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IMDbPro

Shirley Knight(1936-2020)

  • Actress
  • Producer
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Shirley Knight at an event for Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002)
Trailer for Mercy
Play trailer1:08
Mercy (2014)
19 Videos
99+ Photos
Shirley Knight was an American actress who appeared in more than 180 feature films, television movies, television series, and Broadway productions in her career playing leading and character roles.

She was a member of the Actors Studio. Knight was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress: for The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960) and Sweet Bird of Youth (1962).

In 1976, Knight won a Tony Award for her performance in Kennedy's Children, a play by Robert Patrick. In later years, she played supporting roles in many films, including Endless Love (1981), As Good as It Gets (1997), Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002), and Grandma's Boy (2006). For her performances on television, Knight was nominated eight times for a Primetime Emmy Award (winning three), and she received a Golden Globe Award.
BornJuly 5, 1936
DiedApril 22, 2020(83)
BornJuly 5, 1936
DiedApril 22, 2020(83)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 2 Oscars
    • 6 wins & 18 nominations total

Photos102

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+ 96
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Known for

Jack Nicholson in As Good as It Gets (1997)
As Good as It Gets
7.7
  • Beverly
  • 1997
Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
5.3
  • Mom
  • 2009
Paul Newman and Geraldine Page in Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)
Sweet Bird of Youth
7.1
  • Heavenly Finley
  • 1962
Jennifer Lopez in Angel Eyes (2001)
Angel Eyes
5.7
  • Elanora Davis
  • 2001

Credits

IMDbPro

Actress



  • The Missing Girl (2015)
    The Missing Girl
    6.0
    • Mrs. Colvins
    • 2015
  • Kevin James in Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2015)
    Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2
    4.5
    • Mom
    • 2015
  • Chandler Riggs in Mercy (2014)
    Mercy
    4.9
    • Mercy
    • 2014
  • Tom Skerritt, Shirley Knight, Catherine E. Coulson, Zena Grey, Brent Hinkley, Sam Daly, Danforth Comins, and Mimi Dryland in Redwood Highway (2013)
    Redwood Highway
    6.3
    • Marie
    • 2013
  • William Forsythe and Jordana Spiro in The Mob Doctor (2012)
    The Mob Doctor
    6.5
    TV Series
    • Ann Wilson
    • 2012
  • Elevator (2012)
    Elevator
    5.3
    • Jane Redding
    • 2012
  • Doll in the Dark (2011)
    Doll in the Dark
    4.9
    • Mor (voice)
    • 2011
  • Paul Rudd in Our Idiot Brother (2011)
    Our Idiot Brother
    6.4
    • Ilene
    • 2011
  • Listen to Your Heart (2010)
    Listen to Your Heart
    6.9
    • Grandma Sam
    • 2010
  • Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick, and Betty White in Hot in Cleveland (2010)
    Hot in Cleveland
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Loretta
    • 2010
  • Brooke Elliott in Drop Dead Diva (2009)
    Drop Dead Diva
    7.5
    TV Series
    • Millie Carlson
    • 2009
  • Julianne Moore, Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Alan Arkin, Robin Wright, Monica Bellucci, Maria Bello, and Blake Lively in The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009)
    The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
    6.3
    • Dot Nadeau
    • 2009
  • Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)
    Paul Blart: Mall Cop
    5.3
    • Mom
    • 2009
  • Not Fade Away (2008)
    Not Fade Away
    9.0
    • Diane
    • 2008
  • The Other Side of the Tracks (2008)
    The Other Side of the Tracks
    4.9
    • Helen
    • 2008

Producer



  • Shirley Knight and Al Freeman Jr. in Dutchman (1966)
    Dutchman
    7.0
    • co-producer (uncredited)
    • 1966

Soundtrack



  • Cybill Shepherd in Cybill (1995)
    Cybill
    6.9
    TV Series
    • performer: " (Won't You Come Home) Bill Bailey" (uncredited)
    • 1996

Videos19

DVD Clip: A Closer Look
Clip 0:53
DVD Clip: A Closer Look
DVD Clip: Roadkill
Clip 0:48
DVD Clip: Roadkill
DVD Clip: Roadkill
Clip 0:48
DVD Clip: Roadkill
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:35
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:19
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:41
Official Trailer
DVD Trailer: Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Trailer 2:25
DVD Trailer: Paul Blart: Mall Cop

Personal details

  • Alternative names
    • Shirley Knight Hopkins
  • Height
    • 5′ 5″ (1.65 m)
  • Born
    • July 5, 1936
    • Goessel, Kansas, USA
  • Died
    • April 22, 2020
    • San Marcos, Texas, USA(natural causes)
  • Spouses
      John Hopkins1969 - July 23, 1998 (his death, 1 child)
  • Children
      Kaitlin Hopkins
  • Parents
      Noel Johnson Knight
  • Other works
    Played "J.S." in "Necessary Targets", a play by Eve Ensler (Variety Arts Theatre, New York City, New York, USA).
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Interview
    • 3 Articles
    • 2 Pictorials
    • 2 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

  • Trivia
    Won Broadway's 1976 Tony Award as Best Actress (Featured Role - Play) for "Kennedy's Children". She was also nominated in 1997 as Best Actress (Play) for "The Young Man from Atlanta".
  • Quotes
    [on David Janssen, with whom she worked on three episodes of The Fugitive (1963)] I loved him. He was so sweet. I felt sorry for him toward the end. Now they have several people as leads in a show, they have these huge casts, but David was that show. He had those long, long, long hours, and a role where he was always doing physical things.
  • Trademark
    Uniquely-shaped, pouty full-lips (in early roles)

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