Kathleen Turner Biography

Kathleen Turner was born Mary Kathleen Turner on the 19th of June 1954 in Springfied, Missouri. Her father was a US Foreign Service officer and the family lived in Cuba, England, Canada and Venezuela. Kathleen grew up in these four different countries but it was in London where she attended high school and trained under the Central School of Speech and Drama.

In 1972, Kathleen graduated from the American School in London. That same year, her father died and their family returned to the United States. Back in the US, she went to the Missouri State University for two years and then went to the University of Maryland Baltimore County where she finished her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1977.

In 1978, she was first seen as an actress in the daytime soap opera The Doctors, and played the role of Nola Dancy Aldrich for a year. Then in 1981, she had her break when she landed the role of Matty Walker in the hit film Body Heat. It was the start of her stardom in Hollywood in the 80s.

She was seen next in the film Romancing the Stone, where she played the role of Joan Wilder. She was seen opposite Danny De Vito and Michael Douglas in this film which was one of the top grossing films of 1984. For playing the character of Joan, Kathleen Turner won the Best Actress Award from the Golden Globe. She, Michael Douglas and Danny De Vito reprised their roles in its sequel, The Jewel of the Nile, the following year.

Kathleen Turner was next seen opposite Jack Nicholson in the movie Prizzi’s Honor. For her performance in Prizzi’s Honor, she received her second Golden Globe Award. Then in 1987, she appeared in the movie Peggy Sue Got Married, opposite Nicolas Cage, and got her first Best Actress nomination from the Academy Awards.

The following year, she lent her voice in the full length animation film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, voicing the character of Jessica Rabbit. Then in 1989, Kathleen Turner teamed up once more with Danny De Vito and Michael Douglas in the hit movie The War of the Roses.

In 1992, Kathleen Turner was diagnosed with severe rheumatoid arthritis and suffered a year of severe pain before being diagnosed. Because of her disease she was seen only in minor films by the end of the 90s.

In 2000, she was seen onstage in the London production of The Graduate. Then in 2005, she landed the lead role in the Broadway production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf? besting over other actresses including, Bette Midler, Jessica Lange and Frances McDormand.