Kathryn Joosten (born December 20, 1939) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
actressAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. Joosten did not begin to hone her craft until the 1980s, after taking acting classes in Chicago, Illinois. She started acting at age 42, which is unusual for most actors. Prior to her career as an actress, she worked as a psychiatric nurse.
It was not until the mid-1990s that Joosten made the move to Hollywood, where she took guest roles in television series such as
RoseanneRoseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from 1988 to 1997 starring Roseanne Barr.The series reached #1 in the Nielsen Ratings becoming the most watched television show in the United States from 1989 to 1990, and remained in the top four for six of its nine seasons, and in the top twenty for...
,
Home ImprovementHome Improvement is an American television sitcom. starring Tim Allen, which aired 1991 to 1999. The show was created by Matt Williams, Carmen Finestra and David MacFadzean. In the 1990s, it was one of the most watched sitcoms, winning many awards...
,
Picket FencesPicket Fences is a 60-minute American television drama centering around the residents of the fictional community of Rome, Wisconsin. The show initially ran from September 1, 1992, to June 26, 1996, on the CBS television network in the United States. Picket Fences was created by producer David E....
,
Murphy BrownMurphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988 to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, an investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television newsmagazine.The...
,
ERER is an American medical drama series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 1994 to April 2009. It is set primarily in the emergency room of fictional County General Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment in...
,
SeinfeldSeinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. The eponymous series was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, with the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
,
FrasierFrasier is an American sitcom broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993 to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Paramount Television.A spin-off from Cheers, Frasier stars Kelsey Grammer as psychiatrist...
,
Just Shoot Me!Just Shoot Me! is an American television sitcom that aired for seven seasons on NBC from March 4, 1997 to August 16, 2003, with 148 episodes produced. The show was created by Steven Levitan, the show's executive producer.-Description:...
,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
Dharma & GregDharma & Greg is an American television situation comedy co-produced by Chuck Lorre Productions, More-Medavoy Productions and 4 to 6 Foot Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC...
,
Las VegasLas Vegas is an American television series that aired on NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working in the fictional Montecito Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada—dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet...
and
The Drew Carey ShowThe Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004 and was known for its "everyman" characters and themes...
.
In the 1997 episode of
FrasierFrasier is an American sitcom broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993 to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Paramount Television.A spin-off from Cheers, Frasier stars Kelsey Grammer as psychiatrist...
, 'Roz's Turn', Joosten appeared as Vera, the mother and personal secretary of Frasier's conniving agent,
Bebe GlazerBebe Glazer is a character on American television sitcom Frasier. She is played by Harriet Sansom Harris.Bebe is a Seattle talent agent who represents Frasier...
, played by
Harriet Sansom HarrisHarriet Sansom Harris is an American actress.-Biography:Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Harris started acting as a youngster and attended New York's famed Juilliard School. After graduation from Juilliard's Drama Division, she joined John Houseman's touring repertory company The Acting Company, where...
.
Kathryn Joosten (born December 20, 1939) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
actressAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. Joosten did not begin to hone her craft until the 1980s, after taking acting classes in Chicago, Illinois. She started acting at age 42, which is unusual for most actors. Prior to her career as an actress, she worked as a psychiatric nurse.
It was not until the mid-1990s that Joosten made the move to Hollywood, where she took guest roles in television series such as
RoseanneRoseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from 1988 to 1997 starring Roseanne Barr.The series reached #1 in the Nielsen Ratings becoming the most watched television show in the United States from 1989 to 1990, and remained in the top four for six of its nine seasons, and in the top twenty for...
,
Home ImprovementHome Improvement is an American television sitcom. starring Tim Allen, which aired 1991 to 1999. The show was created by Matt Williams, Carmen Finestra and David MacFadzean. In the 1990s, it was one of the most watched sitcoms, winning many awards...
,
Picket FencesPicket Fences is a 60-minute American television drama centering around the residents of the fictional community of Rome, Wisconsin. The show initially ran from September 1, 1992, to June 26, 1996, on the CBS television network in the United States. Picket Fences was created by producer David E....
,
Murphy BrownMurphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988 to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, an investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television newsmagazine.The...
,
ERER is an American medical drama series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 1994 to April 2009. It is set primarily in the emergency room of fictional County General Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment in...
,
SeinfeldSeinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. The eponymous series was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, with the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
,
FrasierFrasier is an American sitcom broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993 to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Paramount Television.A spin-off from Cheers, Frasier stars Kelsey Grammer as psychiatrist...
,
Just Shoot Me!Just Shoot Me! is an American television sitcom that aired for seven seasons on NBC from March 4, 1997 to August 16, 2003, with 148 episodes produced. The show was created by Steven Levitan, the show's executive producer.-Description:...
,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
Dharma & GregDharma & Greg is an American television situation comedy co-produced by Chuck Lorre Productions, More-Medavoy Productions and 4 to 6 Foot Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC...
,
Las VegasLas Vegas is an American television series that aired on NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working in the fictional Montecito Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada—dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet...
and
The Drew Carey ShowThe Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004 and was known for its "everyman" characters and themes...
.
In the 1997 episode of
FrasierFrasier is an American sitcom broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993 to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Paramount Television.A spin-off from Cheers, Frasier stars Kelsey Grammer as psychiatrist...
, 'Roz's Turn', Joosten appeared as Vera, the mother and personal secretary of Frasier's conniving agent,
Bebe GlazerBebe Glazer is a character on American television sitcom Frasier. She is played by Harriet Sansom Harris.Bebe is a Seattle talent agent who represents Frasier...
, played by
Harriet Sansom HarrisHarriet Sansom Harris is an American actress.-Biography:Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Harris started acting as a youngster and attended New York's famed Juilliard School. After graduation from Juilliard's Drama Division, she joined John Houseman's touring repertory company The Acting Company, where...
. The pair would later be reunited to play opposite neighbors in the first season of
Desperate HousewivesDesperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry, who also serves as show runner, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producers, as of the fourth season, are Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
.
In 1999, Joosten took the role for which she is best-known, as
Delores LandinghamDelores Landingham is a character in the television series The West Wing. Mrs. Landingham appears in the first two seasons of the show as the secretary of President Josiah Bartlet .-Character biography:Mrs. Landingham appears in the very first episode of The West Wing...
, secretary to
President of the United StatesThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
Josiah BartletJosiah Edward "Jed" Bartlet is a fictional character on the television serial drama The West Wing played by Martin Sheen. He is President of the United States for the entire series until the last episode, when his successor is inaugurated...
(played by
Martin SheenRamón Estévez, better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an actor best known for his performances as Captain Willard in the film Apocalypse Now and President Josiah Bartlet on the television series The West Wing...
) on
The West Wing. Joosten played the role for two seasons, until her character's death in a car crash in 2001. She would return to the show twice more in flashback episodes.
Joosten's role on
The West Wing gave her an entrance into more significant guest roles on significant television series. Since 2001, she has appeared on TV in such shows as
Scrubs (appearing in "
My Old Lady"My Old Lady" is the fourth episode of the American comedy-drama Scrubs. It originally aired as Episode 4 of Season 1 on October 16, 2001.The episode's writer, Matt Tarses, won the 2002 Humanitas Prize in the 30 Minute Category for this episode.-Plot:...
", which won a
Humanitas PrizeThe is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious cinema or TV...
as well as reappearing in two later episodes),
My Name is EarlMy Name Is Earl is an American comedy created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005 to May 14, 2009 in the United States. It was produced by 20th Century Fox Television.-Overview:...
,
Spin CitySpin City is an American sitcom television series that ran from 1996 to 2002 on ABC. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show was based on a fictional local government running New York City, and originally starred Michael J. Fox as Mike Flaherty, the Deputy Mayor of New York...
,
The X-FilesThe X-Files is an American cult science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. It first aired in September 1993 and ended in May 2002...
,
Judging AmyJudging Amy is an American television drama that aired from September 19, 1999 until May 3, 2005 on CBS. The show stars Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly...
,
MonkA monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, whilst always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
,
CharmedCharmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...
,
Will & GraceWill & Grace is an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from 1998 to 2006. The show takes place in New York City and focuses on Will Truman, a gay lawyer, and his best friend Grace Adler, a straight Jewish woman who runs her own interior design firm...
,
Malcolm in the MiddleMalcolm in the Middle is an American comedy television series created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. The series was first broadcast on January 9, 2000, and ended its six-and-a-half-year run on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes...
,
Grey's AnatomyGrey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series. It follows the lives of five surgical interns, later residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital in Seattle, Washington. The pilot episode, "A Hard Day's Night" premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC...
,
The Suite Life of Zack and CodyThe Suite Life of Zack & Cody is an American sitcom created by Danny Kallis and Jim Geoghan. The series premiered on Disney Channel on March 18, 2005 with 4 million viewers, making it the most successful premiere for Disney Channel in 2005. It was one of their first five shows available on the...
,
RebaReba is an American sitcom starring Reba McEntire. It premiered on The WB in 2001, where it ran for five seasons before The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network , and it ran on The CW for its final season. When it premiered on The CW, the show became the top rated sitcom on the...
,
So Little TimeSo Little Time is an American sitcom starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen that aired on ABC Family Channel. The first half of the series aired from June 2, 2001 to August 15, 2001. The series then went on a four-month hiatus, due to network management changes...
,
Gilmore GirlsGilmore Girls is an American comedy drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The series made its debut on The WB on October 5, 2000, and ended on May 15, 2007, in its seventh season, which aired on The CW. Time magazine named Gilmore Girls to their...
,
The CloserThe Closer is an American crime drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Georgia police detective who arrives in Los Angeles to lead the Priority Murder Squad , a team that deals only with high profile murder cases...
and a recurring role as one of the less intimidating incarnations of
GodGod is a deity in theistic and deistic religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity in monotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism....
seen by the title character (played by
Amber TamblynAmber Rose Tamblyn is an Emmy, Golden Globe, and Saturn Award nominated American actress. She appeared on the soap opera General Hospital followed by a starring role on the television series Joan of Arcadia. She has branched out into film roles, appearing in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants...
) on the now cancelled TV series
Joan of ArcadiaJoan of Arcadia is an American television fantasy/family drama telling the story of a teenage girl who communicates with God and performs tasks she is given. The program originally aired on Fridays, 8-9 p.m...
.
Recently, Joosten appeared in the film
Wedding CrashersWedding Crashers is a 2005 romantic comedy film, directed by David Dobkin. The film stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, with Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Jane Seymour, Will Ferrell and Bradley Cooper...
, starring
Vince VaughnVincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before experiencing wider recognition with the 1996 movie, Swingers...
and
Owen WilsonOwen Cunningham Wilson is an American actor, comedian and writer.-Early life:Wilson was born in Dallas, Texas, to photographer Laura Cunningham Wilson and Robert Andrew Wilson, an advertising executive and operator of a public television station. He has an older brother, Andrew and a younger...
. Joosten also has a recurring role on
Desperate HousewivesDesperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry, who also serves as show runner, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producers, as of the fourth season, are Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
as
Karen McCluskeyKaren McCluskey is a fictional character on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. The character is played by Kathryn Joosten, who won the Emmy Award twice for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2005 and 2008....
. For this role, Joosten won two
Emmy AwardThe Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards , Grammy Awards and Tony Awards .They are presented in various...
s for
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy SeriesThis is a list of winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.-Award winners:1970s*1975: Cloris Leachman – The Mary Tyler Moore Show1980s*1988: Beah Richards – Frank's Place...
in 2005 and 2008, and appeared as a presenter at the 2005 and 2008 Emmy Awards telecasts. She also received Screen Actors Guild Award nominations with the rest of the cast for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series from 2006-2008.
In addition, Joosten has appeared in numerous television commercials such as those for
V8V8 Vegetable Juice is a trademark name for beverage products sold worldwide and made from either eight vegetables or a mixture of both fruits and vegetables...
and Fiber One. In 2007, in an appearance on
The ViewThe View is an American talk show broadcast on American Broadcasting Company as part of ABC Daytime. Created by Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie, who both also serve as the show's executive producers, the program features a panel of women as co-hosts...
, she revealed that she was a
lung cancerLung cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. This growth may lead to metastasis, which is the invasion of adjacent tissue and infiltration beyond the lungs. The vast majority of primary lung cancers are carcinomas of the lung, derived from epithelial cells...
survivor, after many years of smoking (which she subsequently quit), and gave some tricks for trying to beat the habit of smoking. Ironically, her guest role on
My Name is EarlMy Name Is Earl is an American comedy created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005 to May 14, 2009 in the United States. It was produced by 20th Century Fox Television.-Overview:...
revolved largely around her character attempting to quit smoking.
Joosten and
Lily TomlinMary Jean "Lily" Tomlin is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer. She has won multiple awards from many quarters, including Tony Awards, Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award and has also been nominated for an Academy Award....
are currently in talks to star in a
Desperate Housewives spin-off. The
Desperate Housewives spin-off has just been given the green light.
In 2001, she quit her 45 year smoking habit when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. In September 2009, Joosten was diagnosed with lung cancer again. Joosten has told her fellow cast members of her illness and the producers are currently trying to fit her filming schedule around her treatment.
External links