Kate Nelligan
Biography
Kate Nelligan (born Patricia Colleen Nelligan; March 16, 1950) is a British retired actress, who was celebrated for her commanding performances and versatility. She trained at Glendon College in Toronto and London's Central School of Speech and Drama before launching her professional career in 1972 with the Bristol Old Vic, appearing in productions like Barefoot in the Park. Nelligan rose to prominence in the UK with the National Theatre in plays such as David Hare's Knuckle (1974) and Tales from the Vienna Woods (1977), alongside early television roles in The Onedin Line and her film debut in The Romantic Englishwoman (1975). In the early 1980s, she relocated to New York, where she garnered critical acclaim on Broadway, earning four Tony Award nominations for Plenty (1983), A Moon for the Misbegotten (1984), Serious Money (1988), and Spoils of War (1989). Her film career flourished with standout roles in Eye of the Needle (1981) opposite Donald Sutherland, Without a Trace (1983), and later Frankie and Johnny (1991), for which she won a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress; she also received an Academy Award nomination for The Prince of Tides (1991). Other notable films include Wolf (1994), U.S. Marshals (1998), and The Cider House Rules (1999).
Known For

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Play for Today

Performance

Eleventh Hour

The BBC Television Shakespeare

U.S. Marshals

The Cider House Rules

Hallmark Hall of Fame
All Movies (53)
- Premonition2007 · as Joanne
- In from the Night2006 · as Vera Miller
- Revisiting Brideshead2005 · as Self (archive footage)
- A Wrinkle in Time2003 · as Mrs. Which
- Walter and Henry2001 · as Elizabeth
- Blessed Stranger: After Flight 1112000 · as Kate O'Rourke
- The Cider House Rules1999 · as Olive Worthington
- Swing Vote1999 · as Justice Sara Marie Brandwynne
- Love Is Strange1999 · as Kathryn McClain
- Boy Meets Girl1998 · as Mrs. Jones
- Stolen Moments1998 · as Narrator (voice)
- U.S. Marshals1998 · as Walsh
- Rape: A Crime of War1997 · as Narrator
- Calm at Sunset1996 · as Margaret Pfeiffer
- Captive Heart: The James Mink Story1996 · as Elizabeth Mink
- Up Close & Personal1996 · as Joanna Kennelly
- How to Make an American Quilt1995 · as Constance Saunders
- Margaret's Museum1995 · as Catherine MacNeil
- A Mother's Prayer1995 · as Sheila Walker
- Into the Deep1994 · as Self - Narrator (voice)
- Wolf1994 · as Charlotte Randall
- Spoils of War1994 · as Elise
- By Woman's Hand1994 · as Self - Narrator (voice)
- Fatal Instinct1993 · as Lana Ravine
- Shattered Trust: The Shari Karney Story1993 · as Stephanie Chadford
- Liar, Liar1993 · as Susan Miori
- The Diamond Fleece1992
- Heritage Minutes: Emily Murphy1992 · as Emily Murphy
- Terror Stalks the Class Reunion1992 · as Kay
- The Prince of Tides1991 · as Lila Wingo Newbury
- Shadows and Fog1991 · as Eve
- Old Times1991
- Frankie and Johnny1991 · as Cora
- White Room1990 · as Jane
- Love & Hate: The Story of Colin and Joanne Thatcher1989 · as JoAnn Thatcher
- Kojak: The Price of Justice1987 · as Kitty
- Control1987 · as Sarah Howell
- Eleni1985 · as Eleni
- Without a Trace1983 · as Susan Selky
- Victims1982 · as Ruth Hession
- Eye of the Needle1981 · as Lucy
- Mr. Patman1981 · as Peabody
- Dreams of Leaving1980 · as Charlotte
- Dracula1979 · as Lucy Seward
- Measure for Measure1979 · as Isabella
- Licking Hitler1978 · as Anna Seaton
- Do as I Say1977 · as Hilary
- Bethune1977 · as Frances Bethune
- The Lady of the Camellias1976 · as Marguerite Gautier
- The Count of Monte-Cristo1975 · as Mercédès
- The Romantic Englishwoman1975 · as Isabel
- The Arcata Promise1974 · as Laura
- The Four Beauties1973 · as Christie
All TV Shows (14)
- Eleventh Hour2008 · as Gepetto
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit1999 · as Sylvia Quinn
- Million Dollar Babies1994 · as Helena Reid
- Performance1991 · as Kate
- Golden Fiddles1991 · as Anne Balfour
- Therese Raquin1980 · as Thérèse
- The BBC Television Shakespeare1978 · as Isabella
- The Sunday Drama1977 · as Ann
- The Edwardians1972 · as Alice Keppel
- Country Matters1972 · as Christie Davenport
- Play for Today1970 · as Hilary
- Hallmark Hall of Fame1951 · as Margaret Pfeiffer
- Hallmark Hall of Fame1951 · as Vera Miller
- Human Cargo—