June Squibb

June Louise Squibb (born November 6, 1929) is an American actress. She began her career by making her Broadway debut in the musical ''Gypsy'' (1959). Her film debut was in Woody Allen's romantic comedy ''Alice'' (1990). She later had supporting roles in the films '' The Age of Innocence'' (1993), '' In & Out'' (1997), ''Meet Joe Black'' (1998), ''About Schmidt'' (2002), and ''Far from Heaven'' (2002). For her role in Alexander Payne's road film ''Nebraska'' (2013), she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Squibb starred in her first leading role in the action comedy film '' Thelma'' (2024). She also voiced roles in the animated films ''Ralph Breaks the Internet'' (2018), ''Toy Story 4'' (2019), '' ''Soul'''' (2020), and ''Inside Out 2'' (2024).

Early and personal life

Squibb was born in Vandalia, Illinois, on November 6, 1929. Her mother, JoyBelle, was a silent film pianist, her father, Lewis, an insurance agent. Squibb married Edward Sostek in 1953. They divorced in 1959. Later that same year, Squibb married acting teacher Charles Kakatsakis. They have a son, Harry, a filmmaker who directed the short film ''Admissions''. Squibb converted to Judaism in the 1950s. When asked about ageism in show business, she said, "Well, it's like anything else. I always feel, rules are meant to be broken." Squibb attended Whittier College. She dropped out to pursue her acting career.

Career

Early appearances

Squibb worked at The Muny and trained at HB Studio. In 1951, she moved to Cleveland to sing and dance at the Cleveland Play House and starred in productions of ''Marseilles'', '' The Play's the Thing'', '' Goodbye, My Fancy'', ''The Heiress'', ''Detective Story'', ''Antigone'', ''Ladies in Retirement'' and ''Bloomer Girl''. In the late 50s, she and her second husband, Charles Kakatsakis, moved to New York City for a career on Broadway. She played Dulcie in the 1958 off-Broadway '' The Boy Friend'' and starred in the 1959 Off-Broadway revival of '' Lend an Ear''. She replaced Electra for her Broadway debut in the original production of '' Gypsy: A Musical Fable''. Squibb appeared in the 1968 Broadway version of '' The Happy Time''. The musical was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical. She did modeling work for romance novels, performed on road tours and cruise ships, and worked as Santa Claus’s helper at Christmas in the shopping malls.

In 1985, Squibb received her SAG/AFTRA card after appearing in an episode of ''CBS Schoolbreak Special''. Five years later she made her big screen debut playing a supporting role in the romantic comedy film ''Alice'' by Woody Allen. During the 1990s, Squibb also played supporting and minor parts in the films '' Scent of a Woman'' (1992), '' The Age of Innocence'' (1993), '' In & Out'' (1997) and ''Meet Joe Black'' (1998). She appeared in the 1995 Broadway play ''Sacrilege''. On television, she had a recurring role in the ABC daytime soap opera ''All My Children'' and made guest starring appearances on prime time series, such as ''Law & Order'', '' ER'', ''Just Shoot Me!'', ''Judging Amy'', ''Two and a Half Men'' and ''Curb Your Enthusiasm''.

In 2002, Squibb co-starred opposite Jack Nicholson in the comedy-drama film ''About Schmidt'' playing his wife. After this role, she appeared in films ''Far from Heaven'' (2002), ''Welcome to Mooseport'' (2004), and '' Just Add Water'' (2008). From 2005 to 2007, she had a recurring role in the CBS crime series ''Ghost Whisperer'', and from 2008 to 2009 played Pearl on the CBS soap opera, ''The Young and the Restless''. She also appeared in the made-for-television films '' A Stranger's Heart'' (2007) and '' Shark Swarm'' (2008) and guest-starred on '' The Middle'', ''Castle'' and ''Mike & Molly''. In 2011, she played Stella Gordon in '' Dividing the Estate'' at the Dallas Theater Center and received standout reviews.

Breakthrough

In 2013, Squibb starred opposite Bruce Dern in the road comedy-drama film ''Nebraska'', directed by Alexander Payne. She received positive reviews for her performance. Film critic Christy Lemire from '' RogerEbert.com'' called her a "scene-stealer", while Peter Travers from the ''Rolling Stone'' called her "priceless". She received Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress and Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, as well as being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female among other accolades for the film. Following her big break, Squibb guest-starred on '' Girls'', ''Glee'', ''Devious Maids'', '' Mom'' and '' Getting On''. She was inducted into the Cleveland Play House Hall of Fame in 2016.

In 2015, Squibb starred opposite Blythe Danner in the comedy-drama film '' I'll See You in My Dreams''. Later that year, she appeared in the Christmas comedy-drama '' Love the Coopers''. In 2016, she guest-starred on ''The Big Bang Theory'' as Sheldon's meemaw. Later that year, she had a recurring role as Etta Teasdale in the Showtime comedy-drama series '' Shameless''. In 2017, she guest-starred alongside Hal Holbrook on ''Grey's Anatomy''. She also appeared in the films '' Other People'' (2016), '' Father Figures'' (2017), '' Blow the Man Down'' (2019), ''Palm Springs'' (2020), '' Hubie Halloween'' (2020), '' The Humans'' (2021) and '' Family Squares'' (2022). She played Old Josie in the 2018 Broadway production of ''Waitress''. She had a supporting role in the Disney+ fantasy film '' Godmothered'' in 2020. She played Vivian, the grandmother of Eddie Palmer (Justin Timberlake), in Apple TV+ 2021 film ''Palmer''. From 2018 to 2019, she had a recurring role in the NBC crime comedy-drama '' Good Girls''. She also played Mrs. Danforth, a rich benefactor, in "The Indoor Arm", the final episode of the second season of the Apple TV+ series ''Little America''.

In 2024, Squibb had a first leading role in the action comedy film, '' Thelma''. It received mostly positive reviews from critics. Mae Abdulbaki wrote in her ''Screen Rant'' review: "June Squibb proves she's still on top of her acting game in an energetic, charming adventure comedy that is actually genuinely funny." That same year, she appeared in the black comedy '' Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead''. Squibb starred in another leading role in Scarlett Johansson's directorial debut film '' Eleanor the Great''.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theater

Awards and nominations

See also

* List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees
* List of actors with Academy Award nominations

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Squibb, June
1929 births
20th-century American actresses
20th-century American Jews
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American Jews
Actresses from Illinois
American film actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
American voice actresses
Converts to Judaism
Jewish American actresses
Living people
People from Vandalia, Illinois