Stage mother
Encyclopedia
In the performing arts
, a stage mother is a term for the mother of a child actor
. The mother will often drive her child to auditions, make sure he or she is on the set
on time, etc. The term sometimes has a negative connotation, suggesting that the individual is prone to obnoxiously demanding special treatment for her child, or suggesting that the individual has placed inappropriate pressure on her child to succeed. Some believe that a "stage mom" is vicariously living out her own dreams through her child.
, Dina Lohan
, Ethel Gumm
, Teri Shields
, Jaid Barrymore
, Susan Duff
, etc.) — representing her child in negotiations for the professional services of her child. Such managers have often been derided as "momagers" in the film industry.
In certain cases where a mother and child both work in the film industry, an automatic labeling of "stage mother" can be affixed to the mother without cause. Kathie Lee Gifford
has been against the concept of stage mothers and had explained that when her son Cody co-starred with her in the film Model Behavior
, it had been on his own volition to try acting and not at her insistence. Ironically, Gifford plays a stage mother in that movie.
Fathers have also been known to manage their children in this way, such as Joseph Jackson (patriarch of the Jackson family), Murry Wilson
(father of three of The Beach Boys
), Joe Simpson (father of Jessica
and Ashlee Simpson
), Jeff Archuleta
(father of American Idol
runner-up David Archuleta
), Mathew Knowles
(father of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles
) and Kit Culkin
(father of Macaulay Culkin
). A historical example of such a father was the father of Mozart, who recognized his son's musical ability at an early age and made the most of it. Although fathers have been known to act like stage mothers, fathers have more often been associated with pushing their sons into a potential career in professional sports, such as implementing strength and exercise regimens at a young age and to attempt backhanded actions such as delaying enrollment in school so their sons will be bigger than their classmates.
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
, a stage mother is a term for the mother of a child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
. The mother will often drive her child to auditions, make sure he or she is on the set
Set construction
Set construction is the process by which a set designer works in collaboration with the director of a production to create the set for a theatrical, film or television production...
on time, etc. The term sometimes has a negative connotation, suggesting that the individual is prone to obnoxiously demanding special treatment for her child, or suggesting that the individual has placed inappropriate pressure on her child to succeed. Some believe that a "stage mom" is vicariously living out her own dreams through her child.
History
A stage mother may also be the official manager of her child (e.g., Rose Thompson HovickRose Thompson Hovick
Rose Elizabeth Thompson Hovick was the mother of two famous performing daughters: burlesque artist Gypsy Rose Lee and actress June Havoc.-Life and career:...
, Dina Lohan
Dina Lohan
Donata "Dina" Lohan is a television personality and occasional actress who rose to fame as the mother and manager of actress/pop singer Lindsay Lohan, and Lindsay's younger sister Ali Lohan, with whom Dina co-starred in the reality show Living Lohan.-Family and marriage:Lohan was born and raised...
, Ethel Gumm
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
, Teri Shields
Teri Shields
Teri Shields is an American actress, film producer, socialite, and former model....
, Jaid Barrymore
Jaid Barrymore
Jaid Barrymore is a German-born Hungarian-American actress, best known as Drew Barrymore's mother.-Early life:She was born Ildikó Jaid Makó to a concert violinist mother and an artist father...
, Susan Duff
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
, etc.) — representing her child in negotiations for the professional services of her child. Such managers have often been derided as "momagers" in the film industry.
In certain cases where a mother and child both work in the film industry, an automatic labeling of "stage mother" can be affixed to the mother without cause. Kathie Lee Gifford
Kathie Lee Gifford
Kathie Lee Gifford is an American television host, singer, songwriter and actress, best known for her 15-year run on the talk show Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, which she co-hosted with Regis Philbin...
has been against the concept of stage mothers and had explained that when her son Cody co-starred with her in the film Model Behavior
Model Behavior
Model Behavior is a 2000 television movie that aired on The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC. The film starred Maggie Lawson and was directed by Mark Rosman. The film also stars Justin Timberlake and co-stars Kathie Lee Gifford...
, it had been on his own volition to try acting and not at her insistence. Ironically, Gifford plays a stage mother in that movie.
Fathers have also been known to manage their children in this way, such as Joseph Jackson (patriarch of the Jackson family), Murry Wilson
Murry Wilson
Murry Gage Wilson was an American musician and record producer, best remembered as the father of The Beach Boys members Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Carl Wilson, uncle of bandmate Mike Love, and the husband of Audree Wilson...
(father of three of The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
), Joe Simpson (father of Jessica
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and...
and Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Nicole Simpson is an American singer and actress. In 2004, she rose to prominence with the success of her number-one debut album Autobiography and the reality series, The Ashlee Simpson Show. In October 2005, following a North American concert tour and a film appearance, Simpson released...
), Jeff Archuleta
David Archuleta
David Archuleta, is a former United States Air Force Airman of Okinawan stationary troops and is currently an American male kickboxer.-Biography:...
(father of American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
runner-up David Archuleta
David Archuleta
David Archuleta, is a former United States Air Force Airman of Okinawan stationary troops and is currently an American male kickboxer.-Biography:...
), Mathew Knowles
Mathew Knowles
Mathew Knowles is an American music executive and manager. He is the father and former manager of R&B singer Beyoncé , Knowles also managed Kelly Rowland as well as girl group Destiny's Child . He was also the manager of Solange Knowles.-Manager and producer:Knowles is an alumnus of Fisk...
(father of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles
Solange Knowles
Solange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...
) and Kit Culkin
Kit Culkin
Christopher Cornelius "Kit" Culkin is an American stage actor, most famous for being the father of Macaulay Culkin, of Home Alone fame, as well as his productions on Broadway.-Life and career:...
(father of Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Carson Culkin is an American actor. He became widely known for his portrayal of Kevin McCallister in Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. He is also known for his roles in Richie Rich, Uncle Buck, My Girl, The Pagemaster, and Party Monster...
). A historical example of such a father was the father of Mozart, who recognized his son's musical ability at an early age and made the most of it. Although fathers have been known to act like stage mothers, fathers have more often been associated with pushing their sons into a potential career in professional sports, such as implementing strength and exercise regimens at a young age and to attempt backhanded actions such as delaying enrollment in school so their sons will be bigger than their classmates.
Popular culture
- Stage MotherStage Mother (film)Stage Mother is a 1933 American musical drama. A backstage musical, the film follows the story of Kitty Lorraine, a frustrated vaudeville performer who pushes her daughter into becoming a star dancer. Selfishness, deceit and blackmail drive mother and daughter apart until a last-reel reconciliation...
is the name of a 1933 film. - BellissimaBellissima (film)Bellissima is an Italian neorealism film by Italian director Luchino Visconti. The film is about and was shot at Cinecittà. Alessandro Blasetti, the film director, appears as himself....
by Luchino ViscontiLuchino ViscontiLuchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo was an Italian theatre, opera and cinema director, as well as a screenwriter. He is best known for his films The Leopard and Death in Venice .-Life:...
is about a stage mother in CinecittàCinecittàCinecittà is a large film studio in Rome that is considered the hub of Italian cinema.-History:The studios were founded in 1937 by Benito Mussolini and his head of cinema Luigi Freddi for propaganda purposes, under the slogan "Il cinema è l'arma più forte"...
, Rome, starred by Anna MagnaniAnna MagnaniAnna Magnani was an Italian stage and film actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress, along with four other international awards, for her portrayal of a Sicilian widow in The Rose Tattoo.... - The musical GypsyGypsy: A Musical FableGypsy is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with "the ultimate show business...
is about a child actress and her relationship to her stage mother. - An episode of the television show Kate & AllieKate & AllieKate & Allie is an American television situation comedy which ran from March 19, 1984 to May 22, 1989. Kate & Allie first aired on CBS as a midseason replacement series and only six episodes were initially commissioned, but the favorable response from critics and viewers alike easily convinced CBS...
was titled "Stage Mother". In the episode, Allie is overly enthusiastic about Jennie getting a job to sing on cable television. - BakekangBakekangBakekang was a Philippine drama that aired on GMA Network from September 11, 2006, and ended on March 30, 2007. It aired internationally with a three-week delay on GMA Pinoy TV, which made Bakekang a success to viewers abroad....
, a FilipinoPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
TV series, which stars Sunshine DizonSunshine DizonSunshine Dizon is a Filipina actress. She started in show business when she was three years old.-Biography:...
is a story of an ugly woman who begets a very beautiful girl from a foreigner. A movie fan as she is, she compels her daughter, named Krystal, to join show business. Her daughter becomes a big star and Bakekang, a stage mother. - Little BritainLittle BritainLittle Britain is a British character-based comedy sketch show which was first broadcast on BBC radio and then turned into a television show. It was written by comic duo David Walliams and Matt Lucas...
has a duo called Sandra and Ralph Patterson. Sandra is very desperate for her son, Ralph to get a part in acting. Whenever he fails, she treats him very badly and even beats him. - The fourth episode of the third series of BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
comedy The League of GentlemenThe League of GentlemenThe League of Gentlemen are a group of British comedians formed in 1995, best known for their radio and television series.The League of Gentlemen may also refer to:* The League of Gentlemen ,...
features a stage mother named Nancy Glass who forces her daughter to perform at the Little Miss Elegance Pageant. - Patsy RamseyPatsy RamseyPatricia Ann "Patsy" Ramsey was the mother of JonBenét Ramsey, a 6-year-old American beauty pageant contestant who was murdered on December 25, 1996.-Background:...
, mother of slain child beauty queen, JonBenet RamseyJonBenét RamseyJonBenét Patricia Ramsey was an American child beauty pageant contestant who was murdered in her home in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996. The six-year-old's body was found in the basement of the family home nearly eight hours after she was reported missing. She had been struck on the head and strangled...
. - Abraham Quintanilla Jr. of the slain Tejano queen Selena Quintanilla Perez. He is a stage father in this case in which he discovered Selena's gift of singing and rounded her and her siblings up as a band (Selena Y Los Dinos), named for his band in his younger days.
- WatchmenWatchmenWatchmen is a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colourist John Higgins. The series was published by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987, and has been subsequently reprinted in collected form...
features Silk Spectre, a superhero who acts as a stage mother for her daughter, forcing her to become the modern incarnation of Silk Spectre against her will.
See also
- Child actorChild actorThe term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
- Kyoiku mamaKyoiku mamaThe Japanese pejorative term "kyōiku mama" translates literally as "education mother". The kyōiku mama is a stereotyped figure in modern Japanese society portrayed as a mother who relentlessly drives her child to study, to the detriment of the child's social and physical development, and emotional...
- SvengaliSvengaliSvengali is a fictional character of George du Maurier's 1894 novel Trilby. Svengali "would either fawn or bully and could be grossly impertinent. He had a kind of cynical humour that was more offensive than amusing and always laughed at the wrong thing, at the wrong time, in the wrong place...
- List of stage mothers
- Helicopter parentHelicopter parentHelicopter parent is a colloquial, early 21st-century term for a parent who pays extremely close attention to his or her child's or children's experiences and problems, particularly at educational institutions. The term was originally coined by Foster W. Cline, M.D. and Jim Fay in their 1990 book...