Grace Zabriskie

Grace Zabriskie
Born	Grace Caplinger (1941-05-17) May 17, 1941 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1978–present

Grace Zabriskie (born Grace Caplinger; May 17, 1941) is an American actress. She has appeared in many popular American films, but she is best known for her work in television, including roles in the television series Twin Peaks, Seinfeld and Big Love.

Early life

Zabriskie was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the daughter of Marion Grace (Zabriskie) and Roger Thomas "Tom" Caplinger. Her mother had distant Polish ancestry, and was a relative of James Zabriskie, a 19th-century railroad industrialist and early pioneer of California. Zabriskie has said that her family was visited by Tennessee Williams, Gore Vidal and Truman Capote during her childhood.

Career

After making her major film debut in 1979's Norma Rae, Zabriskie went on to appear in dozens of other works, including the 1981 Roger Corman horror film Galaxy of Terror, and the 1981 miniseries adaptation of John Steinbeck's East of Eden. She played the nanny in 1980's The Private Eyes, Debra Winger's mother in An Officer and a Gentleman and Paul Le Mat's mother in 1984's The Burning Bed (starring Farrah Fawcett). She also appeared in 1989's Drugstore Cowboy and as the ill-fated orphanage owner Grace Poole in Child's Play 2. Other movies include the 1991 film adaptation Fried Green Tomatoes and Philip Ridley's 1995 film The Passion of Darkly Noon.

Zabriskie is perhaps most familiar for her television work. After a recurring role on the soap opera Santa Barbara, she played a major role on the David Lynch series Twin Peaks and its spin-off film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me as Sarah Palmer, the eerily psychic mother of the doomed Laura Palmer. Zabriskie also appeared in Lynch's Wild at Heart — notably as the twin sister of a character played by Isabella Rossellini, an actress eleven years her junior. David Lynch later cast her as a sinister Polish neighbour in Inland Empire in 2006.

Zabriskie may best be remembered as Mrs. Ross, a recurring character on the sitcom Seinfeld. She played the mother of another doomed daughter, Susan Ross — George Costanza's fiancée — who died after licking cheap envelope adhesive when mailing out her wedding invitations. Zabriskie's character's husband on the series, who also appeared in a recurring role, was played by her former Twin Peaks co-star, Warren Frost.

She also made a brief but memorable appearance in the episode "S'ain't Valentine's" on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens, as the emotionally disturbed and alcoholic mother of Spence Olchin (played by Patton Oswalt). While the character Veronica Olchin would reappear throughout the series, Zabriskie would not portray her again, having been replaced by Anne Meara. She also stars as Lois Henrickson in Big Love, an HBO drama series that seriously explores the issue of polygamy, and appeared in several episodes of Aaron Spelling's series Charmed as The Crone.

She has worked in radio, collaborating with radio dramatist/monologist Joe Frank several times. In one episode of Frank's show, "Home (Original)", she talks at length about her childhood in New Orleans, with a focus on her father. Zabriskie recently appeared in the American remake of The Grudge, in which she played a senile elderly woman sensitive to the paranormal occurrences in her home.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1978	They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way	Lem's Wife
1979	Norma Rae	Linette Odum
1980	The Private Eyes	Nanny
1981	Galaxy of Terror	Captain Trantor
1982	An Officer and a Gentleman	Esther Pokrifiki
1984	Nickel Mountain	Ellie Wells
1984	Body Rock	Chilly's Mother
1986	The Big Easy	Mama
1987	Rampage	Naomi Reece
1987	Leonard Part 6	Jefferson
1988	The Boost	Sheryl
1989	Drugstore Cowboy	Bob's Mother
1990	Megaville	Mrs. Palinov
1990	Wild at Heart	Juana Durango
1990	Child's Play 2	Grace Poole
1991	Ambition	Mrs. Merrick
1991	Servants of Twilight	Grace Spivey
1991	My Own Private Idaho	Alena
1991	Fried Green Tomatoes	Eva Bates
1992	The Waterdance	Pat
1992	FernGully: The Last Rainforest	Magi Lune (voice)
1992	Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me	Sarah Palmer
1992	Chain of Desire	Linda Bailey
1993	Stone Soup	Olympia
1993	Even Cowgirls Get the Blues	Mrs. Hankshaw
1994	The Last Laugh	Louise	Short film
1994	The Crew	Gloria Pierce
1994	Drop Zone	Winona
1995	Desert Winds	Jackie's Mother
1995	The Passion of Darkly Noon	Roxy
1996	A Family Thing	Ruby
1996	Bastard Out of Carolina	Granny
1997	Seed	Mother's Voice	Short film
1997	Psycho Sushi	Great Aunt
1997	George B.	The Mother
1997	Dead Men Can't Dance	Brig. Gen. Burke
1997	Annie's Garden	Mrs. Barnes
1997	Sparkler	Sherri
1998	Armageddon	Dottie
1998	Dante's View	Geraldine
1999	Trash	Mrs. DeMarie
1999	A Texas Funeral	Murtis
1999	Me and Will	Edith
2000	Home the Horror Story	Grace Parkinson
2000	A Fate Foretold	Olga	Short film
2000	Puppy Love	Jeanette Foley	Short film
2000	Gone in 60 Seconds	Helen Raines
2001	They Crawl	Mrs. Gage
2002	R.S.V.P.	Mary Franklin
2002	No Good Deed	Mrs. Quarre
2003	The Wind Effect	Allison	Short film
2004	The Last Letter	Mrs. Allison
2004	Chrystal	Gladys
2004	The Grudge	Emma
2004	Sabine and the Two-Headed Baby	Sabine	Short film
2006	Inland Empire	Visitor #1
2007	Careless	Adrienne
2007	License to Wed	Grandma Jones
2007	Alternate Endings	Mom	Short film
2008	The Brothel	Madam
2009	Bob Funk	Mrs. Funk
2009	My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?	Mrs. McCullum
2013	Wrong Cops	Donna
2013	Trancers: City of Lost Angels	The Warden	Short film
2014	Unpeaceable	Nanna
2014	The Judge	Mrs. Blackwell
2014	The Makings of You	Margaret
2015	Rosemont	Josephine

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1978	The Million Dollar Dixie Deliverance	Widow Cummins	TV movie
1979	Concrete Cowboys	Mrs. Barnaby	Episode: "Concrete Cowboys"
1979	Freedom Road	Ruth Lait	TV movie
1980	CBS Afternoon Playhouse		Episode: "Lost in Death Valley"
1980	Blinded by the Light		TV movie
1981	East of Eden	Mrs. Ames	TV miniseries
1981	Hart to Hart	Ethyl	Episode: "A Couple of Harts"
1982	The Executioner's Song	Kathryne Baker	TV movie
1983	Tales of the Gold Monkey	Dr. Clouet	Episode: "Last Chance Louie"
1983	M.A.D.D.: Mothers Against Drunk Drivers	Silvie Alice Kohler	TV movie
1983	Cagney & Lacey	Adele	Episode: "Affirmative Action"
1984	My Mother's Secret Life	Maggie Ryan	TV movie
1984	Knots Landing	Chambermaid	Episode: "Negotiations"
1984	The Burning Bed	Flossie Hughes	TV movie
1984	Paper Dolls	Cathy	Episode: "1.8"
1985	ABC Afterschool Special	Mrs. Linton	Episode: "One Too Many"
1985	Santa Barbara	Theda Bassett	17 episodes
1985	North Beach and Rawhide	Hearings Officer	TV movie
1985	Shadow Chasers	Mary Komatar	Episode: "Shadow Chasers: Part 1"
1986	Hill Street Blues	Terry Sylvestri	Episode: "Das Blues" Episode: "Scales of Justice"
1986	Cagney & Lacey	Eva Sikorski	Episode: "Model Citizens"
1987	Falcon Crest	Mabel Burton	Episode: "When the Bough Breaks" Episode: "The Cradle Will Fall"
1987	Mistress	Deanie	TV movie
1988	The Bronx Zoo	Mrs. Barris	Episode: "Ties That Bind"
1988	My Father, My Son	Mouza	TV movie
1988	Shooter	Sister Marie	TV movie
1988	Empty Nest	Eva Barrett	Episode: "Pilot"
1989	The Ryan White Story	Gloria White	TV movie
1989	Unsub	Alma	Episode: "White Bone Demon"
1989	A Deadly Silence	Psychologist	TV movie
1989	Moonlighting	(uncredited)	Episode: "In 'N Outlaws"
1990	Tales from the Crypt	Mrs. Colbert	Episode: "The Secret"
1990	Hometown Boy Makes Good	Helen Geary	TV movie
1990–1991	Twin Peaks	Sarah Palmer	13 episodes
1991	Prison Stories: Women on the Inside	Genevieve	TV movie
1991	Blood Ties	The Woman	TV movie
1991	Intimate Stranger	Dana P. Ashley	TV movie
1992	Freshman Dorm		Episode: "Pilot"
1992	A House of Secrets and Lies	Ruby	TV movie
1992	Seinfeld	Mrs. Ross	Episode: "The Cheever Letters"
1993	Bonds of Love	Emma	TV movie
1993	Miracle Child	Adeleine Newberry	TV movie
1993	Black Widow Murders: The Blanche Taylor Moore Story	Ethel	TV movie
1993	Banner Times	Momma	TV movie
1993	Double Deception		TV movie
1993	Sirens	Female Store Owner	Episode: "Keeping the Peace"
1993	Angel Falls	Cuema	1 episode
1994	Lifestories: Families in Crisis	Sandy Henry	Episode: "A Body to Die For: The Aaron Henry Story"
1995	Crazy for a Kiss	Pearl Kinross	TV movie
1995	Children of the Dust	Rose	TV movie
1995	Under Suspicion	Lily Cassins	Episode: "Hostage Standoff" Episode: "Wrongful Shooting"
1995	Empty Nest	Scarlett	Episode: "Life Goes On: Part 1" Episode: "Life Goes On: Part 2"
1995	Fallen Angels	Virna	Episode: "The Black Bargain"
1995	NYPD Blue	Wanda Padzik	Episode: "The Bookie and the Kooky Cookie"
1996	A Promise to Carolyn	Francie Harper	TV movie
1996	Second Noah	Mrs. Cheval	Episode: "Stormy Weather"
1996	Murder at My Door	Grandma	TV movie
1996	The Burning Zone	Retired CIA Agent	Episode: "Touch of the Dead"
1996	Seinfeld	Mrs. Ross	Episode: "The Rye" Episode: "The Foundation"
1997	NYPD Blue	Millie Banks	Episode: "A Remington Original"
1997	High Incident		Episode: "Remote Control"
1997	Over the Top	Dolly	Episode: "The Southern Story"
1997	The Devil's Child	Rose DeMarco	TV movie
1998	Seinfeld	Mrs. Ross	Episode: "The Wizard" Episode: "The Finale"
1998	Dharma & Greg	Naomi	Episode: "It Takes a Village"
1998	Houdini	Mrs. Weiss	TV movie
1998	Profiler	Mrs. Boudreaux	Episode: "The Sum of Her Parts"
1999	The King of Queens	Veronica	Episode: "S'ain't Valentine's"
2000	Jesse	Grandma Rose	Episode: "Jesse Gives Birth"
2000	The West Wing	Isabel	Episode: "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen: Part II"
2002	The Guardian	Judith	Episode: "The Dead"
2002	The Glow	Sylvia Goodstein	TV movie
2002–2003	John Doe	Yellow Teeth	6 episodes
2003	Charmed	The Crone	Episode: "Baby's First Demon" Episode: "Sense and Sense Ability"
2005	Medium	Connie Buckley	Episode: "The Other Side of the Tracks"
2006–2011	Big Love	Lois Henrickson	52 episodes
2013	The Killing	Mama Dips	3 episodes
2015	Ray Donovan	Miss Monassian	5 episodes
2016	Outcast

External links

• Grace Zabriskie at the Internet Movie Database
• Official website