Biography
Catherine Ann Keener (born March 23, 1959) is an American actress. Considered one of the independent film industry's most reliable performers, Keener is known for portraying disgruntled and melancholic yet sympathetic women in independent films, as well as supporting roles in studio films. She has been twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Being John Malkovich (1999) and for her portrayal of author Harper Lee in Capote (2005). Keener also appeared in the films Th...
Known For
Complete Filmography

Joker: Folie à Deux
2024
as Maryanne Stewart
While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur Fleck not only stumbles upon true love, but also finds the music that's always been inside him.

Polar Bear
2022
as Narrator (voice)
A new mother’s memories of her own youth prepare her to navigate motherhood in the increasingly challenging world that polar bears face today.

The Adam Project
2022
as Maya Sorian
After accidentally crash-landing in 2022, time-traveling fighter pilot Adam Reed teams up with his 12-year-old self on a mission to save the future.

No Future
2021
as Claire
After the tragic overdose of his estranged friend, Will, a recovering addict, returns home, where he is reunited with Claire, his friend's grieving mo...

Dear Diary: World's First Pranks
2021
as Ugga (voice)
Eep reveals how a comical accident led her and Dawn to discover the joys of tricking their families and set about performing "the world's first pranks...

The Croods: A New Age
2020
as Ugga (voice)
Searching for a safer habitat, the prehistoric Crood family discovers an idyllic, walled-in paradise that meets all of its needs. Unfortunately, they ...

Meet the Pickles - Behind the Scenes of Kidding
2018
as Self
Go behind the scenes with the cast of Kidding and meet the family behind the magic, The Pickles. Starring Jim Carrey, Frank Langella, Catherine Keener...

Sicario: Day of the Soldado
2018
as Cynthia Foards
Agent Matt Graver teams up with operative Alejandro Gillick to prevent Mexican drug cartels from smuggling terrorists across the United States border.

Incredibles 2
2018
as Evelyn Deavor (voice)
Elastigirl springs into action to save the day, while Mr. Incredible faces his greatest challenge yet – taking care of the problems of his three child...

Little Pink House
2018
as Susette Kelo
A Connecticut nurse finds herself at the center of a political firestorm and a Supreme Court case centering on eminent domain.

Nostalgia
2018
as Donna Beam
A mosaic of stories about love and loss, exploring our relationship to the objects, artifacts, and memories that shape our lives.

November Criminals
2017
as Fiona
When Addison investigates the murder of his friend Kevin with the help of Phoebe, they discover that the truth is darker than they had ever imagined.

We Don't Belong Here
2017
as Nancy Green
A matriarch of a dysfunctional family is pushed to her tipping point by the disappearance of her son.

Get Out
2017
as Missy Armitage
Chris and his girlfriend Rose go upstate to visit her parents for the weekend. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as ner...

Unless
2016
as Reta
A writer struggles with her daughter's decision to drop out of college and live on the streets.

Elephant Song
2015
as Nurse Susan Peterson
A psychiatrist is drawn into a complex mind game when he questions a disturbed patient about the disappearance of a colleague.

Accidental Love
2015
as Rep. Pam Hendrickson
A small town waitress gets a nail accidentally lodged in her head causing unpredictable behavior that leads her to Washington, DC. Sparks fly when sh...

Begin Again
2014
as Miriam Hart
Gretta, a budding songwriter, finds herself alone after her boyfriend Dave ditches her. Her life gains purpose when Dan, a record label executive, not...

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa .5
2014
as Ellie / Self
Bad Grandpa .5 gives you a whole new perspective on the world of Irving Zisman with bonus scenes and pranks also featuring Spike Jonze as "Gloria" and...

War Story
2014
as Lee
Lee is a world-weary American woman who arrives in an Italian city. Her tangles with hotel staff, incessant smoking and her disregard of the persisten...

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
2013
as Ellie Zisman
86-year-old Irving Zisman is on a journey across America with the most unlikely companion: his 8 year-old grandson, Billy.

Captain Phillips
2013
as Andrea Phillips
The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship...

Enough Said
2013
as Marianne
Eva is a divorced soon-to-be empty-nester wondering about her next act. Then she meets Marianne, the embodiment of her perfect self. Armed with a rest...

The Croods
2013
as Ugga (voice)
The prehistoric Croods family live in a particularly dangerous moment in time. Patriarch Grug, his mate Ugga, teenage daughter Eep, son Thunk, and fei...

Discord and Harmony: Creating a Late Quartet
2013
as Self
Featurette on the making of A Late Quartet (2012).

Lost Angels: Skid Row Is My Home
2012
as Narrator
Los Angeles' Skid Row is home to one of the largest homeless populations in the United States. And we found, inside that community, the remarkable and...

A Late Quartet
2012
as Juliette Gelbart
When the beloved cellist of a world-renowned string quartet is diagnosed with a life threatening illness, the group's future suddenly hangs in the bal...

Maladies
2012
as Catherine
A former soap star appears to have a narrator stuck in his head. As he moves in with his sister and works to restart his creative career, he tries to ...

All Noncombatants Please Clear the Set
2012
as Self
A behind the scenes look at the making of Being John Malkovich, condensed from hours of footage during production.

Peace, Love & Misunderstanding
2011
as Diane Hudson
A conservative lawyer named Diane takes her two teenage children Jake and Zoe to meet their estranged, hippie grandmother in Woodstock after her husba...

The Oranges
2011
as Paige Walling
A man's affair with his friend's much-younger daughter throws two neighboring families into turmoil.

Trust
2010
as Lynn Cameron
A suburban family is torn apart when fourteen-year-old Annie meets her first boyfriend online. After months of communicating via online chat and phone...

Cyrus
2010
as Jamie
With John's social life at a standstill and his ex-wife about to get remarried, a down on his luck divorcée finally meets the woman of his dreams, onl...

Please Give
2010
as Kate
In New York City, a husband and wife butt heads with the granddaughters of the elderly woman who lives in the apartment the couple owns.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
2010
as Sally Jackson
Accident prone teenager, Percy discovers he's actually a demi-God, the son of Poseidon, and he is needed when Zeus' lightning is stolen. Percy must ma...

Where the Wild Things Are
2009
as Mom
Max imagines running away from his mom and sailing to a far-off land where large talking beasts—Ira, Carol, Douglas, the Bull, Judith and Alexander—cr...

Where the Wild Things Are
2009
Associate Producer
Max imagines running away from his mom and sailing to a far-off land where large talking beasts—Ira, Carol, Douglas, the Bull, Judith and Alexander—cr...
Collaborators
2009
as Herself
A portrait of Spike Jonze and his longtime moviemaking partnerships.

Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak
2009
as Herself
A loving look at one of the most cherished and controversial figures in children's literature, Maurice Sendak. In this deeply moving tribute, spend ti...

The Soloist
2009
as Mary Weston
A Los Angeles journalist befriends a homeless Juilliard-trained musician, while looking for a new article for the paper.

Genova
2009
as Barbara
A man moves his two daughters to Italy after their mother dies in a car accident, in order to revitalize their lives. Genoa changes all three of them ...

Synecdoche, New York
2008
as Adele Lack
A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as ...

What Just Happened
2008
as Lou Tarnow
During the course of an ordinary week in Hollywood, movie producer Ben must navigate his way through shark-infested waters as he struggles to complete...

Hamlet 2
2008
as Brie Marschz
Failed actor-turned-worse-high-school-drama-teacher Dana Marschz rallies his Tucson students as he conceives and stages politically incorrect musical ...

Into the Wild
2007
as Jan Burres
After graduating from Emory University in 1992, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savi...

An American Crime
2007
as Gertrude Baniszewski
The true story of suburban housewife Gertrude Baniszewski, who kept a teenage girl locked in the basement of her Indiana home during the 1960s.

God Grew Tired of Us
2006
Producer
Filmmaker Christopher Quinn observes the ordeal of three Sudanese refugees -- Jon Bul Dau, Daniel Abul Pach and Panther Bior -- as they try to come to...

Friends with Money
2006
as Christine
As she reaches her mid-thirties and quits her lucrative job, singleton Olivia finds herself unsure about her future and her relationships with her suc...

Making Capote: Concept to Script
2006
as Self
Featurette on the making of Capote (2005).

Capote
2005
as Harper Lee
A biopic of writer Truman Capote and his assignment for The New Yorker to write the non-fiction book "In Cold Blood".

The 40 Year Old Virgin
2005
as Trish Piedmont
Andy Stitzer has a pleasant life with a nice apartment and a job stamping invoices at an electronics store. But at age 40, there's one thing Andy hasn...

The Interpreter
2005
as Dot Woods
After Silvia Broome, an interpreter at United Nations headquarters, overhears plans of an assassination, an American Secret Service agent is sent to i...

The Ballad of Jack and Rose
2005
as Kathleen
Jack Slavin is an environmentalist with a heart condition who lives with his daughter, Rose, on an isolated island. While Jack fights against develope...

Adaptation.
2002
as Catherine Keener (uncredited)
Charlie Kaufman is a confused L.A. screenwriter overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy, sexual frustration, self-loathing, and by the screenwriting amb...
Death to Smoochy: Bloopers & Outtakes
2002
as Self
Bloopers and Outakes featured on the Death to Smoochy DVD.
Death to Smoochy: Behind the Scenes Documentary
2002
as Self
A short documentary about the making of Danny Devito’s film Death to Smoochy.

S1m0ne
2002
as Elaine Christian
The career of a disillusioned producer, who is desperate for a hit, is endangered when his star walks off the film set. Forced to think fast, the prod...

Full Frontal
2002
as Lee
A day in the life of a group of men and women in Hollywood, in the hours leading up to a friend's birthday party.

Lovely & Amazing
2002
as Michelle Marks
An intimate family portrait of four hapless but resilient women and the bittersweet lessons they learn in keeping up with the hectic demands of their ...

Death to Smoochy
2002
as Nora Wells
Tells the story of Rainbow Randolph, the corrupt, costumed star of a popular children's TV show, who is fired over a bribery scandal and replaced by s...

Being John Malkovich
1999
as Maxine Lund
One day at work, unsuccessful puppeteer Craig finds a portal into the head of actor John Malkovich. The portal soon becomes a passion for anybody who ...

Simpatico
1999
as Cecilia
As youths in Azusa, Vinnie, Carter, and Rosie pull off a racing scam, substituting winners for plodders and winning big bucks on long odds. When an of...

8MM
1999
as Amy Welles
A small, seemingly innocuous plastic reel of film leads surveillance specialist Tom Welles down an increasingly dark and frightening path. With the he...

Your Friends & Neighbors
1998
as Terri
Restless and unhappy, two couples get caught up in infidelity and deception. Barry is a sullen businessman married to Mary, a writer who is unsatisfie...

Out of Sight
1998
as Adele Delisi
Meet Jack Foley, a smooth criminal who bends the law and is determined to make one last heist. Karen Sisco is a federal marshal who chooses all the ri...

The Real Blonde
1998
as Mary
An aspiring actor and his girlfriend handle life's frustrations, while his friend seeks fulfillment with a blonde.

If These Walls Could Talk
1996
as Becky
A powerful, intimate portrait of three women living in the same house during different eras who all face unplanned pregnancies. The vignettes follow a...

Box of Moonlight
1996
as Floatie Dupre
Al Fountain, a middle-aged electrical engineer, is on the verge of a mid-life crisis, when he decides to take his time coming home from a business tri...

Walking and Talking
1996
as Amelia
Just as Amelia thinks she's over her anxiety and insecurity, her best friend announces her engagement, bringing her anxiety and insecurity right back.

Boys
1996
as Jilly
Fed up with boarding school and frustrated with the way others have planned his life, John Baker Jr. wants a change -- anything to shake up his staid ...

The Destiny of Marty Fine
1996
as Lena
Marty Fine is a small-time man with a big-time dream. One night, the ex-middleweight fighter sees something he shouldn't have - a mob hit. An old gang...

Heroine of Hell
1996
as Magda
A passionate artist creates in order to release her strong pent up emotions. Themes of justice and retribution especially influence her. One night she...

Living in Oblivion
1995
as Nicole Springer
Nick is the director of a low-budget indie film. He tries to keep everything together as his production is plagued with an insecure actress, a megalom...

The Cemetery Club
1993
as Esther's Daughter (uncredited)
The story of three Pittsburgh widows who meet every year to visit their husband's graves and talk about perspectives in their lives.

The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag
1992
as Suzanne
A Southern librarian puts excitement in her life with a found murder weapon and a false confession.

Johnny Suede
1991
as Yvonne
A struggling young musician and devoted fan of Ricky Nelson wants to be just like his idol and become a rock star.

Switch
1991
as Steve's Secretary (Beth)
Steve Brooks, a sexist womanizer, is killed by a group of his angry former lovers. In heaven, he makes a bargain with God for redemption and agrees to...

Catchfire
1990
as Trucker's Girl
A witness to a mob assassination flees for her life from town to town, switching identities, but cannot seem to elude Milo, the chief killer out to ge...

Survival Quest
1989
as Cheryl
A bunch of city slickers from different backgrounds go into the wild mountains to be one with nature, but basically to have a good time. However, a pa...

The Abduction of Allison Tate
1986
as Linda Kellogg
When wealthy real estate developer Richard Tate seizes land belonging to a Native American tribe for his next construction project, a group of young m...

About Last Night...
1986
as Cocktail Waitress
A man and woman meet and try to have a romantic affair, despite their personal problems and the interference of their disapproving friends.

About Last Night...
1986
Casting Assistant
A man and woman meet and try to have a romantic affair, despite their personal problems and the interference of their disapproving friends.