leading lady to Jeff Bridges in "Hearts of the West" | |
1975 | Teamed with Frank Langella in the Williamstown production of Tennessee Williams' "Eccentricities of a Nightingale"; production filmed and aired on "Theater in America" | |
1974 | Began on-going association with the Williamstown Theatre Festival | |
1974 | Portrayed Zelda to Richard Chamberlain's F. Scott Fitzgerald in "F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Last of the Belles'" (ABC) | |
1974 | Played a woman who comes between two friends in "Lovin' Molly" | |
1973 | Cast as Amanda on the short-lived ABC sitcom "Adam's Rib" | |
1972 | Played a jilted wife opposite Peter Falk and John Cassavetes on an episode of "Columbo" (NBC) | |
1972 | Portrayed Martha Jefferson in the movie version of "1776" | |
1972 | Made feature acting debut in "To Kill a Clown," co-starring Alan Alda | |
1971 | Played featured role in the ABC TV-movie, "Dr. Cook's Garden" | |
1970 | Had a supporting role in the NBC production of the Broadway musical "George M!" | |
1969 | Had breakthrough stage role as the kooky, sexually liberated teenage divorcee Jill Tanner in "Butterflies Are Free" | |
1968 | Made TV debut in an episode of "N.Y.P.D." (ABC) | |
| Garnered attention for her performance in the Lincoln Center productions of "Summertree" (1968) and "The Miser" (1969) | ||
1967 | Was cast in first Broadway show, the musical "Mata Hari"; show closed during out-of-town tryout | |
1967 | Acted with Trinity Square Repertory Company (now Trinity Repertory Company) in Providence, RI | |
1966 | NYC debut in the Off-Broadway play, "The Infantry" | |
1965 | Spent one season as a member of the Theatre Company of Boston | |
1965 | Professional stage debut as Laura in "The Glass Menagerie" | |
| Sang soprano with a jazz group at Baggy Pants in Stowe, VT | ||
Awards
2006 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in Huff |
2006 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Comedy Series in Will & Grace |
2005 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie in Back When We Were Grownups |
2005 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in Huff |
2005 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Comedy Series in Will & Grace |
2004 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television in Back When We Were Grownups |
2002 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie in We Were the Mulvaneys |
1970 | Tony Award for Actress, Supporting or Featured (Dramatic) |