Martha Plimpton: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 23:49, 8 November 2010
Martha Plimpton | |
|---|---|
 Martha Plimpton in 1989 | |
| Born | Martha Campbell Plimpton November 16, 1970 |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1981 – present |
Martha Campbell Plimpton (born November 16, 1970) is an American actress and singer. She currently plays the role of Virginia Chance on the Fox sitcom Raising Hope.
Early life
Plimpton was born and raised in New York City, the daughter of actors Keith Carradine and Shelley Plimpton. Her parents met while performing in the original Broadway run of Hair. Her paternal grandfather was actor John Carradine and she is the niece of Robert and David Carradine. She is a cousin of both the late writer and editor George Plimpton,[1] and, despite the different spelling, cartoonist Bill Plympton.[2] She attended the Professional Children's School in Manhattan.[3] Her first stage appearance was when her mother brought her on stage in costume for the curtain call of the short-lived Broadway play The Leaf People.[4]
Career
Plimpton began her career in modeling, securing an early 1980s campaign for Calvin Klein, making an impression as a sophisticated but tomboyish little girl. She made her screen debut in 1981, when at the age of 11 she had a small part in the film Rollover. In 1984 she appeared in the Deep South independent drama The River Rat opposite Tommy Lee Jones. Her breakthrough performance was as Stef Steinbrenner in the 1985 feature film The Goonies. She also appeared that year in a featured role on the television sitcom Family Ties.
This would begin a trend of Plimpton being typecast in the role of a rebellious tomboy for several years, beginning with her critically lauded performance as the Reverend Spellgood (Andre Gregory)'s daughter in the 1986 film The Mosquito Coast starring Harrison Ford. It was on the set of this film that she met her future boyfriend, River Phoenix. A critically praised but commercially unsuccessful venture with Barbara Hershey in the 1987 film Shy People was followed by a performance in the 1988 ensemble comedy Stars and Bars. This was released shortly before Plimpton's second collaboration with Phoenix in the film Running on Empty, an Academy Award-nominated film for which she was nominated for a Young Artist Award.
Plimpton began what became a career trend, mixing small independent film appearances with supporting roles in big-budget films. She appeared in the 1989 Woody Allen film Another Woman; that year, she co-starred with Jami Gertz as a cancer patient in the German film Zwei Frauen (released in America as Silence Like Glass). The film was nominated for Outstanding Feature Film at the German Film Awards.
Plimpton had shaved her head bald to play a cancer patient in Zwei Frauen, and her reputation for playing rebellious teenagers secured her the role of the indignant teenage daughter (who shaves her head) of Dianne Wiest in Parenthood. Coincidentally, Plimpton appeared alongside Joaquin Phoenix (then credited as Leaf Phoenix), the younger brother of her former boyfriend, River, where he portrayed her on-screen brother.
In 1991 Plimpton appeared in the Robert De Niro film Stanley & Iris in a supporting role. In 1992, Plimpton appeared as a lesbian terrorist in the independent film Inside Monkey Zetterland. She also played the starring role in the film Samantha.
The success of Samantha garnered Plimpton a variety of roles in 1993. She appeared with Cuba Gooding, Jr., in the television film Daybreak and was a part of the mostly improvised television film Chantilly Lace. She had a featured role in the big-budget films Josh and S.A.M. and played the lead in the critically blasted film adaptation of the Carolyn Chute novel The Beans of Egypt, Maine. Plimpton also appeared that year as herself in the independent film My Life's in Turnaround, a movie about filmmakers trying to make a movie.
Plimpton continued to make appearances in featured roles in both independent films and mainstream movies from 1994 through 1997, most notably as a close friend of radical feminist Valerie Solanas in the film I Shot Andy Warhol.
In 1997 the Showtime Network cast Plimpton as the female lead in a television film called The Defenders: Payback. The show was a retooling of the classic television show by the same name, and the characters were descendants of character Lawrence Preston, a role reprised by actor E.G. Marshall. The intent was to spin the program off into a series akin to Law & Order, but Marshall died in 1998. Two additional episodes (The Defenders: Choice of Evils and The Defenders: Taking the First) were aired as specials that year. The decision was made to not continue production (despite high ratings and critical praise) due to Marshall's death.
Plimpton became involved with The Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago where she appeared in Hedda Gabler (2001) among others.[5] In 1998 she appeared in the John Waters film Pecker; the film was lambasted but Plimpton's work was praised. This also occurred with her appearance in the 1999 crafty 200 Cigarettes. In 1999 Plimpton had a recurring role in the television drama ER as Meg Corwyn. In 2001, she co-starred with Jacqueline Bisset in The Sleepy Time Gal, which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival.
In 2002, she appeared in the documentary film Searching for Debra Winger and was nominated for an Emmy Award for her guest appearance on the television drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Plimpton was the voice of Miss Crumbles in the 2004 animated film Hair High by Bill Plympton. In 2004, she also guest-starred on an episode of 7th Heaven; she received her first writing credit for a different episode of the show that year entitled "Red Socks." She continues to act in television, film and on stage. Plimpton had a recurring role on the NBC show Surface, which aired in the 2005–06 season.
From October 2006 until May 2007, she was in The Coast of Utopia, a trilogy of plays by Tom Stoppard that played at the Lincoln Center. For her work in this play she won a Drama Desk Award and was nominated for a Tony award. (The Tony was awarded to fellow cast member Jennifer Ehle.)
In October 2007 Plimpton completed a starring role in A Midsummer Night's Dream on Broadway in New York City. She then began rehearsals for the play Cymbeline. She and friend Richard began a production company called Everything is Horrible.[6] They have produced a number of short films for the internet.
Plimpton received her second nomination for a Tony Award in 2008, Best Performance by a Featured Actress In a Play, for her work in Top Girls at the Biltmore Theater.[7]
In November 2008, she earned rave reviews as Gladys Bumps in the Roundabout Theatre Company production of the classical Rodgers and Hart musical Pal Joey on Broadway and garnered her third consecutive Tony nomination, this time for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
Plimpton appeared in the 2008 Entertainment Weekly photo issue spread as one of "The Hardest Working Actors In Showbiz." In the spread she appears with Lance Reddick, Celia Weston, John Slattery, Bobby Cannavale, James Rebhorn, Lynn Cohen, Matt Servitto and Bob Balaban. Plimpton says in the write-up about her "I went to jury duty the other day, and somebody said, 'You always play drug addicts!' I've played a few on TV, and I imagine because the shows get replayed, it seems like more. But yeah, people tend to see me as this pregnant teenage heroin addict."
In November 2009, Plimpton signed on as a main cast member on the Fox sitcom Raising Hope. The show premiered on September 21, 2010, receiving strong reviews for both Plimpton and the pilot itself. The New York Times called Raising Hope "the most promising" of "the best new fall shows,"[8] and said "Plimpton isn’t the only reason “Raising Hope” could be the best new sitcom of the season, but she is the main reason."[9]
Plimpton performed "God Bless America" during the seventh inning stretch of Game 3 of the MLB 2010 World Series in Texas on Fox, October 30, 2010.
Other work
Plimpton is friends with singer Lucy Wainwright Roche. In 2008, she performed a duet with Roche on the E.P. 8 More singing the Bruce Springsteen song Hungry Heart. In 2010 she sang another Springsteen song, this time Thunder Road, on the public radio program Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen, accompanied by acclaimed whistler Eric Gilliland.[10] She has appeared multiple times as a featured guest on public radio's The Leonard Lopate Show, and performed in a roast of Lopate celebrating the 25th anniversary of his radio program.[11]
Plimpton sits on the board of directors of The Players,[12] a New York City social club founded in 1888 by actor Edwin Booth. In 2009 she was profiled by The New York Times for their "A Night Out With..." series, in which Plimpton hosted an evening of poker at The Players.[13]
In January 2010, she performed a one-woman show called Martha Plimpton Sings? for the Lincoln Center's American Songbook program.[14] The show explored her experiences growing up in 1970s New York City. Her performance, well received by critics,[15] included such songs as "Jolly Coppers on Parade", "Woman Is the Nigger of the World", and The Smiths's "Ask" tied together with humorous monologues.
Plimpton also narrates audiobooks, notably the novels Diary by Chuck Palahniuk and Mrs. Kimble by Jennifer Haigh.
Media References
She is referenced in the Lawrence Arms song "Light Breathing (Me and Martha Plimpton in a fancy elevator)," a song detailing the singer unexpectedly stepping into an elevator with her and being unable to overcome shyness to ask her out.
In September 2010, actor and comedian David Craig created a webseries spoof titled "Simply Plimpton."
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Rollover | Fewster's Older Daughter | |
| 1984 | The River Rat | Jonsy | |
| 1985 | The Goonies | Stef Steinbrenner | Nominated, Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress- Motion Picture, Young Artist Award |
| 1986 | A Life in the Day | ||
| The Mosquito Coast | Emily Spellgood | Nominated, Best Young Female Superstar in Motion Pictures, Young Artist Award | |
| 1987 | Shy People | Grace | Nominated, Best Supporting Female, Independent Spirit Award |
| 1988 | Stars and Bars | Bryant | |
| Running on Empty | Lorna Phillips | Nominated, Best Young Actress in a Motion Picture- Drama Young Artist Award | |
| Another Woman | Laura | ||
| 1989 | Zwei Frauen | Claudia Jacoby | |
| Parenthood | Julie Buckman-Higgins | ||
| 1990 | Stanley and Iris | Kelly King | |
| 1992 | A Blink of Paradise | Mother | |
| Inside Monkey Zetterland | Sofie | ||
| Samantha | Samantha | ||
| 1993 | The Perfect Woman | ||
| Josh and S.A.M. | Alison (The Liberty Maid) | ||
| 1994 | The Beans of Egypt, Maine | Earlene Pomerleau | |
| Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle | Jane Grant | ||
| 1995 | The Last Summer in the Hamptons | Chloe | |
| 1996 | I Shot Andy Warhol | Stevie | |
| Beautiful Girls | Jan | ||
| I'm Not Rappaport | Laurie Campbell | ||
| 1997 | Colin Fitz | Ann | |
| Eye of God | Ainsley Dupree | ||
| 1998 | Music from Another Room | Karen Swan | |
| Pecker | Tina | ||
| 1999 | 200 Cigarettes | Monica | |
| 2001 | The Sleepy Time Gal | Rebecca | |
| 2004 | Hair High | Miss Crumbles | Voice |
| 2006 | Marvelous | Gwen | |
| 2007 | Dante's Inferno | Celia | |
| 2008 | Gone to the Dogs | Leslie | |
| Puppy Love | Leslie | ||
| 2010 | I Thought About You | Gloria | |
| Small Town Murder Scenes | Sam | ||
| Remember Me | Helen Craig |
Television
| Year | Series | Role | Episode and other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Family Ties | Jessie Black | You've Got a Friend |
| 1999 | ER | Meg Corwin | Humpty Dumpty; The Peace of Wild Things; Truth and Consequences; Sins of the Fathers |
| 2002 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Claire Rinato | Denial (Emmy Award Nomination) |
| 2003 | Karen Sisco | Chelsea Wentworth | The One That Got Away |
| Hack | Louise O'Connor | Black Eye | |
| 2004 | 7th Heaven | Venus | Regret to Inform |
| 2006 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Jo Gage | Blind Spot |
| Surface | Mr. Big/Dr. Morris | Episode #1.12; Episode #1.13 | |
| 2009 | The Good Wife | Patti Nyholm | Crash |
| Medium | Rosemary Widdick | Pain Killer | |
| Grey's Anatomy | Pam Michaelson | Goodbye; Good Mourning | |
| 2010 | Raising Hope | Virginia Chance | Main cast member |
| Fringe | Sheriff Ann Mathis | Northwest Passage | |
| How to Make It in America | Edie Weitz | Never Say Die; Keep on Truck'n; Big in Japan; Unhappy Birthday; Paper, Denim + Dollars | |
| The Good Wife | Patti Nyholm | Heart |
- Plimpton wrote the 2005 7th Heaven episode "Red Socks."
Theatre
Broadway
- Top Girls Nominated, Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play
- The Coast of Utopia Nominated, Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play; Won Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play; Won Outer Critic's Circle for Best Featured Actress in a Play
- Cymbeline
- Pal Joey Nominated, Tony Award, Best Featured Actress in a Musical; Nominated, Drama Desk Award, Best Featured Actress in a Musical
- Sixteen Wounded
- Shining City
The Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park
Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Off Broadway
- Flesh and Blood
- Hurly Burly
- Boston Marriage
- The False Servant
- Hobson's Choice Won Obie Award for Outstanding Performance
- Suburbia
- Pericles, Prince of Tyre
- The Haggadah
- Runaways
Seattle Repertory Theatre
Awards and recognition
Plimpton has garnered three consecutive Tony Award nominations: In 2007 for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role in Top Girls, in the same category in 2008 for Coast of Utopia, and for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 2009 for Pal Joey. In 2002 she received an Emmy Award nomination for her performance in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Plimpton won the 2001 Obie Award for Outstanding Performance for Hobson's Choice. She also won the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critic's Circle Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 2008 for her role in Coast of Utopia, and was nominated again for a Drama Desk Award in 2009 for Pal Joey.
In film, Plimpton has been nominated for three Young Artist Awards: Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress for Goonies, Best Young Female Superstar in Motion Pictures for The Mosquito Coast, and Best Young Actress in a Motion Picture for Running on Empty. She was also nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in the Best Supporting Female category for her performance in Shy People.
References
- ^ Adams, Cindy "Cousins Who Miss, Kiss, Hiss and Dismiss" The New York Post, July 24, 2009 "Martha Plimpton on cousin George Plimpton: "There was no Plimpton competition. We encouraged each other. People see the Plimptons as stodgy, but there's this whole other Plimpton branch that's different. We're not all bankers."
- ^ Plympton, Bill http://www.plymptoons.com/scrapbook/scrap101609.html "But through my beautiful and talented cousin, Martha Plimpton (the star of Broadway), David, her uncle, was kind enough to do a starring voice in my wonderful film "Hair High."
- ^ Ryzik, Melena. "So Odd, but Lately in Classic Fashion", The New York Times, November 25, 2007. Accessed November 25, 2007. "ON a break from rehearsals for “Cymbeline” at Lincoln Center Martha Plimpton dashed outside for a cigarette and immediately ran into a classmate from her alma mater, the nearby Professional Children’s School."
- ^ "Working in the Theatre" – April 2004 panel discussion at American Theatre Wing
- ^ Steppenwolf Theatre website company list
- ^ http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=174853041
- ^ TonyAwards.com – The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards – Official Website by IBM
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/arts/television/12stanley.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=raising%20hope&st=cse
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/arts/television/21hope.html?scp=6&sq=raising%20hope&st=cse
- ^ http://www.studio360.org/episodes/2010/05/14/segments/154854
- ^ http://www.theatermania.com/new-york/news/02-2010/rosie-perez-martha-plimpton-et-al-set-for-a-leonar_25022.html
- ^ http://www.theplayersnyc.org/members/content/view/14/28/
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/fashion/01Nite.html?scp=1&sq=a%20night%20out%20with%20martha%20plimpton&st=cse
- ^ http://www.nbcnewyork.com/around-town/events/Hot-Ticket-Martha-Plimpton-Sings-80709337.html
- ^ http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117941903.html?categoryid=33&cs=1&nid=2562&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+variety%2Fheadlines+%28Variety+-+Latest+News%29
External links
- Plimpton's page at MySpace
- Martha Plimpton at IMDb
- Martha Plimpton at the Internet Broadway Database
- Please use a more specific IOBDB template. See the template documentation for available templates.
- {http://www.simplyplimpton.com/Test/Welcome.html