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Jessica Lange

Jessica Lange

Actor, also producer · Born April 20, 1949 (77) · Cloquet, Minnesota, USA

2 Oscars · 3 Primetime Emmys · 5 Golden Globes · 4 other major award bodies

Jessica Phyllis Lange (born April 20, 1949) is an American actress. She is the 13th actress to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, having won two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award, along with a Screen Actors Guild Award and five Golden Globe Awards. Lange made her professional film debut in Dino De Laurentiis's 1976 remake of the 1933 action-adventure classic King Kong, for which she also won her first Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year. In 1979, she starred in the acclaimed musical film All That Jazz. In 1983, she won her second Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as a soap opera star in Tootsie (1982) and was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of the troubled actress Frances Farmer in Frances (1982). Lange received three more nominations for Country (1984), Sweet Dreams (1985) and Music Box (1989), before winning her third Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as a bipolar housewife in Blue Sky (1994). In 2010, Lange won her first Primetime Emmy Award for her portrayal of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's aunt Big Edie in HBO's Grey Gardens (2009). Between 2011 and 2014, she won her first Screen Actors Guild Award, first Critics Choice Award, fifth Golden Globe Award, three Dorian Awards and her second and third Emmy Awards for her performances in the first, second and third seasons of FX's horror anthology series American Horror Story (2011–2015, 2018). In 2016, Lange won her first Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play for her performance in the Broadway revival of Long Day's Journey into Night. She also had a supporting role in Louis C.K.'s Peabody Award-winning web series Horace and Pete. In 2017, for her portrayal of actress Joan Crawford in the miniseries Feud, Lange received her eighth Emmy, 16th Golden Globe, sixth Screen Actors Guild Award and second TCA Award nominations. In 2019, she received a tenth Emmy nomination for her performance in American Horror Story: Apocalypse. Lange is also a photographer with four published books of photography. She has been a foster parent and holds a Goodwill Ambassador position for UNICEF, specializing in HIV/AIDS in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Russia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 20, 1949 (77)
From
Cloquet, Minnesota, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
45 on MovieCove · 52 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 34% in 30 days

What are Jessica Lange's films like?

Across their 48 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Drama15 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 43rd percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Biography5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 80th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 82nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Documentary4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 76th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
23%
Bonds
20%
Morality
18%
Survival
14%
Ideas
9%
Society
9%
Power
8%
Family bonds18 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity14 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt5 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma5 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception5 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 46 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 8 · Serious 16 · Dark 22

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 32 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 5

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 9 · Charged 19 · Intense 18

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 20 · Shifting 24 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 35 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 23 · Even-paced 22 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 14 · Engaged 28 · Full focus 4

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 9 · Affecting 12 · Heavy 25

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 28 · Open-ended 15 · Ambiguous 3

Roles they play

34 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 10 of 34 analyzed roles.

Ally
10 of 34
Hero
9 of 34
Shadow
8 of 34
Shapeshifter
3 of 34
Threshold guardian
2 of 34
Mentor
2 of 34
Show the 34 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
36
Tense
24
Warm
11
Contemplative
14
Bittersweet
10
Other
32

How their films linger

Bittersweet23 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet26
  • Tragic10
  • Ambiguous6
  • Cyclical2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Jessica Lange's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 26 of their 45 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (13).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jessica Lange's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

52 credits, 45 with a MovieCove page; 28 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Long Day's Journey Into Night(2025)

    as Mary Tyrone

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Great Lillian Hall(2024)

    Executive Producer · as Lillian Hall

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Marlowe(2022)

    as Dorothy Quincannon

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • The Politician(2019)

    Show 8 episodes · as Dusty Jackson

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Feud(2017)

    Show 16 episodes · Producer · as Joan Crawford · as Lillie Mae Faulk

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Wild Oats(2016)

    as Maddie

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Horace and Pete (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 10 episodes · as Marsha

  • The Gambler(2014)

    as Roberta

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Scorsese's Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Star

  • In Secret(2013)

    as Madame Raquin

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • The Vow(2012)

    as Rita Thornton

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • American Horror Story(2011)

    Show 14 episodes · as Constance Langdon · as Elsa Mars · as Fiona Goode · as Sister Jude Martin

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Grey Gardens(2009)

    as Big Edie

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Sybil(2007)

    as Dr. Cornelia Wilbur

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Bonneville(2006)

    as Arvilla Holden

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Neverwas(2005)

    as Katherine Pierson

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Don't Come Knocking(2005)

    as Doreen

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Broken Flowers(2005)

    as Carmen

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Big Fish(2003)

    as Sandra Bloom (senior)

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Masked and Anonymous(2003)

    as Nina Veronica

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Prozac Nation(2001)

    as Mrs. Wurtzel

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Normal(2003)

    as Irma Applewood

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Titus(1999)

    as Tamora

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Cousin Bette(1998)

    as Cousin Bette

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Hush(1998)

    as Martha Baring

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • A Thousand Acres(1997)

    as Ginny Cook Smith

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • A Streetcar Named Desire(1995)

    as Blanche DuBois

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Rob Roy(1995)

    as Mary MacGregor

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Losing Isaiah(1995)

    as Margaret Lewin

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Blue Sky(1994)

    as Carly Marshall

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Night and the City(1992)

    as Helen Nasseros

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • O Pioneers! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Alexandra Bergson

  • Cape Fear(1991)

    as Leigh Bowden

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Men Don't Leave(1990)

    as Beth Macauley

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Music Box(1989)

    as Ann Talbot

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Far North(1988)

    as Kate

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Everybody's All-American(1988)

    as Babs Rogers Grey

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • King Kong Lives(1986)

    as Dwan (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Crimes of the Heart(1986)

    as Meg Magrath

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Sweet Dreams(1985)

    as Patsy Cline

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Producer · as Jewell Ivy

  • Cat on a Hot Tin Roof(1984)

    as Maggie

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Tootsie(1982)

    as Julie Nichols

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Frances(1982)

    as Frances Farmer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 1 episode · as Alexandra Bergson · as Maggie Pollitt

  • The Postman Always Rings Twice(1981)

    as Cora Papadakis

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • How to Beat the High Cost of Living(1980)

    as Louise

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • SP FX: Special Effects - The Empire Strikes Back(1980)

    as Dwan

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • All That Jazz(1979)

    as Angelique

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • King Kong(1976)

    as Dwan

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · as Alexandra Bergson

  • The Year of Magical Thinking (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Joan Didion

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 51 titles, 50 of them dated from 1951 to 2025; peak year 2004.

Biggest box office

The Vow (2012)

$196M worldwide

Highest rated

Big Fish (2003)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

American Horror Story (2011)

Film career

MilestoneAward winNomination
19512025

Peak 2004 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 23 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

Show 5 more milestones

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting51 of 51: 48 only acting, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score64thProducing3 of 51: 0 only producing, 3 with another role

51 titles, 3 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1950s1 · acting1970s2 · acting1980s13 · 13 acting · 1 crew1990s12 · acting2000s10 · acting2010s9 · 9 acting · 1 crew2020s3 · 3 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 31% of 39 roles
7686919606

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

2 Oscars, 3 Primetime Emmys, 5 Golden Globes and a Screen Actors Guild Award from 42 major nominations, 1977–2025.

WinNomination
  1. 2025
    • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
  2. 2019
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
  3. 2018
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
    • +2 other major bodies · 2 nominations
      • Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actress in a Movie Made for Television or Limited Series
  4. 2017
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Limited Series
  5. 2015
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
  6. 2014
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
  7. 2013
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
  8. 2012
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Show 14 earlier years
  1. 2010
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
  2. 2009
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
  3. 2004
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television
  4. 2003
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
  5. 1998
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
  6. 1996
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
  7. 1995
    • Oscar, won · Best Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
  8. 1993
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
  9. 1990
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
  10. 1986
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
  11. 1985
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
  12. 1984
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Actress
  13. 1983
    • Oscar, won · Best Actress in a Supporting Role
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
  14. 1977
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture - Female

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Jessica Lange's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 63rd percentile, the median of all 42; across their 46 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 64th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 46

Approval · how many liked their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 46

Reach · how many have seen their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 46

Midcredits score across 45 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up17
  • 50th to 74th13
  • 25th to 49th11
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

25 of their 45 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Universally Panned1
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser25
  • Broadly Agreed7
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · actor

Long Day's Journey Into Night (2025)

92nd percentile spread · 17% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Big Fish (2003)

Midcredits 97th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the acting 75/100 in their films, across 41 reviewed titles; fans 84, detractors 51. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Jessica Lange's work okay for kids?

Across up to 20 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and profanity run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore16 titles21–91 · median 45 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity20 titles34–75 · median 51 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity17 titles25–76 · median 50 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs17 titles32–78 · median 42 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense17 titles22–86 · median 48 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Jessica Lange work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jessica Lange's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Goodman shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles