
Age: 78
female
Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actress and director. She has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, she studied theatre at the Southern Methodist University before moving to New York City to pursue an acting career. She landed minor stage roles before being cast in her first on screen role in Taking Off (1971). Her first Off-Broadway stage performance was in the 1976 production of Vanities. Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, she continued to perform on screen and on stage, and garnered a Tony Award nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Play in 1983 for her performance in 'night, Mother, and won an Obie Award in 1988 for her performance in Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. Bates' performance as Annie Wilkes in the tense psychological thriller Misery (1990) marked her Hollywood breakthrough, winning her the Academy Award for Best Actress. Further acclaim came for her starring role in Dolores Claiborne (1995), The Waterboy (1998), and supporting roles in Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) and Titanic (1997). Bates received subsequent Oscar nods in the Best Supporting Actress category for her work in Primary Colors (1998), About Schmidt (2002), and Richard Jewell (2019). Bates' television work has resulted in 14 Emmy Award nominations, including two for her leading role on the NBC series Harry's Law (2011–12). She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her appearance on the ninth season of Two and a Half Men (2012) and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for her portrayal of Delphine LaLaurie on the third season of American Horror Story (2013). She also received accolades for her portrayal of Miss Hannigan in the 1999 television adaptation of Annie. Her directing credits include several episodes of the HBO television series Six Feet Under (2001–03) and the television film Ambulance Girl (2005).

Kathy Bates

Mrs. Paxton
for Mrs. Paxton in The Museum Mysteries
Suggested by devahutiraichaliha

Jim Eldridge’s Museum (Murder) Mysteries is an historical crime-fiction series set in late-Victorian London, featuring Daniel Wilson, a former detective from the Metropolitan Police, and his partner, archaeologist Abigail Fenton. Each novel centres on a murder tied to a famous British museum or institution—such as the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, or the National Gallery—where the pair are called in as private inquiry agents to solve crimes that baffle the authorities. The series blends classic whodunnit structure with richly researched historical settings, highlighting scientific rivalries, class tensions, and the early professionalisation of museum culture. Across the series, the cases often expose the hidden politics of Victorian scholarship, including disputes over archaeological finds, forgeries, colonial acquisitions, and the ambitions of curators eager to protect their reputations. Wilson brings methodical investigative skills and quiet moral conviction, while Fenton offers academic expertise, courage, and a knack for noticing overlooked details—making them equal partners in unpicking the murders. Their developing relationship threads through the books, adding warmth and emotional continuity amid the atmosphere of intrigue.