MARTHA PLIMPTON
Name: Martha Campbell Plimpton
Born: 16 November 1970 New York, New York, U.S.
Martha Campbell Plimpton (born November 16, 1970) is an American model turned
actress.
Martha Plimpton was born in New York City to actors Keith Carradine and Shelley
Plimpton, who were not married at the time of her birth; her paternal
grandfather was actor John Carradine. She attended the Professional Children's
School in Manhattan. Her first stage appearance was when her mother brought
her on stage in costume for the curtain call of the short-lived Broadway play
The Leaf People.
Plimpton began her career in modeling, securing an early 1980s campaign for
Calvin Klein. She made her screen debut in 1981, when at the age of 11 she had a
small part in the film Rollover, she appeared in the Deep South independent
drama The River Rat opposite Tommy Lee Jones. Her breakthrough performance was
as Stef Steinbrenner in the 1985 feature film The Goonies. She also appeared
that year in a featured role on the television sitcom Family Ties.
This would begin a trend of Plimpton being repeatedly cast in the role of a
rebellious tomboy for several years, beginning with her critically lauded
performance as the Reverend Spellgood (Andre Gregory)'s daughter in the 1986
film The Mosquito Coast starring Harrison Ford. It was on the set of this film
that she met her future real-life love interest, River Phoenix. A critically
praised but commercially unsuccessful venture with Barbara Hershey in the 1987
film Shy People was followed by a disastrous and panned performance in the
quirky 1988 ensemble comedy Stars and Bars. This was released shortly before
Plimpton's second collaboration with River Phoenix in the film Running on Empty,
an Academy Award-nominated film for which she was nominated for a Young Artist
Award.
Plimpton began what became a career trend, mixing small independent film
appearances with supporting roles in big-budget films. She appeared in the 1989
Woody Allen film Another Woman; that year, she co-starred with Jami Gertz as a
cancer patient in the German film Zwei Frauen (released in America as Silence
Like Glass). The film was nominated for Outstanding Feature Film at the German
Film Awards.
Plimpton's most high-profile performance since The Goonies was in the 1989 Steve
Martin film Parenthood, where Leaf Phoenix played her on-screen brother.
Plimpton had shaved her head bald to play a cancer patient in Zwei Frauen, and
her reputation for playing rebellious teenagers secured her the role of the
indignant teenage daughter (who shaves her head) of Dianne Wiest. Coincidentally,
Plimpton appeared alongside Joaquin Phoenix (then credited as Leaf Phoenix), the
younger brother of her former boyfriend River, in this role.
Plimpton worked sparingly in 1991 with a supporting role in the Robert De Niro
film Stanley & Iris. In 1992 Plimpton appeared as a lesbian terrorist in the
independent film Inside Monkey Zetterland and was given a starring role in the
film Samantha. The film received lukewarm reviews and did not succeed
financially.
Despite its shortcomings, the success of Samantha garnered Plimpton a variety of
roles in 1993. She appeared with Cuba Gooding, Jr., in the television film
Daybreak and was a part of the mostly improvised television film Chantilly Lace.
She had a featured role in the big-budget films Josh and S.A.M. and played the
lead in the critically blasted film adaptation of the Carolyn Chute novel The
Beans of Egypt, Maine. As a testament to her own "indie cred", Plimpton also
appeared that year as herself in the independent film My Life's in Turnaround, a
movie about filmmakers trying to make a movie.
Plimpton continued to make appearances in featured roles in both independent
films and mainstream movies from 1994 through 1997, most notably as the lesbian
lover of radical feminist Valerie Solanas in the film I Shot Andy Warhol.
In 1997 the Showtime Network cast Plimpton as the female lead in a television
film called The Defenders: Payback. The show was a retooling of the classic
television show by the same name, and the characters were descendants of
character Lawrence Preston, a role reprised by actor E.G. Marshall. The intent
was to spin the program off into a series akin to Law & Order, but Marshall died
in 1998. Two additional episodes (The Defenders: Choice of Evils and The
Defenders: Taking the First) were aired as specials that year. The decision was
made to not continue production (despite high ratings and critical praise) due
to Marshall's death.
Plimpton's career in film began to stall. She became involved with The
Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago where she appeared in the Hedda Gabler (2001)
among others. In 1998 she appeared in the John Waters film Pecker; the film
was lambasted but Plimpton's work was praised. This also occurred with her
appearance in the 1999 bomb 200 Cigarettes. In 1999 Plimpton had a recurring
role in the television drama ER as Meg Corwyn. In 2001, she co-starred with
Jacqueline Bisset in The Sleepy Time Gal, which was nominated for the Grand Jury
Prize at Cannes Film Festival.
In 2002 she appeared in the documentary film Searching for Debra Winger and was
nominated for an Emmy Award for her guest appearance on the television drama Law
& Order: Special Victims Unit. Plimpton was the voice of Miss Crumbles in the
2004 animated film Hair High by Bill Plympton. In 2004, she also guest-starred
on an episode of the program 7th Heaven; she received her first writing credit
for a different episode of the show that year entitled "Red Socks". She
continues to act in television, film and on stage. She has begun narrating
audiobooks, notably the novel Diary by Chuck Palahniuk and Mrs. Kimble by
Jennifer Haigh. Plimpton had a recurring role on the NBC show Surface, which
aired in the 2005-06 season.
From October 2006 until May 2007, she was in The Coast of Utopia, a trilogy of
plays by Tom Stoppard that played at the Lincoln Center. For her work in this
play she won a Drama Desk Award and was nominated for a Tony award. (The Tony
was awarded to fellow cast member Jennifer Ehle.)
In October 2007 Plimpton completed a starring role in A Midsummer Night's Dream
on Broadway in New York City. She then began rehearsals for the play Cymbeline.
In the absence of film work she and friend Richard began a production company
called Everything is Horrible1. They have produced a number of short films for
the internet.
Name: Martha Campbell Plimpton
Born: 16 November 1970 New York, New York, U.S.
Martha Campbell Plimpton (born November 16, 1970) is an American model turned
actress.
Martha Plimpton was born in New York City to actors Keith Carradine and Shelley
Plimpton, who were not married at the time of her birth; her paternal
grandfather was actor John Carradine. She attended the Professional Children's
School in Manhattan. Her first stage appearance was when her mother brought
her on stage in costume for the curtain call of the short-lived Broadway play
The Leaf People.
Plimpton began her career in modeling, securing an early 1980s campaign for
Calvin Klein. She made her screen debut in 1981, when at the age of 11 she had a
small part in the film Rollover, she appeared in the Deep South independent
drama The River Rat opposite Tommy Lee Jones. Her breakthrough performance was
as Stef Steinbrenner in the 1985 feature film The Goonies. She also appeared
that year in a featured role on the television sitcom Family Ties.
This would begin a trend of Plimpton being repeatedly cast in the role of a
rebellious tomboy for several years, beginning with her critically lauded
performance as the Reverend Spellgood (Andre Gregory)'s daughter in the 1986
film The Mosquito Coast starring Harrison Ford. It was on the set of this film
that she met her future real-life love interest, River Phoenix. A critically
praised but commercially unsuccessful venture with Barbara Hershey in the 1987
film Shy People was followed by a disastrous and panned performance in the
quirky 1988 ensemble comedy Stars and Bars. This was released shortly before
Plimpton's second collaboration with River Phoenix in the film Running on Empty,
an Academy Award-nominated film for which she was nominated for a Young Artist
Award.
Plimpton began what became a career trend, mixing small independent film
appearances with supporting roles in big-budget films. She appeared in the 1989
Woody Allen film Another Woman; that year, she co-starred with Jami Gertz as a
cancer patient in the German film Zwei Frauen (released in America as Silence
Like Glass). The film was nominated for Outstanding Feature Film at the German
Film Awards.
Plimpton's most high-profile performance since The Goonies was in the 1989 Steve
Martin film Parenthood, where Leaf Phoenix played her on-screen brother.
Plimpton had shaved her head bald to play a cancer patient in Zwei Frauen, and
her reputation for playing rebellious teenagers secured her the role of the
indignant teenage daughter (who shaves her head) of Dianne Wiest. Coincidentally,
Plimpton appeared alongside Joaquin Phoenix (then credited as Leaf Phoenix), the
younger brother of her former boyfriend River, in this role.
Plimpton worked sparingly in 1991 with a supporting role in the Robert De Niro
film Stanley & Iris. In 1992 Plimpton appeared as a lesbian terrorist in the
independent film Inside Monkey Zetterland and was given a starring role in the
film Samantha. The film received lukewarm reviews and did not succeed
financially.
Despite its shortcomings, the success of Samantha garnered Plimpton a variety of
roles in 1993. She appeared with Cuba Gooding, Jr., in the television film
Daybreak and was a part of the mostly improvised television film Chantilly Lace.
She had a featured role in the big-budget films Josh and S.A.M. and played the
lead in the critically blasted film adaptation of the Carolyn Chute novel The
Beans of Egypt, Maine. As a testament to her own "indie cred", Plimpton also
appeared that year as herself in the independent film My Life's in Turnaround, a
movie about filmmakers trying to make a movie.
Plimpton continued to make appearances in featured roles in both independent
films and mainstream movies from 1994 through 1997, most notably as the lesbian
lover of radical feminist Valerie Solanas in the film I Shot Andy Warhol.
In 1997 the Showtime Network cast Plimpton as the female lead in a television
film called The Defenders: Payback. The show was a retooling of the classic
television show by the same name, and the characters were descendants of
character Lawrence Preston, a role reprised by actor E.G. Marshall. The intent
was to spin the program off into a series akin to Law & Order, but Marshall died
in 1998. Two additional episodes (The Defenders: Choice of Evils and The
Defenders: Taking the First) were aired as specials that year. The decision was
made to not continue production (despite high ratings and critical praise) due
to Marshall's death.
Plimpton's career in film began to stall. She became involved with The
Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago where she appeared in the Hedda Gabler (2001)
among others. In 1998 she appeared in the John Waters film Pecker; the film
was lambasted but Plimpton's work was praised. This also occurred with her
appearance in the 1999 bomb 200 Cigarettes. In 1999 Plimpton had a recurring
role in the television drama ER as Meg Corwyn. In 2001, she co-starred with
Jacqueline Bisset in The Sleepy Time Gal, which was nominated for the Grand Jury
Prize at Cannes Film Festival.
In 2002 she appeared in the documentary film Searching for Debra Winger and was
nominated for an Emmy Award for her guest appearance on the television drama Law
& Order: Special Victims Unit. Plimpton was the voice of Miss Crumbles in the
2004 animated film Hair High by Bill Plympton. In 2004, she also guest-starred
on an episode of the program 7th Heaven; she received her first writing credit
for a different episode of the show that year entitled "Red Socks". She
continues to act in television, film and on stage. She has begun narrating
audiobooks, notably the novel Diary by Chuck Palahniuk and Mrs. Kimble by
Jennifer Haigh. Plimpton had a recurring role on the NBC show Surface, which
aired in the 2005-06 season.
From October 2006 until May 2007, she was in The Coast of Utopia, a trilogy of
plays by Tom Stoppard that played at the Lincoln Center. For her work in this
play she won a Drama Desk Award and was nominated for a Tony award. (The Tony
was awarded to fellow cast member Jennifer Ehle.)
In October 2007 Plimpton completed a starring role in A Midsummer Night's Dream
on Broadway in New York City. She then began rehearsals for the play Cymbeline.
In the absence of film work she and friend Richard began a production company
called Everything is Horrible1. They have produced a number of short films for
the internet.