Happy Birthday, Frances McDormand!
Yes, the woman who will be forever known as Marge Gunderson turns 63 years young on June 23.
Frances won two Best Actress Oscars (“Fargo” (1996), “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)), and she’s left her mark in tons of roles, both big and small. Although she’s played the lead in several films, here are two key supporting performances that earned her Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominations.
Mrs. Pell, “Mississippi Burning” (1988) – The FBI sends a team of agents, led by Alan Ward (Willem Dafoe) and Rupert Anderson (Gene Hackman), to Jessup County, Miss. to investigate the murders of three civil rights workers (two black and one white) in 1964.
Racism burns in wide-open spaces and slithers in the corners of broken dreams, but solving this troubling case may rest with the deputy sheriff’s wife Mrs. Pell (McDormand), a woman with a lifetime of her opinions devalued by her husband.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Glory, “North Country” (2005) – Josey (Charlize Theron), a single mom, applies and lands a job at a local Minnesota mine. She knew the work would be demanding, but had no idea that she would become a victim of an avalanche of sexual harassment and emotional/physical abuse within the male-dominated environment.
From 9 to 5, Josey and other female workers live a nightmare, but thankfully, her friend Glory (McDormand) offers support. Glory has fought the male-chauvinism wars for years, but she faces an altogether different battle.
⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐
