Frances McDormand

Bio:
Frances McDormand (born Frances Louise McDormand on June 23, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actress. Frances was born in Chicago and was adopted by a Canadian-born couple. Her father’s job of restoring congregations forced them to move frequently, until they settled in Pennsylvania. After graduating Monessen High School in 1975, she attended Bethany College in West Virginia. Frances graduated from the Yale School of Drama with a Master’s of Fine Arts in 1982. Shortly afterward, Frances made her film debut in 1984’s Blood Simple. Frances has appeared in many of the Coen Brothers movie, with one of her biggest roles being Marge Gunderson in 1996’s Fargo. Her portrayal won her the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1997. Frances made her Broadway debut in 1984 in the revival of the play, Awake and Sing. She received a Tony Award nomination for her portrayal of Stella Kowalski in a 1988 revival of A Streetcar Named Desire. Her television roles include appearances on Hill Street Blues, State of Grace and in 2014’s Olive Kitteridge, which she won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.

Best Known For:
Frances McDormand is best known as an actress who played roles in several Coen Brothers films, including Fargo, Raising Arizona and Burn After Reading.

Personal Life:
Frances married director Joel Coen in 1984. In 1985, she and Joel shared a house in the Bronx with Holly Hunter and director Sam Raimi. She has a sister, Dorothy A. McDormand. She and Joel adopted a son, Pedro, who was born in Paraguay, in 1994.