# Patricia Clarkson
**Patricia Clarkson** (Patricia Davies Clarkson, born 1959 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American actress known for supporting and leading roles in independent film, for two Emmy-winning guest turns as Sarah O'Connor on HBO's *Six Feet Under*, and for an Academy Award nomination for *Pieces of April* (2003).[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/culture-magazines/clarkson-patricia) • [2](https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/about/hall-of-honor/patricia-clarkson/) Critics have described her as an indie darling, a character actor, and a scene-stealer, and she has worked across studio films, low-budget independents, television, and the New York stage.[2](https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/about/hall-of-honor/patricia-clarkson/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Patricia Davies Clarkson, 1959, New Orleans, Louisiana[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/culture-magazines/clarkson-patricia) |
| Training | Two years of speech pathology at Louisiana State University; B.A. in theater, Fordham College at Lincoln Center, summa cum laude, 1982; M.F.A., Yale School of Drama[2](https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/about/hall-of-honor/patricia-clarkson/) • [3](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/independent-minded-1.1017027) |
| Film debut | The pregnant wife of Eliot Ness in *The Untouchables* (1987)[2](https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/about/hall-of-honor/patricia-clarkson/) |
| Breakthrough | Greta, a formerly glamorous heroin addict, in *High Art* (1998); National Society of Film Critics supporting actress nomination[2](https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/about/hall-of-honor/patricia-clarkson/) |
| Oscar nomination | Best Actress in a Supporting Role, *Pieces of April*, 2004[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0165101/awards/) |
| Emmy Awards | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series 2002 and 2006 for *Six Feet Under*; Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series 2022 for *State of the Union*[5](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/patricia-clarkson) |
| Stage honors | Tony nomination for *The Elephant Man* on Broadway (2014); Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk nominations for *The Maiden's Prayer*[2](https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/about/hall-of-honor/patricia-clarkson/) |
## Training and early career
Clarkson grew up in New Orleans, the youngest of five sisters, and began acting around age 12 in junior high.[3](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/independent-minded-1.1017027) She studied speech pathology at [Louisiana State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/louisiana-state-university) for two years before transferring to [Fordham University](https://www.edgepedia.org/fordham-university)'s College at [Lincoln Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/lincoln-center), where she earned a B.A. in theater summa cum laude in 1982, then an M.F.A. from the Yale School of Drama.[2](https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/about/hall-of-honor/patricia-clarkson/) • [3](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/independent-minded-1.1017027) • [6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/patricia-clarkson/)
She had been in New York only nine months when [Brian De Palma](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-de-palma) cast her in her film debut, *The Untouchables* (1987), as the young wife of [Kevin Costner](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-costner)'s Eliot Ness.[3](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/independent-minded-1.1017027) She followed it with a role in [Clint Eastwood](https://www.edgepedia.org/clint-eastwood)'s *The Dead Pool* (1988), then worked steadily through the 1990s on the New York stage and in television, including the series *Murder One* (1995–96), a guest spot on *Frasier*, and the NBC adaptation of Neil Simon's *London Suite* (1996).[3](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/independent-minded-1.1017027) • [6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/patricia-clarkson/) On Broadway she replaced Julie Hagerty in John Guare's *The House of Blue Leaves*, and later appeared in Richard Greenberg's *Three Days of Rain*.[3](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/independent-minded-1.1017027)
## Breakthrough and independent film
**High Art.** Clarkson's breakthrough came at 37 in Lisa Cholodenko's independent drama *High Art* (1998), playing Greta, a ravaged but glamorous German heroin-addict girlfriend of a photographer played by [Ally Sheedy](https://www.edgepedia.org/ally-sheedy).[7](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/patricia-clarkson-monica-weinstein-trans-b2462729.html) • [3](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/independent-minded-1.1017027) The role earned her a best supporting actress nomination from the National Society of Film Critics, and she later said the part "changed things because it was such a dramatic departure."[2](https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/about/hall-of-honor/patricia-clarkson/) • [3](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/independent-minded-1.1017027)
**The 2002–03 run.** Her career caught fire in the new millennium with acclaimed performances in [Todd Haynes](https://www.edgepedia.org/todd-haynes)'s *Far from Heaven* (2002), Tom McCarthy's *The Station Agent* (2003), and [Peter Hedges](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-hedges)'s *Pieces of April* (2003).[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/patricia-clarkson/) In *Pieces of April*, made for about $200,000, she played a strong-minded mother dying of breast cancer; the role brought a 2004 Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and the Sundance festival's Special Jury Prize for acting.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0165101/awards/) • [2](https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/about/hall-of-honor/patricia-clarkson/) • [3](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/independent-minded-1.1017027) The Boston Society of Film Critics named her Best Supporting Actress in 2003 for both *Pieces of April* and *The Station Agent*.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0165101/awards/)
She has since moved between independents and studio work: Shirley Wershba in [George Clooney](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-clooney)'s *Good Night, and Good Luck* (2005), [Woody Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/woody-allen)'s *Vicky Cristina Barcelona* (2008), the villain Ava Paige in the *Maze Runner* films, the mother in *Easy A* (2010), and the lead in *Learning to Drive* (2014) opposite [Ben Kingsley](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-kingsley).[3](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/independent-minded-1.1017027) • [8](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jun/09/patricia-clarkson-learning-to-drive-interview) • [2](https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/about/hall-of-honor/patricia-clarkson/) She has said she makes her living in independent films while taking studio roles here and there.[9](https://bombmagazine.org/articles/2010/04/01/patricia-clarkson/)
## Television
Clarkson won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series twice for HBO's *Six Feet Under*, in 2002 as Sarah O'Connor and in 2006 as Aunt Sarah, a free-spirited character she played in only six or seven episodes across the whole series.[5](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/patricia-clarkson) • [3](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/independent-minded-1.1017027) In 2019 she was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for playing Adora Crellin, the matriarch of HBO's *[Sharp Objects](https://www.edgepedia.org/sharp-objects-miniseries)*, a role that also won her a Critics Choice Award and a Golden Globe.[5](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/patricia-clarkson) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0165101/awards/) • [10](https://news.mdc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/MiamiFilmFestivalLaunchesCriticallyAcclaimedFilms.pdf) In 2022 she won a third Emmy, Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series, for *State of the Union* on SundanceTV.[5](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/patricia-clarkson) Comedy viewers also know her as Tammy One, the parks department head's conniving first wife, in NBC's *Parks and Recreation*.[2](https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/about/hall-of-honor/patricia-clarkson/)
## Stage work
Her stage career runs alongside her screen work. After *The House of Blue Leaves*, her role in *The Maiden's Prayer* earned Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk award nominations, and she played [Blanche DuBois](https://www.edgepedia.org/blanche-dubois) in *A Streetcar Named Desire* at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in 2004.[2](https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/about/hall-of-honor/patricia-clarkson/) • [1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/culture-magazines/clarkson-patricia) She earned a Tony nomination for the 2014 Broadway production of *The Elephant Man*, and in 2023 played Mary Tyrone opposite Brian Cox in a London *Long Day's Journey into Night*, a performance reviewers singled out as the evening's strongest.[2](https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/about/hall-of-honor/patricia-clarkson/) • [11](https://theatre.reviews/reviews-roundup/days-journey-into-night-reviews/)
## Later work and public positions
Recognition came relatively late by industry standards: she was 37 when cast in *High Art*, and has spoken about how the rise of independent film created roles for women in their forties that studio filmmaking did not.[7](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/patricia-clarkson-monica-weinstein-trans-b2462729.html) • [3](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/independent-minded-1.1017027) Recent roles include Eugenia, a dying mother reunited with her estranged trans daughter, in *Monica* (2023), and the equal-pay activist Lilly Ledbetter in the biopic *Lilly* (2025), directed by Rachel Feldman.[7](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/patricia-clarkson-monica-weinstein-trans-b2462729.html) • [12](https://apnews.com/article/4ce037ce904d2caff1b976d4fc59d463)
She has been publicly outspoken on several subjects. After the 2010 BP oil spill in the [Gulf of Mexico](https://www.edgepedia.org/gulf-of-mexico), she urged a tough focus on cleanup and continued vigilance about offshore drilling regulations; she has voiced support for gay rights and for trans rights, and has criticized sexism in Hollywood, telling *The Guardian* in 2016, "There are still so many movies made starring 50 men and one woman!"[2](https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/about/hall-of-honor/patricia-clarkson/) • [7](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/patricia-clarkson-monica-weinstein-trans-b2462729.html) In a 2025 interview she said she had been paid less throughout the beginning of her career, which began in 1985.[12](https://apnews.com/article/4ce037ce904d2caff1b976d4fc59d463)
## References
1. [Clarkson, Patricia, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/culture-magazines/clarkson-patricia)
2. [Patricia Clarkson, Fordham University Hall of Honor](https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/about/hall-of-honor/patricia-clarkson/)
3. [INDEPENDENT MINDED, The Irish Times (2006)](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/independent-minded-1.1017027)
4. [Patricia Clarkson – Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0165101/awards/)
5. [Patricia Clarkson, Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/patricia-clarkson)
6. [Patricia Clarkson, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/patricia-clarkson/)
7. [Patricia Clarkson on standing up to Weinstein and fighting for trans rights, The Independent (2023)](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/patricia-clarkson-monica-weinstein-trans-b2462729.html)
8. [Patricia Clarkson: 'A white male actor should never complain about anything', The Guardian (2016)](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jun/09/patricia-clarkson-learning-to-drive-interview)
9. [Patricia Clarkson by Howard Altmann, BOMB Magazine (2010)](https://bombmagazine.org/articles/2010/04/01/patricia-clarkson/)
10. [Miami Film Festival press release (2016)](https://news.mdc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/MiamiFilmFestivalLaunchesCriticallyAcclaimedFilms.pdf)
11. [Brian Cox & Patricia Clarkson in Long Day's Journey – reviews, Theatre.Reviews (2023)](https://theatre.reviews/reviews-roundup/days-journey-into-night-reviews/)
12. [Patricia Clarkson on playing her icon Lilly Ledbetter, AP News (2025)](https://apnews.com/article/4ce037ce904d2caff1b976d4fc59d463)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Ch to Cl*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license