Kim Cattrall
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Bibliography
Biography
Kim Cattrall enjoyed international acclaim as the carnally omnivorous Samantha Jones on "Sex and the City" (HBO, 1998-2004), who served as the apex of her poised yet earthy screen persona, as exemplified by such projects as "Porky's (1982), "Bonfire of the Vanities" (1990) and numerous episodic television series. Born Kim Victoria Cattrall on August 21, 1956 in Liverpool, England, she emigrated with her family to Vancouver Island, in the Canadian province of British Columbia, when she was three years of ago. She would return to England in her early adolescence and begin her training as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. After returning to Canada, she completed her primary education at the Georges P. Vanier Secondary School before heading to New York in 1972; there, she studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where she was discovered by director Otto Preminger. Cattrall would sign a five-year contract with the filmmaker and made her screen debut in his thriller "Rosebud" (1974), but Universal Studios bought her contract from Preminger and installed her in its contract player system, where she quickly amassed a sizable list of credits on episodic television series. A featured role as Andrew Stevens' romantic interest in the high-profile miniseries "The Bastard" (syndicated, 1978) led to more long-form television projects and Canadian feature films, including Bob Clark's "Tribute" (1980), with Jack Lemmon, and the harrowing "Ticket to Heaven" (1981). She made an auspicious debut as a lascivious gym teacher in Clark's sex comedy "Porky's" (1982), and quickly followed with a comic turn in "Police Academy" (1984), and while both films were box office smashes, they did little for Cattrall's profile. She was a capable presence in Hollywood efforts like Clark's "Turk-182!" (1985) and John Carpenter's "Big Trouble in Little China" (1986), but neither found favor with audiences, and Cattrall soon settled into character roles in Brian De Palma's "Bonfire of the Vanities" (1990) and "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (1991). She would maintain a consistent presence in supporting roles on television, most notably in Bruce Wagner's dystopian miniseries "Wild Palms" (ABC, 1993), until she was cast as publicist and sexual libertine Samantha Jones on "Sex and the City." Cattrall's unfettered performance as a forty-something woman with complete control over her unlimited wants and desires helped to make the series a must-see for its six-year run on HBO; between seasons, she parlayed its success into roles in features like "15 Minutes" (2001) and "Crossroads" (2002). When "City" ran its course in 2004, Cattrall returned to guest roles on television and in features, most notably Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer" (2010), and as producer and host of "Kim Cattrall: Sexual Intelligence" (HBO, 2005), a documentary on human desire. Cattrall also returned to her native country to establish herself as a stage actress with critically praised turns in Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra" and "Private Lives." In 2008, she reunited with her "City" castmates for a "Sex and the City" feature, which proved to be a box office success. But its 2010 follow-up was pilloried by critics and fans alike, and Cattrall returned to television in her native England and Canada. She drew critical praise for her turn as a woman struggling with middle age in the comedy "Sensitive Skin" (HBO Canada, 2014-16), played a widow allegedly murdered by her lover in a BBC TV adaptation of "Witness for the Prosecution" (2016) and essayed the President of the United States for the Swedish thriller series "Modus" (TV4, 2015- ). In 2018, she joined the cast of CBS All Access's "Tell Me a Story," which adapted classic fairy tales as modern psychological thrillers.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Producer (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1975
Feature film acting debut in Otto Preminger's "Rosebud" while in final year at Academy of Dramatic Arts
1977
Made TV-movie acting debut in "Good Against Evil" (ABC)
1978
Featured in the syndicated miniseries "The Bastard"
1979
Reprised role in the syndicated miniseries sequel "The Rebels"
1980
Acted in the CBS miniseries "Scruples"; based on Judith Krantz's bestselling novel
1980
First major film acting role (as an adult) in "Tribute"
1980
Played title role in the syndicated TV-movie "The Gossip Columnist"
1981
Had a memorable featured role in the teen sex comedy "Porky's"
1984
Played a former call girl turned vigilante in the NBC TV-movie "Sins of the Past"
1984
Was one of the recruits attending "Police Academy"
1985
Acted in the drama feature "Turk 182"
1986
Made Broadway debut opposite Ian McKellan in "Wild Honey" a translation of Chekhov's "Ivanov"
1986
Was featured in John Carpenter's adventure "Big Trouble in Little China"
1987
Played the title character's animated alter ego in the silly romantic comedy "Mannequin"
1988
Featured opposite Rob Lowe in the thriller "Masquerade"
1989
Had a supporting role as a villainess in the uninspired reunion film "The Return of the Musketeers"
1990
Co-starred as Tom Hanks' sophisticated wife in Brian De Palma's disappointing "Bonfire of the Vanities"
1991
Played Mr Spock's protegee, Valeris, in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country"
1993
Co-starred in the short-lived CBS primetime soap "Angel Falls"
1993
Played featured role of Paige in the four-part ABC miniseries "Wild Palms"
1995
Had a supporting role in the TNT presentation of Wendy Wasserstein's popular play "The Heidi Chronicles"
1995
Played a woman reliving her youth with a slumber party on the eve of her third marriage in "Live Nude Girls"
1996
Featured in the supernatural thriller "Unforgettable"
1996
Starred opposite Jeff Fahey in the CBS thriller "Every Woman's Dream"
1997
Featured in the NBC miniseries thriller "Robin Cook's 'Invasion'"
1998
Co-starred as sexually liberated PR agent Samantha Jones in the HBO comedy series "Sex and the City"; earned Golden Globe (2000, 2001, 2004), SAG (2002, 2003) and Emmy (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) nominations
1998
Played a woman under attack by genetically engineered killer sharks in the ABC miniseries "Peter Benchley's 'Creature'"
1999
Had a co-starring role in "Baby Geniuses"
2001
Made cameo appearance as a hardnosed TV producer in "15 Minutes"
2002
Appeared in Alec Baldwin's troubled directorial debut "The Devil and Daniel Webster"
2005
Starred in the romantic dramedy "Ice Princess" playing a coach to an aspiring figure skater (Michelle Trachtenberg)
2005
Will headline an update of Brian Clark's play "Whose Life Is It Anyway?" at London's Duke of York's Theatre
2007
Co-starred with Alec Baldwin in "Shortcut to Happiness"
2008
Reprised the character of Samantha Jones for "Sex and the City: The Movie"
2010
Played Pierce Brosnan's personal assistant and mistress in Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer"
2010
Reprised her role of Samantha Jones for "Sex and the City 2"
2013
Produced and co-starred in the Canadian comedy series "Sensitive Skin"
2018
Joined the cast of the CBS All Access thriller series "Tell Me A Story"
Family
Companions
