Kathleen Denise Quinlan Abbott (born November 19, 1954) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

-nominated performance in the 1977 film of the novel '' I Never Promised You a Rose Garden,'' and her

and

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-nominated role in the 1995 film ''

Apollo 13 Apollo 13 (April 1117, 1970) was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo space program and the third meant to land on the Moon. The craft was launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970, but the lunar landing was aborted aft ...

'', along with many roles in other feature films, television movies and series, in a career spanning almost five decades.

Personal life

She was born in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

, the daughter of Josephine (née Zachry), a military supply supervisor, and Robert Quinlan, a television sports director, and raised in

Mill Valley, California Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, Marin County, California, United States, located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge and from Napa Valley. The population was 14,231 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

, where she attended

Tamalpais High School Tamalpais High School (often abbreviated as Tam) is a public secondary school located in Mill Valley, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is named after nearby Mount Tamalpais, which rises almost above Mill Valley. Tamalpais High Scho ...

, studied drama, and began her acting career. She was married to artist Warren Long in 1987. She met actor

Bruce Abbott Bruce Paul Abbott (born July 28, 1954) is an American film, stage, and television actor. Originally beginning his career in theater, Abbott later gained notoriety for his role as Dan Cain in the cult film, cult sci-fi horror films ''Re-Animator'' ...

on the TV movie ''Trapped'' (1989) and they married on April 12, 1994. They have one son, Tyler, who was born in 1990.

Career

Quinlan had an uncredited role in 1972's ''

One Is a Lonely Number ''One Is a Lonely Number'' (also known as ''Two Is a Happy Number'') is a 1972 American drama film directed by Mel Stuart, and starring Trish Van Devere, Janet Leigh, and Melvyn Douglas. The screenplay, based upon the short story "The Good Humor ...

'' but her official credited film debut was in

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...

's 1973 movie ''

American Graffiti ''American Graffiti'' is a 1973 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by George Lucas, produced by Francis Ford Coppola, written by Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz and Lucas, and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard (billed as Ronn ...

'', at the age of nineteen. As a young actress in the 1970s, she also had guest-starring roles in many popular television series of the day, including '' Police Woman'', ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular ''Cannon'' series, it ...

, Ironside,

Emergency! ''Emergency!'' is an American action-adventure medical drama television series jointly produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. Debuting on NBC as a midseason replacement on January 15, 1972, replacing the two short-lived situatio ...

,'' and ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book ''Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 film ...

''. Her most celebrated roles include playing Deborah, a sixteen-year-old

schizophrenic Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...

, in the

film version A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

the novel ''The Novel'' (1991) is a novel written by American author James A. Michener. A departure from Michener's better known historical fiction, ''The Novel'' is told from the viewpoints of four different characters involved in the life and work of ...

'' I Never Promised You a Rose Garden'', for which she earned a Best Actress in a Motion Picture-Drama

nomination, and portraying

Marilyn Lovell James Arthur Lovell Jr. (; born March 25, 1928) is an American retired astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot and mechanical engineer. In 1968, as command module pilot of Apollo 8, he became, with Frank Borman and William Anders, one of the f ...

, the wife of

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

's astronaut character

Jim Lovell James Arthur Lovell Jr. (; born March 25, 1928) is an American retired astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot and mechanical engineer. In 1968, as command module pilot of Apollo 8, he became, with Frank Borman and William Anders, one of th ...

, in the 1995 movie ''

,'' earning her both a Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Golden Globe nomination and a Best Supporting Actress

nomination. Quinlan also appeared in feature films like ''

Lifeguard A lifeguard is a rescuer who supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, beach, spa, river and lake. Lifeguards are trained in swimming and CPR/ AED first a ...

'' (1976), ''

Airport '77 ''Airport '77'' is a 1977 American air disaster film, and the third installment of the ''Airport'' film series. The film stars a number of veteran actors including Jack Lemmon, James Stewart, Joseph Cotten, Olivia de Havilland, and Brenda Vac ...

'' (1977), '' The Promise'' (1979), ''

The Runner Stumbles ''The Runner Stumbles'' is a 1979 American drama film directed and produced by Stanley Kramer, based on the Broadway play by Milan Stitt. The film was the last of Kramer's long and distinguished career. It stars Dick Van Dyke, Kathleen Quinlan, Ma ...

'' (1979), ''

Sunday Lovers ''Sunday Lovers'' is a 1980 internationally co-produced romantic comedy film directed by Bryan Forbes, Gene Wilder, Dino Risi and Édouard Molinaro. It stars Roger Moore, Gene Wilder, Priscilla Barnes, Lynn Redgrave, Denholm Elliott and Kathleen ...

'' (1980), '' Twilight Zone: The Movie'' (1983), ''

Sunset Sunset, also known as sundown, is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon due to Earth's rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth (except the North and South poles), the equinox Sun sets due west at the moment of both the spring ...

'' (1988), ''

Clara's Heart ''Clara's Heart'' is a 1988 American drama film, based on Joseph Olshan's novel of the same name, directed by Robert Mulligan, written by Mark Medoff and is also Neil Patrick Harris' debut role. Plot The film tells the story of a family in cri ...

'' (1988)'', and'' ''

Trial by Jury A jury trial, or trial by jury, is a legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or findings of fact. It is distinguished from a bench trial in which a judge or panel of judges makes all decisions. Jury trials are used in a significant ...

'' (1994). She featured in numerous TV movies as well, including ''

Little Ladies of the Night ''Little Ladies of the Night'' is a 1977 American made-for-television drama film starring David Soul, Louis Gossett Jr. and Linda Purl. When it was broadcast, it became the highest-rated TV movie of all time. Cast *David Soul as Lyle York *Louis ...

'' (1977)'', She's in the Army Now'' (1981), '' Blackout'' (1985), '' Trapped'' (1989), '' Strays'' (1991)'','' '' Last Light'' (1993), the adaptation of the novel ''

In the Lake of the Woods ''In the Lake of the Woods'' (1994) is a novel by the American author Tim O'Brien. ''In the Lake of the Woods'' follows the struggle of Vietnam veteran John Wade trying to deal with a recently failed campaign for the United States Senate. After ...

'' (1996), '' Blessings'' (2003), and more. She played

Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, poet and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band the Doors. Due to his wild personality, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, unpredicta ...

Celtic pagan Ancient Celtic religion, commonly known as Celtic paganism, was the religion of the ancient Celtic peoples of Europe. Because the ancient Celts did not have writing, evidence about their religion is gleaned from archaeology, Greco-Roman accounts ...

consort

Patricia Kennealy-Morrison Patricia Kennealy-Morrison (born Patricia Kennely; March 4, 1946 – July 21, 2021) was an American author and journalist. Her published works include rock criticism, a memoir, and two series of science fiction/fantasy and murder mystery novels ...

Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Stone won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as writer of '' Midnight Express'' (1978), and wrote the gangster film remake '' Sc ...

's ''

The Doors The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...

.'' In 1997, she appeared in ''

Event Horizon In astrophysics, an event horizon is a boundary beyond which events cannot affect an observer. Wolfgang Rindler coined the term in the 1950s. In 1784, John Michell proposed that gravity can be strong enough in the vicinity of massive compact obj ...

'' (1997) and won a

Blockbuster Entertainment Award The Blockbuster Entertainment Awards was a film awards ceremony, founded by Blockbuster Entertainment, Inc., that ran from 1995 until 2001. They were produced each year by Ken Ehrlich. Formation and first awards The awards were first held on J ...

as Favorite Supporting Actress-Suspense for ''

Breakdown Breakdown may refer to: Breaking down *Breakdown (vehicle), failure of a motor vehicle in such a way that it cannot be operated *Chemical decomposition, also called chemical breakdown, the breakdown of a substance into simpler components *Decompo ...

'' (1997), playing

Kurt Russell Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began acting on television at the age of 12 in the Westerns on television, western series ''The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (TV series), The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters'' (19 ...

's character's kidnapped wife. She had a main role for three seasons on the series ''

Family Law Family law (also called matrimonial law or the law of domestic relations) is an area of the law that deals with family matters and domestic relations. Overview Subjects that commonly fall under a nation's body of family law include: * Marriage, ...

'', along with recurring roles as the mother of the two brothers on ''

Prison Break ''Prison Break'' is an American serial (radio and television), serial drama television show, television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. The series revolves around two brothers, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purce ...

'', and in '' Chicago Fire'' and ''

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

''. She was in two episodes of ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...

,'' plus episodes of many other shows, such as '' Diagnosis: Murder'', ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

,'' and ''

The Event ''The Event'' (stylized as THE EVƎNT) is an American television series containing elements of science fiction, action/adventure and political allegory. It was created by Nick Wauters and aired on NBC from September 20, 2010 to May 23, 2011. ...

.'' She was in the TV series ''

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

'', the 2006 remake of the horror classic ''

The Hills Have Eyes ''The Hills Have Eyes'' is an American horror franchise that consists of four horror films, as well as a graphic novel and merchandise. The first film was released in 1977, '' The Hills Have Eyes''; the series was rebooted in a 2006 remake. T ...

'', the 2007 film ''

Breach Breach, Breached, or The Breach may refer to: Places * Breach, Kent, United Kingdom * Breach, West Sussex, United Kingdom * ''The Breach'', Great South Bay in the State of New York People * Breach (DJ), an Electronic/House music act * Miroslava ...

'', ''

Made of Honor ''Made of Honor'' (''Made of Honour'' in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and Australia) is a 2008 American romantic comedy film directed by Paul Weiland and written by Adam Sztykiel, Deborah Kaplan, and Harry Elfont. The film stars Patrick ...

'' (2008), and played a senator in "Alliances," a 2011 episode of the science-fiction series ''

Stargate Universe ''Stargate Universe'' (often abbreviated as ''SGU'') is a military science fiction television series and part of MGM's ''Stargate'' franchise. It follows the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient ...

''. , Quinlan's most recent work is a 2019 episode of ''

How to Get Away with Murder ''How to Get Away with Murder'' is an American legal thriller television series that premiered on ABC on September 25, 2014, and concluded on May 14, 2020. The series was created by Peter Nowalk, and produced by Shonda Rhimes and ABC Studios. Th ...

'', a lead role in the film '' Walking with Herb'', filmed in 2018 and released in 2021, and a part in the horror flick ''The Stairs''. She is cast as the wife of

John McClane John McClane is a fictional character and main protagonist of the ''Die Hard'' film series, based on Joe Leland from Roderick Thorp's action novel, '' Nothing Lasts Forever''. McClane was portrayed in all five films by actor Bruce Willis, and ...

in the ''Die Hard''

reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...

, ''Easter'' (2024), replacing

Bonnie Bedelia Bonnie Bedelia Culkin (born ) is an American actress. After beginning her career in theatre in the 1960s, Bedelia starred in the CBS daytime soap opera ''Love of Life'' and made her film debut in ''The Gypsy Moths''. Bedelia subsequently appeare ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...

Nomination 1978 - '' I Never Promised You a Rose Garden'' (1977) * Best Supporting Actress

Nomination 1996 - ''

'' (1995) * Best Supporting Actress

Nomination 1996 - ''

'' (1995) *

as Favorite Supporting Actress-Suspense Winner - ''

'' (1997) * 20/20 Awards Best Supporting Actress Nomination 2016 - ''

'' (1995) * Awards Circuit Community Awards (ACCA) Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nomination - ''

'' (1995) *Awards Circuit Community Awards (ACCA) Best Cast Ensemble - ''

'' (1995) *

Chicago Film Critics Association Awards The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) is an association of professional film critics, who work in print, broadcast and online media, based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The organization was founded in 1990 by film critics Sharon LeM ...

(CFCA Award) Nominee for Best Supporting Actress 1996 - ''

'' (1995) * Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards (DFWFCA Award) Nominee for Best Supporting Actress 1996 - ''

'' (1995) * European Cinematography Awards (ECA) Best Actress Winner 2020 - ''The Stairs'' (2021) * FilmQuest (FilmQuest Cthulhu) Best Supporting Actress Winner 2018 - ''

Chimera Strain ''Chimera Strain'' (initially known as Chimera) is a 2018 science fiction drama/ thriller film written and directed by Maurice Haeems, and produced by Jay Sitaram and Maurice Haeems. Plot A genius but mentally unbalanced scientist, Quint, attempts ...

'' (2018) * Mystfest Best Actress Winner 1985 - '' Blackout'' (1985) * NOLA Horror Film Fest Best Supporting Role Winner 2018 - ''

'' (2018) * Online Film & Television Association (OFTA Television Award) Best Actress in a New Drama Series Nominee 2000 - ''

'' (1999) *

Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

Outstanding Performance by a Cast Winner 1996 - ''

'' (1995) (shared with

Kevin Bacon Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. His films include the musical-drama film '' Footloose'' (1984), the controversial historical conspiracy legal thriller '' JFK'' (1991), the legal drama '' A Few Good Men'' (1992), t ...

Ed Harris Edward Allen Harris (born November 28, 1950) is an American actor and filmmaker. His performances in ''Apollo 13'' (1995), ''The Truman Show'' (1998), ''Pollock'' (2000), and '' The Hours'' (2002) earned him critical acclaim and Academy Award n ...

Bill Paxton William Paxton (May 17, 1955 – February 25, 2017) was an American actor and filmmaker. He appeared in films such as '' Weird Science'' (1985), ''Aliens'' (1986), ''Near Dark'' (1987), '' Tombstone'' (1993), ''True Lies'' (1994), '' Apollo 13 ...

, and

Gary Sinise Gary Alan Sinise (; born March 17, 1955) is an American actor, humanitarian, and musician. Among other awards, he has won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has also received a st ...

)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Quinlan, Kathleen 1954 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses American film actresses American television actresses Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Actresses from Pasadena, California People from Mill Valley, California Tamalpais High School alumni