Biografia

Lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Shares two roles with Sally Field, They have both played M'Lynn in Steel Magnolias and Aunt May Parker in a Spider-Man film.

Her real-life daughter, Jennifer Ehle, played the younger version of her character Valerie in the film Sunshine - O Despertar de um Século (1999). She also played the part of young Calypso in The Camomile Lawn (1992), with her mother taking the role of the older Calypso.

Both she and her Antes que o Diabo Saiba que Você Está Morto (2007) co-star Marisa Tomei have played May Parker, the aunt of Peter Parker / Spider-Man, in films based on Marvel Comics: Harris in Homem-Aranha (2002), Homem-Aranha 2 (2004) and Homem-Aranha 3 (2007) and Tomei in Capitão América: Guerra Civil (2016) and Homem-Aranha: De Volta ao Lar (2017).

Although she originated the role of Eleanor in "The Lion in Winter" on Broadway, and won a Tony Award for her performance, the Hollywood producers thought her not famous enough, and cast Katharine Hepburn in the role for the film version. Hepburn went on to win an Oscar for her performance.