Person · Actress · Active since 1982
Frances McDormand
b. 1957, Gibson City
American actress, born in Gibson City. Won the Academy Award for Best Actress, the Academy Award for Best Picture, the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and two other major prizes. Nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Appeared in 41 films on this site, including Fargo (1996), Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017). Among the 218 actors and directors Frances McDormand shares films with on this site, the most frequent are Tilda Swinton (4 films), Edward Norton (3) and Sam Raimi (3).
She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in Mississippi Burning (1988), Almost Famous (2000), and North Country (2005).
Frances McDormand · authors · CC BY-SA 4.0
In their own words
I don't show up all the time. I only show up when I can and when I want to, but I was there at the Golden Globes and it's almost like there was an arc that started there. It doesn't end here.
On the forms of social activism evident in the film industry's awards shows, in her 90th Oscars backstage interview (4 March 2018) · Wikiquote: Frances McDormand · authors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Partners by shared films
Who Frances McDormand made films with
Directors
- 3Sam Raimi director and actorCrimewave, Darkman, Miller's Crossing
- 2Wes Anderson directorMoonrise Kingdom, The French Dispatch
One film together
- Mississippi Burning 1988Alan Parker
- Hidden Agenda 1990Ken Loach
- Short Cuts 1993Robert Altman
- Beyond Rangoon 1995John Boorman
- Almost Famous 2000Cameron Crowe
- Wonder Boys 2000Curtis Hanson
- This Must Be the Place 2011Paolo Sorrentino
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon 2011Michael Bay
- Promised Land 2012Gus Van Sant
- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 2017Martin McDonagh
- Nomadland 2020Chloé Zhao
- Women Talking 2022Sarah Polley
Co-stars
- 4Tilda Swinton actressBurn After Reading, Moonrise Kingdom, Hail, Caesar! and 1 more
- 3Edward Norton actorPrimal Fear, Moonrise Kingdom, The French Dispatch
- 3Bruce Campbell actorCrimewave, Darkman, Fargo
- 3Richard Jenkins actorThe Man Who Wasn't There, North Country, Burn After Reading
- 3M. Emmet Walsh actorBlood Simple, Raising Arizona, Chattahoochee
- 2Scarlett Johansson actressThe Man Who Wasn't There, Hail, Caesar!
15 more partners with two or more films
- 2George Clooney actorBurn After Reading, Hail, Caesar!
- 2Charlize Theron actressNorth Country, Æon Flux
- 2Robert Downey Jr. actorShort Cuts, Wonder Boys
- 2Bill Murray actorMoonrise Kingdom, The French Dispatch
- 2Willem Dafoe actorMississippi Burning, The French Dispatch
- 2Woody Harrelson actorNorth Country, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
- 2John Malkovich actorBurn After Reading, Transformers: Dark of the Moon
- 2Steve Buscemi actorMiller's Crossing, Fargo
- 2Holly Hunter actressBlood Simple, Raising Arizona
- 2John Turturro actorMiller's Crossing, Transformers: Dark of the Moon
- 2Brad Dourif actorMississippi Burning, Hidden Agenda
- 2Jennifer Jason Leigh actressShort Cuts, The Man Who Wasn't There
- 2Lucas Hedges actorMoonrise Kingdom, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
- 2Jon Polito actorMiller's Crossing, The Man Who Wasn't There
- 2Kerry Condon actressThis Must Be the Place, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
One film together
- Crimewave 1985Julie Harris, Paul L. Smith
- Raising Arizona 1987Nicolas Cage, John Goodman
- Mississippi Burning 1988Gene Hackman, R. Lee Ermey, Tobin Bell, Michael Rooker, Stephen Tobolowsky, Gailard Sartain
- Chattahoochee 1989Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Ned Beatty
- Darkman 1990Liam Neeson, John Landis, Jenny Agutter, Neal McDonough
- Hidden Agenda 1990Brian Cox, Mai Zetterling
- Miller's Crossing 1990Albert Finney, Marcia Gay Harden, Michael Jeter, Gabriel Byrne
- The Butcher's Wife 1991Demi Moore, Mary Steenburgen, Jeff Daniels, Miriam Margolyes
- Short Cuts 1993Julianne Moore, Jack Lemmon, Tim Robbins, Tom Waits, Andie MacDowell, Lily Tomlin, Madeleine Stowe, Anne Archer, Chris Penn
- Beyond Rangoon 1995Patricia Arquette, Jim Cummings
- Palookaville 1995Vincent Gallo
- Fargo 1996William H. Macy, Peter Stormare, John Carroll Lynch
- Lone Star 1996Matthew McConaughey, Kris Kristofferson, Chris Cooper, Chandra Wilson, Joe Morton
- Primal Fear 1996Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Alfre Woodard, John Mahoney, Terry O'Quinn, Andre Braugher
- Paradise Road 1997Cate Blanchett, Glenn Close, Julianna Margulies, Jennifer Ehle, Pauline Collins
- Johnny Skidmarks 1998Jack Black, John Lithgow, Peter Gallagher
- Madeline 1998Stéphane Audran, Nigel Hawthorne
- Talk of Angels 1998Penélope Cruz, Franco Nero, Marisa Paredes, Vincent Perez, Francisco Rabal
- Almost Famous 2000Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kate Hudson, Zooey Deschanel, Anna Paquin, Jimmy Fallon, Jason Lee, Mitch Hedberg, Rainn Wilson, Billy Crudup, Jay Baruchel, Fairuza Balk
- Wonder Boys 2000Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Katie Holmes, Rip Torn, Alan Tudyk
- The Man Who Wasn't There 2001James Gandolfini, Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Shalhoub, Gregg Binkley, Christopher McDonald
- City by the Sea 2002Robert De Niro, James Franco, Eliza Dushku
- Laurel Canyon 2002Christian Bale, Kate Beckinsale, Natascha McElhone, Alessandro Nivola
- Something's Gotta Give 2003Jack Nicholson, Keanu Reeves, Diane Keaton, Amanda Peet, Jon Favreau
- Catwoman 2004Halle Berry, Sharon Stone, Benjamin Bratt, Alex Borstein, Lambert Wilson, Frances Conroy
- North Country 2005Jeremy Renner, Amber Heard, Sean Bean, Sissy Spacek, Michelle Monaghan, Corey Stoll, Xander Berkeley
- Æon Flux 2005Pete Postlethwaite, Jonny Lee Miller
- Friends with Money 2006Jennifer Aniston, Joan Cusack, Jason Isaacs, Catherine Keener, Ty Burrell, Scott Caan
- Burn After Reading 2008Brad Pitt, J. K. Simmons, Kevin Sussman, Jeffrey DeMunn
- Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day 2008Amy Adams, Mark Strong, Ciarán Hinds, Lee Pace
- This Must Be the Place 2011Sean Penn, Harry Dean Stanton, Judd Hirsch, Shea Whigham
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon 2011Josh Duhamel, Shia LaBeouf, Leonard Nimoy, Hugo Weaving, Patrick Dempsey, Tyrese Gibson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Frank Welker, Tom Kenny
- Moonrise Kingdom 2012Bruce Willis, Harvey Keitel, Jason Schwartzman
- Promised Land 2012Matt Damon, Hal Holbrook, John Krasinski, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lucas Black, Titus Welliver
- Hail, Caesar! 2016Ralph Fiennes, Dolph Lundgren, Channing Tatum, Michael Gambon, Josh Brolin, Christopher Lambert, Jonah Hill, Wayne Knight
- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 2017Peter Dinklage, Sam Rockwell, Abbie Cornish, Kathryn Newton, Samara Weaving, John Hawkes, Caleb Landry Jones
- Nomadland 2020David Strathairn
- The French Dispatch 2021Timothée Chalamet, Christoph Waltz, Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, Saoirse Ronan, Benicio del Toro, Léa Seydoux
- The Tragedy of Macbeth 2021Denzel Washington, Brendan Gleeson, Stephen Root, Harry Melling
- Women Talking 2022Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Ben Whishaw
Other regulars
Films in this guide
Best known
- Fargo 1996actress, as Marge Gunderson
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon 2011actress
- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 2017actress
- Nomadland 2020actress, producer
- Mississippi Burning 1988actress, as Mrs. Pell
- Almost Famous 2000actress
1980s
- Blood Simple (1984)actress
- Crimewave (1985)actress
- Raising Arizona (1987)actress
- Mississippi Burning (1988)actress, as Mrs. Pell
- Chattahoochee (1989)actress
1990s
- Darkman (1990)actress
- Hidden Agenda (1990)actress
- Miller's Crossing (1990)actress, as the Mayor's Secretary
- The Butcher's Wife (1991)actress
- Short Cuts (1993)actress
- Beyond Rangoon (1995)actress
- Palookaville (1995)actress
- Fargo (1996)actress, as Marge Gunderson
- Lone Star (1996)actress
- Primal Fear (1996)actress
- Paradise Road (1997)actress
- Johnny Skidmarks (1998)actress
- Madeline (1998)actress
- Talk of Angels (1998)actress
2000s
- Almost Famous (2000)actress
- Wonder Boys (2000)actress
- The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)actress
- City by the Sea (2002)actress
- Laurel Canyon (2002)actress
- Something's Gotta Give (2003)actress
- Catwoman (2004)actress
- North Country (2005)actress
- Æon Flux (2005)actress
- Friends with Money (2006)actress
- Burn After Reading (2008)actress
- Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)actress
2010s
- This Must Be the Place (2011)actress, as Jane
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)actress
- Moonrise Kingdom (2012)actress
- Promised Land (2012)actress
- Every Secret Thing (2014)producer
- Hail, Caesar! (2016)actress, as film editor C.C. Calhoun
- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)actress
2020s
- Nomadland (2020)actress, producer
- The French Dispatch (2021)actress
- The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)actress, as Lady Macbeth
- Women Talking (2022)actress, producer