Fest Forums

Born in Milford On-Sea, England, Frances Fisher’s itinerant childhood living in the UK, Columbia, Canada, France, Brazil, Turkey, Italy, Iowa and Texas undoubtedly provided fodder for her thespian career.

Ms. Fisher started her career at the Barter Theatre in Virginia and has starred in over 30 theatrical productions (experimental, touring, Regional, off-off Broadway, off-Broadway,) including Elia Kazan’s The Chain; Hay Fever; 1984; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Fool For Love; Desire Under The Elms; Cat On A Hot Tin Roof; Orpheus Descending; Arthur Miller’s last play Finishing The Picture; My Child; Mothers of War; The Cherry Orchard  and Three More Sleepless Nights (Drama League Award); Most recent theatrical adventure was Barbecue at The Geffen Playhouse, which has just been nominated for a NAACP Theatre Award in all categories. 
Ms. Fisher is a member of the Actors Studio, and her first acting teacher was Stella Adler.
 
While Ms. Fisher has many outstanding film credits, she is perhaps best known for her performance as Kate Winslet’s mother in Titanic, which garnered Fisher a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Best Ensemble Cast. The film went on to receive 11 Academy Awards. Additionally, her numerous film credits include the Oscar-winning Unforgiven; True Crime; The Big Tease; The Rising Place; The Kingdom; House of Sand & Fog; Wild America; In The Valley Of Elah; Jolene; The Perfect Game; The Lincoln Lawyer; The Host; Woman in Gold; & Outlaws And Angels. 
Short films include Titanic: Sinking of the Myths; & Phedon Papamichael’s A Beautiful Day with James Brolin.
Ms. Fisher just completed two Indies, Run The Race and Someone Else’s Wedding.
 
Ms. Fisher’s work in television has spanned from critically acclaimed TV Movies such as Lucille Ball in Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter; The Audrey Hepburn Story; Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis; Many Hallmark movies, the latest Unleashing Mr. Darcy,  to recurring and guest star roles on some of the best known shows on television: The Shield; Eureka; Torchwood; Touch; The Killing; Masters of Sex; Law & Order; Roseanne; The Mentalist; Two and a Half Men; Sons of Anarchy; ER; Grey’s Anatomy; Children’s Hospital; Private Practice; CSI; Castle; The Expanse & Criminal Minds. She also starred on ABC’s critically acclaimed series, Resurrection.  
Amazon’s Melody1963 won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Children’s programming and has just been nominated for a BAFTA Award.  Ms. Fisher co-starred with her daughter Francesca Eastwood in the acclaimed seriesFargo this spring.

Ms. Fisher’s activism runs the gamut from supporting the Cancer Support Community Benjamin Center, to Peace Over Violence, BOO2Bullying, Stand For The Silent, Environment California, Race to Erase MS & Survivor Mitzvah.  She is a member of Artists for Human Rights, People for the American Way and The Hollywood Food Guild.  She is an executive board member of the Environmental Media Association and is serving as a National board member of SAG-AFTRA.  As an Ambassador for the NWHM, she is working with an amazing group of women to create a National Women’s History Museum in Washington, DC.  Ms. Fisher was a surrogate for Bernie Sanders and spent time at Standing Rock supporting the Water Protectors. #StandingRockIsEverywhere.