Kim Dickens is an American actress. She is known for starring as Madison Clark in the

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

horror drama series ''

Fear the Walking Dead ''Fear the Walking Dead'' is an American post-apocalyptic horror drama television series created by Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson for AMC. It is a spin-off to '' The Walking Dead'', which is based on the comic book series of the same na ...

'' (2015–2018; 2022–2023), Joanie Stubbs in

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

's '' Deadwood'' (2004–2006;

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

), and Detective Rhonda Boney in '' Gone Girl'' (2014). She has also starred as Kate Baldwin in the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

political drama ''

House of Cards A house of cards (also known as a card tower or card castle) is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an expression that dates back to 1645 meaning a struc ...

'' (2015–2017), Cassidy Phillips on the ABC television series '' Lost'' (2006–2009) and has had film roles in '' Mercury Rising'' (1998), '' Hollow Man'' (2000), '' House of Sand and Fog'' (2003), '' The Blind Side'' (2009), and '' Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children'' (2016).

Early life and education

Dickens was born in

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is the List of municipalities in Alabama, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the List of United States cities by population, 100th-most populous ...

, to Pam (Clark) Howell and Justin Dickens, a country-western singer.Hollywood Life She graduated from that city's Lee High School and attended

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, where she earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in communications. Dickens soon moved to New York City, where she worked as a waitress, to continue her studies at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, and graduated from the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a Private college, private drama school with two locations, one in New York City and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related ...

Career

1990s

Dickens made her stage debut in a student production of

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, author, and filmmaker. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony Award, Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and ''Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first ...

's '' Sexual Perversity in Chicago'', at

. In 1995, she made her professional screen debut in Alan Taylor's comedy film '' Palookaville'', playing

Vincent Gallo Vincent Gallo (born April 11, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and musician. He has won several accolades, including a Volpi Cup for Best Actor, and has been nominated for the Palme d'Or, the Golden Lion, and the Bronze Horse. Gallo was ...

's character's girlfriend. Dickens spent the following year playing supporting roles in the made-for-television films '' Voice from the Grave'' and '' Two Mothers for Zachary''. In 1997, Dickens returned to film, playing the female leading role opposite Vincent Gallo again in

neo-noir Neo-noir is a film genre that adapts the visual style and themes of 1940s and 1950s American film noir for contemporary audiences, often with more graphic depictions of violence and sexuality. During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, the term ...

thriller '' Truth or Consequences, N.M.'', directed by

Kiefer Sutherland Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland (born 21 December 1966) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his starring role as Jack Bauer in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox drama series ''24 (TV series), 24'' (2001–2010, 20 ...

. The film received negative reviews from critics. In 1998, she appeared in ''

Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by English author Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. The novel is a bildungsroman and depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip. It is Dickens' second novel, after ''Dav ...

'', a film adaptation of the

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

's novel, and had the female leading roles in '' Zero Effect'' and '' Mercury Rising''. In 1999, she starred alongside

Antonio Banderas José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received numerous accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award ...

in the comedy film, ''The White River Kid''.

2000s

In 2000, Dickens had co-starring roles in films '' Committed'' opposite

Heather Graham Heather Joan Graham (born January 29, 1970) is an American actress. The accolades she has received include nominations for two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, and an Independent Spirit Award. After appearing in tel ...

, '' Hollow Man'' with

Elisabeth Shue Elisabeth Shue (born October 6, 1963) is an American actress. She has starred in films such as '' The Karate Kid'' (1984), '' Adventures in Babysitting'' (1987), ''Cocktail'' (1988), ''Back to the Future Part II'' (1989), '' Back to the Future P ...

and

Kevin Bacon Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. Known for various roles, including leading man characters, Bacon has received numerous accolades such as a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Bacon made his featu ...

, and '' The Gift'' starring

Cate Blanchett Catherine Élise Blanchett ( ; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognised for Cate Blanchett on screen and stage, her versatile work across stage and scre ...

. The following year, she played the lead in the independent film, '' Things Behind the Sun''. Dickens received critical acclaim for her performance, and an

Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead The Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead was one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards to honor an actress who has delivered an outstanding lead performance in an independent film. It was first presented in 1985 with Geraldine Page bei ...

nomination. Later in 2001, Dickens was a regular cast member in the short-lived

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

police drama series, '' Big Apple''. In 2003, she co-starred opposite

Felicity Huffman Felicity Kendall Huffman (born December 9, 1962) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Lynette Scavo in the ABC comedy-drama ''Desperate Housewives'' and her role as Sabrina "Bree" Osbourne, a transgender woman, in the film ''Trans ...

and Eric Stoltz in the Showtime miniseries '' Out of Order''. During the 2000s, Dickens mostly worked on television, playing Joanie Stubbs, the

madam Madam (), or madame ( or ), is a polite and formal form of address for Woman, women in the English language, often contracted to ma'am (pronounced in American English and this way but also in British English). The term derives from the French la ...

, in the HBO western '' Deadwood'' from 2004 to 2006. She was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2007 for this role. She was a regular cast member in the unaired HBO comedy series, '' 12 Miles of Bad Road'' starring

Lily Tomlin Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin (born September 1, 1939) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. Tomlin started her career in stand-up comedy and sketch comedy before transitioning her career to acting across stage and screen. ...

and Mary Kay Place. She had recurring roles on '' Lost'' and '' Friday Night Lights''. In film, Dickens co-starred in '' House of Sand and Fog'' (2003) with

Jennifer Connelly Jennifer Lynn Connelly (born December 12, 1970) is an American actress. She began her career as a child model before making her acting debut in the 1984 crime film ''Once Upon a Time in America''. After a few more years of modeling, she began t ...

and

Ben Kingsley Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Ben Kingsley, various accolades throughout Ben Kingsley on screen and stage, his career spanning fi ...

, '' Thank You for Smoking'' (2005), '' Wild Tigers I Have Known'' (2006), ''

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

'' (2008) and '' The Blind Side'' (2009).

2010s

From 2010 to 2013, Dickens was a regular on the

ensemble drama series, '' Treme'', as chef Janette Desautel. From 2013 to 2014, she had a recurring role as Colette Jane in the FX crime drama, ''

Sons of Anarchy ''Sons of Anarchy'' is an American Action film, action crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter for FX (TV channel), FX. Originally aired from September 3, 2008, to December 9, 2014, ''Sons of Anarchy'' follows the lives of a close-k ...

''. In 2015, she had a recurring role in the

political drama ''

''. In film, she co-starred in ''

Footloose ''Footloose'' is a 1984 American musical drama film directed by Herbert Ross and written by Dean Pitchford. It tells the story of Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon), a teenager from Chicago who moves to a small town, where he attempts to overturn a b ...

'' (2011) and '' At Any Price'' (2012). In 2014, she had a major supporting role as Detective Rhonda Boney in the psychological thriller film '' Gone Girl'', directed by

David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. Often described as one of the preeminent directors of his generation, David Fincher filmography, his films, of which most are psychological thrillers, have collectiv ...

, and in 2016, co-starred as the lead character's mother in

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and producer. Known for popularizing Goth subculture, Goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his Gothic film, gothic horror and dark fantasy films. ...

's film '' Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children''. In August 2015, Dickens began playing Madison Clark in '' The Walking Dead'' companion series, ''

'', on

. Dickens left the series in June 2018. She returned to the series in 2022.

2020s

Dickens appeared in the 2021 film ''

Land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of Earth not submerged by the ocean or another body of water. It makes up 29.2% of Earth's surface and includes all continents and islands. Earth's land sur ...

''. In December 2021, it was announced on ''

Talking Dead ''Talking Dead'' is a live television aftershow in which host Chris Hardwick discusses episodes of the AMC television series '' The Walking Dead'', ''Fear the Walking Dead'' and '' The Walking Dead: World Beyond'' with guests, including celebrit ...

'' that Dickens would be returning to ''Fear the Walking Dead'' in the seventh season and would be a series regular in its eighth season. Dickens herself made a surprise guest appearance on the show to make the announcement to fans personally.

Personal life

Dickens moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in the late 1990s. She is currently in a relationship with musician and actress Leisha Hailey, known for being a member of the musical duo

The Murmurs The Murmurs were an American alternative pop music duo composed of singer-songwriters Leisha Hailey and Heather Grody. History The Murmurs and Gush Leisha Hailey and Heather Grody (Reid) began performing as The Murmurs in 1991 while the duo we ...

, as well as her acting on ''

The L Word ''The L Word'' is a television drama series that aired on Showtime in the United States from 2004 to 2009. The series follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The premise originated wit ...

''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dickens, Kim Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Huntsville, Alabama American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni American film actresses American television actresses Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni Vanderbilt University alumni American LGBTQ actresses LGBTQ people from Alabama Year of birth missing (living people)