Kathryn Kates is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her recurring role on Seinfeld in the episodes "The Rye" and "The Dinner Party."
Early work
Kathryn Kates is an American actress who began her career in Los Angeles. Kathryn is one of 25 actors who are Founding Members of The Colony Theatre. Ms. Kates and her colleagues took up residence at The Studio Theatre in the Silver Lake District of Los Angeles. For the next 25 years she along with her colleagues there produced award-winning stage productions. During the first six years of The Colony's existence, Kathryn, along with Barbara Beckley, was co general manager of The Colony and together they produced all of the company's plays. She has the distinction of being the only actress to ever play opposite John Larroquette as his mother, lover, and wife: as his mother in Enter Laughing ; his wife in A Company of Wayward Saints ; and his lover in The Lady's Not For Burning. Kathryn also appeared in many other of The Colony's L.A.Drama Critics’ Circle award-winning productions such as The Grapes Of Wrath and Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles. Over the years, The Colony Theatre has evolved from a small ensemble of actors into a well-established, award-winning, nationally recognized theatre, renowned for high quality productions. It has been listed in the Encyclopædia Britannica Almanac as one of “25 Notable US Theater Companies.”
Career
Kathryn currently has a recurring role in the Network/Lionsgate series Orange Is the New Black, written by Jenji Kohan, playing Jason Biggs' mother. She was a series lead in the CBS/Showtime pilot Gurland on Gurland, playing Myrna Birnbaum. She also appeared in Reggie Rock Bythewood’s new pilot for the BET network, Gun Hill, as Bora. One of Kathryn's most memorable roles is her recurring appearance on Seinfeld as The Counter Woman in the iconic episodes "The Dinner Party" and "The Rye". Other recurring roles have been on the Disney series Lizzie McGuire as the zany neighbor, Mrs. Carrabino, on Pam Am as the nosy neighbor, Mrs. Luckovich, as June Starr in Judging Amy with Tyne Daly, as Ginny in Caroline in the City, as Mrs. Bowman in Hudson Street, and as Mable Maloney in a two-part Matlock, TV series, The Witness Killings. Kathryn has worked in film, recently for director Daryl Wein in Lola Versus starring Greta Gerwig, Debra Winger, and Bill Pullman; and for Paul Moshe Mones in Dovid Moyer as Odel, the Orthodox cook. She has also worked with such notable directors as Don Siegel and Lamont Johnson in the television movie, Life of The Party and The Story of Beatrice with Carol Burnett. She has received acting awards, Drama Logue Award best actress for her role as Ruby in Marsha Norman's Getting Out, and more recently Best Supporting Actress nomination from the MITF in NYC for her work in Gray Matters as the high-powered agent, Miriam Berger. as the co-hosts of SMALL MIRACLES a new series by Moshe Mones. Since relocating to New York City in 2006, she has appeared in over twenty Off and Off Off Broadway productions, has toured Europe with Saviana Stanescu's Waxing West, and has worked in some of New York's most iconic venues, such as The Public, La Mama Etc., Urban Stages, The Soho Playhouse, The Cherry Lane, and several times on Theatre Row. She was the Palestinian Aunt in the New York Theatre Workshopproduction of Food and Fadwa, on Theatre Row in Herman Kline's Midlife Crisis, and, most recently starred along with Greg Mullavey and Gaby Hoffmann in The Last Seder. She is currently a company member of Daniel Talbott's Rising Phoenix Rep.
Early life
Kathryn was born in New York City, the second daughter of Louis Kates and his wife, the actress Madlyn Cates, who is known to millions for her memorable role in the original Mel Brooks movie, The Producers, starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. Madlyn's role as The Concierge is oft quoted: "I'm not a madame, I'm a concierge", a line which has become as famous as the movie itself. Kathryn's sister, Mallory Kates, is an entrepreneur and her brother, Joshua Kates, is a psychotherapist.
