Early life

Clarkson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the daughter of Jackie Clarkson (née Brechtel), a New Orleans politician and councilwoman, and Arthur Clarkson, a school administrator who worked at Louisiana State University's Department of Medicine. She has four sisters. Clarkson studied speech pathology at Louisiana State University, later transferring to Fordham University in New York City, where she graduated summa cum laude with a degree in drama. She then earned her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) at the Yale School of Drama before making her film debut in The Untouchables in 1987.

Career

Clarkson's Broadway theatre credits include The House of Blue Leaves and Eastern Standard. She had supporting roles in a series of high-profile films in her early career. Her first movie role, at age 27, was as the wife of Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) in The Untouchables. She was also featured in The Dead Pool, Rocket Gibraltar and Everybody's All-American. She starred in the short-run television series Davis Rules, and in the miniseries Alex Haley's Queen.

More often a character actor than a leading woman, she has also appeared in such major films as The Green Mile (1999), Far from Heaven (2002), Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) and Lars and the Real Girl (2007). Her breakthrough role was in High Art (1998) where her portrayal of Greta, a German, drug-addicted lesbian former model, gained rave reviews. She has said about acting, "I’m deeply invested in everything I do, and it’s a good thing, because acting is the only thing I know how to do."

In 2002, she originated her role as Sarah O'Connor (a.k.a. "Aunt Sarah") in HBO's Six Feet Under. She went on to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series that year for her performance, she repeated for the same role in 2006. In 2003, she gained critical acclaim and a Special Jury Prize for her work in four films that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival: All the Real Girls, The Baroness and the Pig, The Station Agent and Pieces of April. Later that same year, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Pieces of April, in which she played an acerbic mother dying of cancer. In 2006, she portrayed Sadie Burke, in All the King's Men, set in her native New Orleans. In 2008, she had supporting roles in Elegy, as a womanizer's put-upon girlfriend, and Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona as an unhappily married housewife.

In 2008, producer Gerald Peary approached Clarkson to do the voice-over for the documentary film For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism. Says Peary, "She agreed to do the narration ... And she was so nice, and so cooperative, and so prepared, and so intelligent. And one of the key reasons she wanted to do the movie was that she regularly reads criticism, and has a genuine respect for the critic profession.

Clarkson returned to New Orleans for the January 17, 2009 reopening of the Mahalia Jackson Theatre for the Performing Arts. She served as Master of Ceremonies for a gala featuring Plácido Domingo in concert with the New Orleans Opera, conducted by Robert Lyall. She also made a cameo appearance in the Saturday Night Live Digital Short "Motherlover" on May 9, 2009. The video featured Andy Samberg, Justin Timberlake, and Susan Sarandon. She reprised the role on May 21, 2011 in the Digital Short "3-Way (The Golden Rule)". In 2010, she starred in Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island. Clarkson was honored by the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival when she received one of the 2010 Volta awards for achievements in her career.

In the fourth season of the NBC mockumentary Parks and Recreation, Clarkson began portraying the recurring role of Tammy One, Parks Department head Ron Swanson's first wife.

Personal life

In response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Clarkson published a post for Natural Resources Defense Council's magazine OnEarth. She also released a public service announcement talking about her experiences growing up in New Orleans. Both pieces were released on July 26, 2010.

Clarkson has never married and has no children.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987	Untouchables, TheThe Untouchables	Catherine Ness
1988	Dead Pool, TheThe Dead Pool	Samantha Walker
1988	Rocket Gibraltar	Rose Black
1988	Everybody's All-American	Leslie Stone
1990	The Old Man and the Sea	Mary Pruitt	Television film
1990	Tune in Tomorrow	Aunt Olga
1992	Blind Man's Bluff	Dr. Virginia Hertz	Television movie
1992	American Story, AnAn American Story	Barbara Meade	Television movie
1992	Legacy of Lies	Pat Rafael	Television movie
1992	Four Eyes and Six Guns	Lucy Laughton	Television movie
1993	Caught in the Act	Meg	Television movie
1994	She Led Two Lives	Desiree Parnell	Television movie
1995	Pharaoh's Army	Sarah Anders
1995	Jumanji	Carol Anne Parrish
1996	London Suite	Diana Nichols	Television movie
1996	Wedding, TheThe Wedding	Della McNeil	Television movie
1998	Playing by Heart	Allison
1998	High Art	Greta	Nominated—Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female
1999	Green Mile, TheThe Green Mile	Melinda Moores	Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1999	Wayward Son	Wesley
1999	Simply Irresistible	Lois McNally
2000	Falling Like This	Caroline Lockhart
2000	Joe Gould's Secret	Vivian Marquie
2001	Safety of Objects, TheThe Safety of Objects	Annette Jennings	Deauville American Film Festival Award for Best Female Performance San Diego Film Critics Society - Body of Work Award
2001	Pledge, TheThe Pledge	Margaret Larsen
2001	Wendigo	Kim
2002	Welcome to Collinwood	Rosalind
2002	Far from Heaven	Eleanor Fine	National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
2002	Heartbreak Hospital	Lottie Ohrwasher
2002	Baroness and the Pig, TheThe Baroness and the Pig	The Baroness
2002	Carrie	Margaret White	Television movie
2003	Dogville	Vera
2003	Station Agent, TheThe Station Agent	Olivia Harris	Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress San Diego Film Critics Society - Body of Work Award Sundance Film Festival - Special Jury Prize Nominated—Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
2003	All the Real Girls	Elvira Fine	San Diego Film Critics Society - Body of Work Award Sundance Film Festival - Special Jury Prize
2003	Pieces of April	Joy Burns	Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress San Diego Film Critics Society - Body of Work Award San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture Sundance Film Festival - Special Jury Prize Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female Nominated—Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
2004	Miracle	Patti Brooks
2005	Good Night, and Good Luck.	Shirley Wershba	Nominated—Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2005	Dying Gaul, TheThe Dying Gaul	Elaine Tishop
2006	Woods, TheThe Woods	Ms. Traverse
2006	All the King's Men	Sadie Burke
2007	No Reservations	Paula
2007	Lars and the Real Girl	Dr. Dagmar Bergman
2007	Married Life	Pat Allen
2008	Blind Date	Janna
2008	Phoebe in Wonderland	Miss Dodger
2008	Elegy	Carolyn
2008	Vicky Cristina Barcelona	Judy Nash
2009	Whatever Works	Marietta Celestine
2009	2081	Narrator	voice
2009	For the Love of Movies	Narrator
2009	Cairo Time	Juliette Grant
2010	Shutter Island	2nd Rachel Solando
2010	Legendary	Sharon Chetley
2010	Main Street	Willa Jenkins
2010	Easy A	Rosemary Penderghast
2011	Friends with Benefits	Lorna
2011	One Day	Alison Mayhew
2012	The Dust Bowl	Hazel Lucas Shaw	Television movie
2012	Five	Mia Knowles	Television movie
2013	The East	Sharon
2014	The Maze Runner	Chancellor Ava Paige
2014	Last Weekend	Celia Green
2014	Learning to Drive	Wendy Shields
2014	October Gale	Helen Matthews
2014	Annie	Focus group woman	Cameo
2015	Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials	Chancellor Ava Paige
2017	Maze Runner: The Death Cure	Chancellor Ava Paige

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1985	Spenser: For Hire	Elizabeth Haller	Episode: "The Choice"
1986	Equalizer, TheThe Equalizer	Deborah Wade	Episode: "Breakpoint"
1990	Tales from the Crypt	Suzy	Episode: "Mute Witness to Murder"
1990	Law & Order	Laura Winthrop	Episode: "By Hooker, By Crook"
1991	Davis Rules	Cosmo Yeargin	13 episodes
1993	Alex Haley's Queen	Lizzie Perkins	Miniseries
1995-1996	Murder One	Annie Hoffman	23 episodes
2000	Wonderland	Mrs. Tammy Banger	2 episodes
2001	Frasier	Claire French	4 episodes
2002-2005	Six Feet Under	Sarah O'Connor	7 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
2007	American Masters	Narrator	Episode: "The American Dream"
2009-2011	Saturday Night Live	Mother	2 episodes
2011	Parks and Recreation	Tammy Swanson I	2 episodes
2015	Broad City	Timothy's Mom	Episode: "St. Mark's"
2016	American Dad!	Meredith Fields	Episode: "The Dentist's Wife"

Broadway theatre

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Refs
2014	The Elephant Man	Mrs. Kendal	Booth Theatre Nominated - Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play
1989	Eastern Standard	Phoebe Kidde	John Golden Theatre
1986	The House of Blue Leaves	Corrinna Stroller (replacement)	Vivian Beaumont Theater

Charities

Patricia Clarkson supports the following charitable cause: Women's Issues.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]