Keener, Catherine

Catherine Keener (born March 26, 1959) is an American actress. Keener is known for her portrayals of disgruntled, melancholic and sympathetic women in independent films, as well as her supporting roles in studio films. Her accolades include nominations for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Keener was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for Being John Malkovich (1999) and for her portrayal of author Harper Lee in Capote (2005). Her performance as Gertrude Baniszewski in An American Crime (2007) earned her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. She is the muse of director Nicole Holofcener, having appeared in each of Holofcener's first five films. She also appeared in each of director Tom DiCillo's first four films, and three films directed by Spike Jonze. Keener has starred in the films The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Into the Wild (2007), Synecdoche, New York (2008), Where the Wild Things Are (2009), Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), Get Out (2017), and Joker: Folie à Deux (2024), as well as starring voice roles in The Croods (2013), its sequel The Croods: A New Age (2020), and Incredibles 2 (2018). From 2018 to 2020, she starred in the Showtime dramedy series Kidding.