Since the early 1980s, Kathy Baker has appeared in dozens of television shows and films, including the Netflix series called The Ranch. Her career is easily one of the most successful in the entertainment industry if you judge it based on her numerous awards. Baker’s work on The Ranch is just one example of her range and abilities in front of the camera.
Baker’s most famous role was in the 1990s drama Picket Fences, but she’s gone on to appear in some of television’s biggest shows since. From Grey’s Anatomy to Ally McBeal to Law & Order, Kathy Baker’s talent is showcased regularly on television. However, despite more than forty years in the public eye, there is still so much to learn about Kathy Baker.
1. Kathy Baker’s Awards And Nominations
Kathy Baker’s impressive career includes numerous award nominations and wins, including several major ones. Baker’s role in Picket Fences earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1993, 1995, and 1996. Kathy Baker was nominated but did not win in 1994. Her Picket Fences role earned Baker a Golden Globe Award in 1994 and nominations in 1995 and 1996.
Picket Fences also earned Baker a Screen Actors Guild Award in 1995 as well as another nomination in 1996. Baker was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 2000 for her role in Touched By An Angel. Baker earned a SAG nomination in 2000 for The Cider House Rules. Baker was nominated for two more Primetime Emmys. One for her role in Boston Public in 2001 and one for her role in Door to Door in 2003.
2. Baker’s Drama Teacher Inspired Her To Become An Actor
Kathy Baker received her high school diploma in 1968, but her high school years gave her so much more than just her diploma. Baker worked with Allen Knight, her drama teacher, during high school. It was Knight who inspired her to become an actress and make a living in the entertainment industry. She would go on to study acting in college, but she would earn her college degree in French.
3. Baker’s Big Break Was Opposite Ed Harris
Ed Harris is one of the most famous actors in the industry, but he wasn’t always. Neither Ed Harris nor Kathy Baker were famous actors when they were cast together in an Off-Broadway production in 1983. It was called Fool for Love, and it was Baker’s big break. It also gave Ed Harris his own big break because he was cast in The Right Stuff the same year.
4. Baker Prefers Working With Very Specific Directors
When it comes to her work, Kathy Baker prefers a certain type of director. She’s open to working with anyone once, but she continues to work with directors who encourage her and allow her a certain type of freedom. Baker is happy to take advice, direction, and guidance in her roles, but she struggles with directors who don’t allow their actors to have any say in their characters.
Kathy Baker needs to feel as if her director is working with the cast rather than telling them what to do. Though she’s worked with some of the most talented directors in the business, Baker hasn’t spoken ill of any of them. She merely points out that her preferred type of director collaborates with the talent on set.
5. Baker Feels Being A Working Mother In Her Industry Is Nearly Impossible
In an interview with culture.org, Kathy Baker discussed her feelings on motherhood and being an actor. “I think it’s pretty rare to have that intact family and a wonderful career like Meryl Streep,” she said of how hard it is to do what she does. Baker’s first marriage did not work out; she attributes some of that to her career, her kids, and the difficulty of balancing it all simultaneously.
Though she can’t say that her marriage would have worked out had she not been trying to balance it all, Kathy Baker is happy now. Baker’s first marriage gave her two children she loves. Kathy Baker and her second husband, Steven Robman, have been married since 2003.
6. Kathy Baker Makes Requests, Not Demands
When an actor reaches a certain level of success, there is room to make demands when working on a project. However, Kathy Baker does not make demands. She makes requests, but she doesn’t even do that on a regular basis. Baker admits that the industry has changed, and a lot of demands and requests made in the past are no longer considered, so she typically doesn’t even ask when she lands a job.
Read Next: Danny Masterson Finally Gets Fired from The Ranch
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