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.
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Biography from TMDB.
- April 20, 1949 (77)
- Cloquet, Minnesota, USA
- Actor, also producer
- 45 on MovieCove · 52 credits in all
What are Jessica Lange's films like?
Across their 48 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 45
A split, not a type: Light 8 · Serious 16 · Dark 22
A split, not a type: Grounded 32 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 5
Gentle 9 · Charged 19 · Intense 18
Steady 20 · Shifting 24 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 35 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 2
A split, not a type: Slow burn 23 · Even-paced 22 · Relentless 1
Casual 14 · Engaged 28 · Full focus 4
A split, not a type: Easy watch 9 · Affecting 12 · Heavy 25
Resolved 28 · Open-ended 15 · Ambiguous 3
Roles they play
Usually the Ally: 10 of 34 analyzed roles.
Show the 34 rolesHide the roles
- Shapeshifteras Angelique in All That Jazz (1979)
- Allyas Louise in How to Beat the High Cost of Living (1980)
- Shapeshifteras Cora Papadakis in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
- Allyas Julie Nichols in Tootsie (1982)
- Allyas Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1984)
- Heroas Patsy Cline in Sweet Dreams (1985)
- Allyas Meg Magrath in Crimes of the Heart (1986)
- Allyas Babs in Everybody's All-American (1988)
- Heroas Kate in Far North (1988)
- Heroas Ann Talbot in Music Box (1989)
- Heroas Beth Macauley in Men Don't Leave (1990)
- Threshold guardianas Leigh Bowden in Cape Fear (1991)
- Allyas Helen Nasseros in Night and the City (1992)
- Heroas Carly Marshall in Blue Sky (1994)
- Allyas Margaret Lewin in Losing Isaiah (1995)
- Heroas Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (1995)
- Heroas Ginny Cook Smith in A Thousand Acres (1997)
- Shadowas Bette in Cousin Bette (1998)
- Shadowas Martha Baring in Hush (1998)
- Shadowas Tamora in Titus (1999)
- Shadowas Mrs. Wurtzel in Prozac Nation (2001)
- Allyas Sandra Bloom (senior) in Big Fish (2003)
- Allyas Irma Applewood in Normal (2003)
- Heroas Arvilla Holden in Bonneville (2006)
- Mentoras Dr. Cornelia Wilbur in Sybil (2007)
- Shapeshifteras Big Edie in Grey Gardens (2009)
- Shadowas Constance Langdon in American Horror Story (2011)
- Threshold guardianas Rita Thornton in The Vow (2012)
- Shadowas Madame Raquin in In Secret (2013)
- Mentoras Roberta in The Gambler (2014)
- Allyas Maddie in Wild Oats (2016)
- Shadowas Joan Crawford in Feud (2017)
- Heroas Lillian Hall in The Great Lillian Hall (2024)
- Shadowas Mary Tyrone in Long Day's Journey Into Night (2025)
Moods and endings
- 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).
- Big Fish (2003) · actor · free
- Frances (1982) · actor · free
- Rob Roy (1995) · actor · free
- Men Don't Leave (1990) · actor · free
- Losing Isaiah (1995) · actor · free
- Prozac Nation (2001) · actor · free
- Blue Sky (1994) · actor · free
- Crimes of the Heart (1986) · actor · free
- Bonneville (2006) · actor · free
- In Secret (2013) · actor · free
- How to Beat the High Cost of Living (1980) · actor · free
- Wild Oats (2016) · actor · free
- +1 more
- Lionsgate+, show their 4 titles on Lionsgate+
- Howdy, show their 3 titles on Howdy
- Shout! TV, show their 3 titles on Shout! TV
- Cinemax, show their title on Cinemax
- Kino Film Collection, show their title on Kino Film Collection
- Sony Pictures Core, show their title on Sony Pictures Core
- ViX, show their title on ViX
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.
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
The Great Lillian Hall(2024)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Marlowe(2022)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
The Politician(2019)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows
Feud(2017)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
Wild Oats(2016)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Horace and Pete (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
The Gambler(2014)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Scorsese's Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
In Secret(2013)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
The Vow(2012)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
American Horror Story(2011)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows
Grey Gardens(2009)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Sybil(2007)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Bonneville(2006)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Neverwas(2005)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
Don't Come Knocking(2005)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Broken Flowers(2005)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Big Fish(2003)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Masked and Anonymous(2003)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Prozac Nation(2001)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Normal(2003)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Titus(1999)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Cousin Bette(1998)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Hush(1998)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
A Thousand Acres(1997)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
A Streetcar Named Desire(1995)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Rob Roy(1995)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Losing Isaiah(1995)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Blue Sky(1994)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Night and the City(1992)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
O Pioneers! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Cape Fear(1991)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Men Don't Leave(1990)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Music Box(1989)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Far North(1988)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
Everybody's All-American(1988)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
King Kong Lives(1986)
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
Crimes of the Heart(1986)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Sweet Dreams(1985)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof(1984)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Tootsie(1982)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Frances(1982)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
All That Jazz(1979)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
King Kong(1976)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
The Year of Magical Thinking (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
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)
Highest rated
Big Fish (2003)
Most popular right now
American Horror Story (2011)
Film career
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.
- 1976Screen debut· King Kong
- 1976Golden Globe win· King Kong
- 1982First top-billed film· Frances
- 1982Oscar nomination· Frances
- 1982Oscar win· Tootsie
- 1985Oscar nomination· Sweet Dreams
Show 5 more milestonesShow fewer
- 1989Career best· Music Box
- 1989Oscar nomination· Music Box
- 1994Oscar win· Blue Sky
- 2009Primetime Emmy win· Grey Gardens
- 2011Primetime Emmy win· American Horror Story
Billing
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.
- Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
- 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
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Limited Series
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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 yearsShow fewer
- 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
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
- 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
- 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
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
- Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
- Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
- Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Actress
- 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
- 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.
- 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
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.
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
- Michael SucsyShared titles: The Vow (2012), Grey Gardens (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Sucsy
Writers
- Sam ShepardShared titles: Don't Come Knocking (2005), Far North (1988), Crimes of the Heart (1986), Frances (1982)See all 4 shared titles with Sam Shepard
- William MonahanShared titles: Marlowe (2022), The Gambler (2014)See all 2 shared titles with William Monahan
- Tennessee WilliamsShared titles: A Streetcar Named Desire (1995), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1984)See all 2 shared titles with Tennessee Williams
- Robert KaufmanShared titles: Tootsie (1982), How to Beat the High Cost of Living (1980)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Kaufman
Actors
- John GoodmanShared titles: The Gambler (2014), Masked and Anonymous (2003), A Streetcar Named Desire (1995), Everybody's All-American (1988), Sweet Dreams (1985)See all 5 shared titles with John Goodman
- Kathy BatesShared titles: The Great Lillian Hall (2024), American Horror Story (2011), Bonneville (2006), Men Don't Leave (1990)See all 4 shared titles with Kathy Bates
- Alan CummingShared titles: Marlowe (2022), Neverwas (2005), Titus (1999)See all 3 shared titles with Alan Cumming
- Nick NolteShared titles: Neverwas (2005), The Making of 'Cape Fear' (2001), Cape Fear (1991)See all 3 shared titles with Nick Nolte
Composers and cinematographers
- Mac QuayleShared titles: The Great Lillian Hall (2024), Feud (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Mac Quayle
- Thomas NewmanShared titles: Feud (2017), Men Don't Leave (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Thomas Newman
- Rachel PortmanShared titles: The Vow (2012), Grey Gardens (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Rachel Portman
- Rogier StoffersShared titles: The Vow (2012), Masked and Anonymous (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Rogier Stoffers
Producers
- Irwin WinklerShared titles: The Gambler (2014), Night and the City (1992), Music Box (1989)See all 3 shared titles with Irwin Winkler
- Charles MulvehillShared titles: Sweet Dreams (1985), Frances (1982), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)See all 3 shared titles with Charles Mulvehill
- Redmond MorrisShared titles: Long Day's Journey Into Night (2025), Marlowe (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Redmond Morris
- Bruce CohenShared titles: The Great Lillian Hall (2024), Big Fish (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Bruce Cohen
Mixed roles
- Graeme CliffordShared titles: A Hollywood Life: Remembering Frances (2001), Frances (1982), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)See all 3 shared titles with Graeme Clifford
- Barbara De FinaShared titles: The Making of 'Cape Fear' (2001), Cape Fear (1991)See all 2 shared titles with Barbara De Fina
- Jonathan SangerShared titles: A Hollywood Life: Remembering Frances (2001), Frances (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Jonathan Sanger
- Martin ScorseseShared titles: The Making of 'Cape Fear' (2001), Cape Fear (1991)See all 2 shared titles with Martin Scorsese
