Lois Smith
Lois Smith
Biography
Lois Arlene Smith (née Humbert; born November 3, 1930) is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1955 drama film East of Eden, and later played supporting roles in a number of movies, including Five Easy Pieces (1970), Resurrection (1980), Fatal Attraction (1987), Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), Dead Man Walking, Twister (1996), Minority Report (2002), The Nice Guys (2016) and Lady Bird (2017). In 2017, Smith received critical acclaim for her leading performance in the science-fiction drama film Marjorie Prime, for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Awards, Gotham Awards and Saturn Award, and well as won Satellite Award. Smith also has had many roles on television, both daytime and prime time. She was regular cast member in the HBO horror drama True Blood, and well as received Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series nomination for The Americans. Smith also is known for her extensive work in the theatre, receiving two Tony Award nominations for originating the role of Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1990) and for the role of Halie in a revival of Buried Child in 1996. She also starred in an acclaimed Off-Broadway revival of The Trip to Bountiful in 2005 for which she received an Obie Award for Best Actress, an Outer Critics Circle Award, a Lucille Lortel Award, and a Drama Desk Award. Smith is an ensemble member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lois Smith, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
134
Gender
Female
Birthday
1930-11-03 (94 years old)
Place of Birth
Topeka, Kansas, USA
Acting

2025

The Uninvited as Helen

2025

The Gettysburg Address as Elizabeth Crawford (voice)

2022

This Fool as Beverly

2022

Mack & Rita as Betty

2021

Law & Order: Organized Crime as Doris 'Mama' Boone

2021

Gossip Girl as Iris Lefferts

2021

The French Dispatch as Upshur 'Maw' Clampette

2020

Tesla as The Grande Dame

2020

Uncle Frank as Aunt Butch

2019

On Becoming a God in Central Florida as Mimi Waldenstock

2018

Impulse as Deirdre 'Dippy' Jones

2017

Lady Bird as Sister Sarah Joan

2017

9JKL as Wrong Nana

2017

Marjorie Prime as Marjorie

2016

The Nice Guys as Mrs. Glenn

2016

The Comedian as Miriam

2015

Younger as Belinda Lacroix

2015

Grace and Frankie as Mrs. Hanson

2015

Sneaky Pete as Reverend Ethel Landry

2015

Run All Night as Margaret Conlon

2014

Showing Up as Self

2013

The Blacklist as Lucy Game

2013

Mom as Claire

2013

Ray Donovan as Dolores

2013

The Americans as Betty Turner

2013

The Man Who Came Out Only at Night as The Youngest Daughter (later)

2012

Ruth & Erica as Ruth

2012

Roadie as Mom

2010

Please Give as Mrs. Portman

2009

A Dog Year as Lois Blair

2008

True Blood as Adele Stackhouse

2008

Diminished Capacity as Belle

2008

Turn the River as Abby

2006

Hollywoodland as Helen Bessolo

2006

Griffin & Phoenix as Dr. Imberman

2006

Little Fugitive as Elizabeth

2006

Little Fugitive as Social Worker

2005

Grey's Anatomy as Mrs. Dickerson

2005

Sweet Land as Inge (as an older woman)

2004

Desperate Housewives as Allison Scavo

2004

LAX as Rose Sinclair

2004

P.S. as Ellie Silverstein

2004

Iron Jawed Angels as Reverend Anna Howard Shaw

2003

Cold Case as Fannie

2003

Red Betsy as Helen Rounds

2002

Minority Report as Dr. Iris Hineman [The Greenhouse]

2002

The Laramie Project as Lucy Thompson

2001

Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Betty Bennett

2001

The Hire as Mother

2001

The Pledge as Helen Jackson

2001

Powder Keg as Mother

1999

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Rebecca Tolliver

1999

Tumbleweeds as Ginger

1998

A Will of their Own as Miss Maude

1998

The Eternal as Mrs. Ferriter

1997

The Practice as Not available

1997

Just Shoot Me! as Libby

1997

Hudson River Blues as Not available

1996

Twister as Aunt Meg

1996

Larger Than Life as Luluna

1995

Dead Man Walking as Helen's Mother

1995

Truman as Madge Wallace Gates

1994

Touched by an Angel as Mildred Mancini

1994

ER as Gracie

1994

Holy Matrimony as Orna

1993

Frasier as Moira

1993

Falling Down as D-Fens' Mother

1993

Skylark as Lou Wheaton

1992

Deadly Matrimony as Not available

1992

Hard Promises as Mrs. Bell

1992

The Donner Party as voice

1992

Keep the Change as Lureen

1991

Fried Green Tomatoes as Mama Threadgoode

1991

Good Sports as Not available

1991

The Grapes of Wrath as Ma Joad

1991

Switched at Birth as Margaret

1991

Coney Island as (voice)

1990

Law & Order as Eunice Varick

1990

Green Card as Brontë's Mother

1988

American Experience as (voice)

1988

Midnight Run as Mrs. Nelson, Mardukas's Friend

1988

Hello Actors Studio as Self

1987

thirtysomething as Not available

1987

Fatal Attraction as Martha

1987

Black Widow as Sara

1985

The Equalizer as Marie Ganucci

1985

The Equalizer as Dorothy Hermes

1985

Spenser: For Hire as Not available

1985

Doubletake as Sarah

1985

Twisted as Helen Giles

1984

Reckless as Mrs. Prescott

1983

Rage of Angels as Clara

1983

Reuben, Reuben as Mare Spofford

1981

Four Friends as Mrs. Carnahan

1981

The House of Mirth as Bertha Dorset

1980

Foxes as Mrs. Axman

1980

Resurrection as Kathy

1976

Next Stop, Greenwich Village as Anita Cunningham

1972

Up the Sandbox as Elinore

1972

Particular Men as Not available

1970

Somerset as Zoe Cannell

1970

Five Easy Pieces as Partita Dupea

1970

The Way We Live Now as Jane Aldridge

1970

Dragon Country as Woman (segment "Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen")

1966

CBS Playhouse as Not available

1961

Dr. Kildare as Libby Clayton

1961

The Defenders as Esther Terranova

1960

Route 66 as Not available

1960

Route 66 as Dana

1960

Route 66 as Lucy Brown

1955

Strange Lady in Town as Spurs O'Brien

NaN

The Steel Harp as Not available

1960

The Master Builder as Hilda

1959

Startime as Not available

1958

Naked City as Dawn Garrison

1956

Tony Awards as Self - Nominee

1956

Tony Awards as Self - Nominee/Performer

1955

Matinee Theater as Not available

1955

East of Eden as Anne

1953

Letter to Loretta as Jenny Musgrave

1950

Robert Montgomery Presents as Not available

1948

Studio One as Lisa Molloy
Crew

1997

Eye of God Thanks