Playing on behalf of Doug Turner Memorial Scholarship Fund
Elizabeth Perkins is an actress who has distinguished herself with an eclectic mix of roles over the span of her career. Never satisfied with the comfort of familiarity, she has avoided the tries-and-true maverick sensibility of a pioneer. Her choice of roles reveals such a career, distinguished by the inexhaustible ability to ferret out worthy parts and coax from them their fullest measure of idiosyncrasy.
Perkins can currently be seen starring in Showtime's original series "Weeds" where she portrays Celia Hodes. "Weeds" is currently in its third season. Perkin's performance has earned her two Golden Globe nominations and two Emmy nominations for Supporting Actress. Perkins will next be seen in the Lions Gate film FIERCE PEOPLE opposite Diane Lane and Donald Sutherland for director Griffin Dunne.
Born in Queens, New York, Perkins was raised in Vermont, and later attended Chicago's prestigious Goodman School of Drama. In 1984, Perkins returned to New York where she made her theatrical debut in Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs. She subsequently worked with Playwrights' Horizon, the Ensemble Studio Theatre, The New York Shakespeare Festival and the Steppenwolf Theater and was in the acclaimed John Patrick Shanley black comedy Four Dogs and a Bone at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.
Perkins made her feature film debut in Ed Zwicks'...ABOUT LAST NIGHT, an adaptation of David Mamet's play, Sexual Perversity in Chicago. Her breakthrough performance came in 1988 opposite Tom Hanks in 20th Century Fox's smash hit BIG, directed by Penny Marshall; and received critical acclaim for her performance in Barry Levinson's AVALON. In 1991, she starred opposite William Hurt in Randa Haines' touching drama THE DOCTOR; and with Kevin Bacon in HE SAID, SHE SAID for Paramount Pictures. She then went on to star in INDIAN SUMMER before bringing cartoon character Wilma Flinstone to life in Universal Pictures' blockbuster motion picture THE FLINSTONES. Perkins portrayed Dorey Walker in John Hughes' remake of the 1947 holiday classic MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET with Sir Richard Attenborough. She also co-starred opposite Kathleen Turner, Gwyneth Paltrow and Whoopi Goldberg in Gramercy Pictures' MOONLIGHT AND VALENTINO.
Her other credits include FROM THE HIP; SWEETHEARTS DANCE, with Jeff Daniels and Susan Sarandon; Alan Rudolph's LOVE AT LARGE; ENID IS SLEEPING and LESSER PROPHETS, I'M LOSING YOU Bruce Wagner's independent film co-starring Frank Langella, Rosanna Arquette and Amanda Donohoe, CRAZY IN ALABAMA, directed by Antonio Banderas co-starring Melanie Griffith, Paul Mazursky and Cathy Moriardy, the independent feature UNDER THE MIMOSA co-starring Brad Renfro, directed and written by Bo Brinkman, 28 DAYS opposite Sandra Bullock, CATS & DOGS, FINDING NEMO as the voice of Coral, JIMINY GLICK IN LALAWOOD, THE RING TWO, and most recently in the Warner Bros. film MUST LOVE DOGS, starring opposite Diane Lane.
Perkins made her television debut in "For Their Own Good", produced by Jon Avnet and Jordan Kerner. Perkins other television projects include NBC's "Baby 2000", Showtime's "The Rescuers" for Barbra Streisand's Barwood Productions, the HBO series "From the Earth to the Moon," Showtime's "What Girls Learn," the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of "My Sister's Keeper" opposite Kathy Bates and Showtime's "Speak"
Perkins currently makes her home in Los Angeles with her daughter Hannah and her husband, cinematographer Julio Macat.