McDormand, Frances (1957–)
McDormand, Frances (1957–)
American actress. Born June 23, 1957, in Chicago, IL; raised in Monessen, Pennsylvania; adopted dau. of Vernon (Disciples of Christ minister) and Noreen McDormand (both Canadianborn); Bethany College, BA in theater, 1979; Yale University, MFA, 1982; m. Joel Coen (film director), 1984; children: 2.
Nominated for Tony Award as Best Actress for performance in A Streetcar Named Desire (1988); won Academy Award as Best Actress for Fargo (1996); other films include Blood Simple (1984), Mississippi Burning (1988), Paradise Road (1997), Madeline (1998), Wonder Boys (2000), Almost Famous (2000), The Man Who Wasn't There (2001), Something's Gotta Give (2003) and North Country (2005), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress.