Angela Bettis

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Angela Bettis
Angela Bettis MMKK.1.jpg
Bettis on the set of the music video for Califone's Movie Music Kills a Kiss (2013)
Born
Angela Marie Bettis

(1973-01-09) January 9, 1973 (age 52)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • director
  • producer
Years active1993–present
Height5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Spouse Kevin Gerard Ford (m. April 2001, div.)

Angela Marie Bettis (born January 9, 1973) [1] is an American actress, film producer, and director.

Contents

Following her breakthrough role as Janet Webber in the drama film Girl, Interrupted (1999), she earned acclaim for her portrayals of Carrietta White in the television film Carrie (2002) and the titular character in the psychological horror film May (2002). For May, she won the Brussels International Festival Award for Best Actress, the Catalan International Film Festival Award for Best Actress and the Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Actress. She went on to play Belle Cleek in the horror film The Woman (2011) and Mandy in the black comedy film 12 Hour Shift (2020). For 12 Hour Shift, she earned a nomination for the Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress in a Horror Movie.

In addition to her work in film, Bettis also starred in two Broadway productions: The Father in 1996 with Frank Langella and as Abigail Williams in a 2002 revival of Arthur Miller's The Crucible alongside Liam Neeson and Laura Linney.

Early life

Bettis was born in Austin, Texas [2] where she attended Westlake High School. Daughter of Richard Joseph Bettis and wife Mary Lynn Guthrie, she has a twin brother, Joseph Edward "Joe" Bettis. [3]

She married in April 2001 and divorced director, cinematographer and documentary filmmaker Kevin Gerard Ford, with whom she founded film producer Productions in 2001.

Career

Angela Bettis in 2007. Bettis1.jpg
Angela Bettis in 2007.

Her debut role was a lead in the romantic tragedy, Sparrow , directed by Franco Zeffirelli, at the age of 18. She later went on to star in a film called The Last Best Sunday, before landing supporting roles opposite Winona Ryder in Girl, Interrupted and Kim Basinger in Bless the Child .

In 2002, she starred as Abigail Williams in a production of The Crucible on Broadway alongside Laura Linney and Liam Neeson. [4] Bettis is most famous for her work in independent horror films, and especially her professional relationship with writer and director Lucky McKee. Her title role in McKee's 2002 film May earned her a cult following. Since then, she has appeared in McKee's Masters of Horror episode "Sick Girl" and provided a voice-over for his film The Woods . In 2006, their May roles reversed, when McKee acted for Bettis in her directorial debut, Roman , based on a McKee script. In 2011, she played a major role in McKee's adaptation of Jack Ketchum's The Woman .

Bettis starred as Carrietta White in Carrie , a made-for-television adaptation of the 1974 novel of the same name written by Stephen King, in which her performance was singled out for praise. Linda Stasi of the New York Post was positively surprised by her performance and stated that Bettis should win an Emmy. [5] Ron Wertheimer, who wrote for The New York Times , said that Bettis expressed the character's emotions well, and lamented that the film "affords Ms. Bettis few opportunities for such genuine acting". [6]

She headlined Tobe Hooper's Toolbox Murders , an in-name-only remake of an obscure 1970s horror film. She also starred in the crime thriller Scar . [7] She had a guest role on the TV show Dexter's fifth season as Emily Birch, the first victim of Jordan Chase. [8]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1993 Sparrow MariaOriginal title: Storia di una capinera
1999The Last Best SundayLolly Ann Summers
1999 Girl, Interrupted Janet Webber
2000 Bless the Child Jenna O'Connor
2001 Perfume Wilemina
2001VallenCaitlin
2002People Are DeadAngela the Broadway actressAlso producer
2002 May May Dove Canady
2002 Coastlines Effie Bender
2003HollywouldHollyShort film, also producer
2004 Toolbox Murders Nell Barrows
2004Love RomeMary
2005The CircleJay
2005Last Days of AmericaAmerica the WomanShort film, also producer
2006 The Woods Voice in the WoodsVoice
2006 Roman Elixer Bluff Acting TroupVoice, also director
2007When Is TomorrowRachelAlso producer
2007 Scar Joan Burrows
2008 Wicked Lake The Mother
2008Blue Like YouRedShort film
2010 Drones Amy
2010 All My Friends Are Funeral Singers Zel
2010My Alien MotherMotherAlso producer
2011 The Woman Belle Cleek
2011LegsJenAlso producer
2012 Sinister FranScenes deleted
2017Our Little SecretToni
2020 12 Hour Shift Mandy
2021 Ghosts of the Ozarks Lucille
2021The Weird KidzDuana

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1998 Touched by an Angel LauraEpisode: "Beautiful Dreamer"
1998 Legacy JennaEpisode: "Brother Love"
1999 Sliders JillEpisode: "New Gods for Old"
2001 The Flamingo Rising Alice KingTelevision film
2001 The Ponder Heart Bonnie Dee PeacockTelevision film
2002 Carrie Carrie White Television film
2006 Masters of Horror Ida TeeterEpisode: "Sick Girl"
2009 House SusanEpisode: "Broken"
2010 Dexter Emily BirchEpisodes: "Hop a Freighter", "In the Beginning"
2010–2011 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Rosalind JohnsonEpisodes: "Fracked", "Turn On, Tune In, Drop Dead"
2013 Criminal Minds Tess MynockEpisode: "Alchemy"
2013 Twisted Tales LidiaWeb series, Segment: "Shockwave"
2015 Dig FayMiniseries
2017 Arkansas Traveler MyrtleWeb series

As producer

Producer
YearTitleNotes
2001LovindapocalypseVideo documentary
2002People Are DeadAlso actress
2002Lovindapocalypse 2Video documentary
2003HollywouldShort film, also actress
2003Lovindapocalypse 3Video documentary
2005Last Days of AmericaShort film, also actress
2007When Is TomorrowAlso actress
2011LegsAlso actress

As director

YearTitleNotes
2006 Roman Also actress
2012 The ABCs of Death Segment: "E Is for Exterminate"

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResult
2002 Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival Best Actress May Won
2003 Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival Silver Raven AwardWon
Fancine Awards Best ActressWon
2004 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Best ActressWon
Online Film Critics Society Awards Best ActressNominated
2006 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Best Actress Toolbox Murders Nominated
2012 Chicago International Film Festival Gold Hugo Award The ABCs of Death Nominated
2021 Critics' Choice Super Awards Best Actress in a Horror Movie 12 Hour Shift Nominated

References

  1. Kothmann, David (1995). The Kothmanns of Texas, 1845-1991. Vol. 4. Anchor Publishing Company. p. 711. ISBN   978-0-943-63922-2.
  2. Savlov, Marc (May 9, 2008). "512 + 1". The Austin Chronicle . Archived from the original on July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  3. "Angela Bettis Biography". TV Guide . Archived from the original on July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  4. "The Crucible on Broadway". Playbill Vault. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
  5. "SLASH AND 'CARRIE' : 3 ½ STARS FOR REMAKE OF KILLER CLASSIC". New York Post. November 4, 2002. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  6. Wertheimer, Ron (November 4, 2002). "TELEVISION REVIEW; It's Not Nice to Make Fun of Carrie, Remember?". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  7. Lucky McKee and Angela Bettis Reteam on Jack Ketchum's Offspring: The Woman
  8. "Julia Stiles: There's Something "Oddly Romantic" About Dexter and Lumen". TV Guide . Retrieved September 30, 2017.