Anecdotes

Has played Chandler Bing's (Matthew Perry) cross-dressing father Charles Bing in three episodes of Friends (1994) in 2001. Up to the day of his unfortunate death Matthew Perry still called her "Dad".

Spoke the voice (uncredited) of sexy Jessica Rabbit in the toon-noir Qui veut la peau de Roger Rabbit (1988).

Was 9 months pregnant with her daughter Rachel Ann Weiss when she completed recording Qui veut la peau de Roger Rabbit (1988); she actually went into labor on the final day of recording.

In the early 1990s, as Rheumatoid Arthritis began impacting her acting career and her personal life in a significant way, she also began to see a decline in the number of acting roles she was being offered. When the diagnosis was finally made in 1992, she had already been suffering with "unbearable" pain for over one year. By that time, she could not easily turn her head, and was already having difficulty walking, and her doctors told her that she was most likely going to be needing a wheelchair to remain mobile. By the mid to late 1990s, the progression of the illness and the medications (steroids, among others) to treat the illness quickly began to change her appearance. All of this caused her once vibrant acting career to slow considerably. Due to newly available drugs and other treatments, her Rheumatoid Arthritis has been in remission since 2006.

She performed some of her own stunts in À la poursuite du diamant vert (1984), Pas de vacances pour les Blues (1993) and V.I. Warshawski, un privé en escarpins (1991). Her nose was broken while filming V.I. Warshawski, un privé en escarpins (1991).

Former accomplished gymnast.

By her own admission, she turned down every role offered of a victimized, weak woman.

On December 3, 1999, she checked herself into Marworth in Waverly, Pennsylvania, for alcohol abuse.

Her father, Allen Richard Turner (B. August 18, 1919-D. June 4, 1972), was a career Foreign Service diplomat who was imprisoned in China by the Japanese during World War II. He died in Hempstead, England of coronary thrombosis and his body was brought home to Springfield, Missouri.

Upon meeting the legendary actress Lauren Bacall, to whom she has often been compared, she reportedly introduced herself by saying, "Hi, I'm the young you." Bacall was apparently not amused.

Speaks Spanish fluently.

Suffers from rheumatoid arthritis.

Was raised in Canada, Cuba and England where her father was a diplomat.

Gave birth to her only child at age 33, a daughter Rachel Ann Weiss (aka Rachel Ann Weiss) on October 14, 1987. Child's father is her ex-husband, Jay Weiss.

As in 2012, she said the director she has learned the most from is Francis Ford Coppola.

She discovered she had developed rheumatoid arthritis in 1992, but did not publicly disclose her illness until 1994, during filming for Serial Mother (1994) in Baltimore.

Lobbied hard for the lead role in 9 semaines 1/2 (1986) but lost out to Kim Basinger.

Turner became pregnant by her husband, Jay Weiss, in November 1985 shortly after filming on Peggy Sue s'est mariée (1986) was completed. However, she went on to suffer a miscarriage in January 1986 during a flight to Italy, where she was to begin filming Julia et Julia (1987).

Turner named Devine qui vient dîner... (1967) as her favorite film in an American Film Institute poll.

Delivered her daughter Rachel Ann Weiss via emergency Caesarean section after the midwife was concerned that her lungs had not developed properly.

Was nominated for Broadway's 2005 Tony Award as Best Actress in a Play for portraying Martha in the 2005 revival of Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?".

Drama classmates at Missouri State University included John Goodman and Tess Harper.

Was nominated for Broadway's 1990 Tony Award as Best Actress (Play) for portraying Maggie the Cat in a revival of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof".

Despite playing her mother in Peggy Sue s'est mariée (1986), Turner was just 9 years older than Helen Hunt.

Ex-sister-in-law of fashion designer Donna Karan.

Was awarded the 2006 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for her performance in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?".

Was immortalized in the 1980s song, "The Kiss of Kathleen Turner," by techno-pop singer Falco.

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the "100 Sexiest Stars" in film history (#73) (1995).

Received a lifetime achievement award from the Savannah College of Art and Design at the Savannah Film Festival. (octobre 2004)

Member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004. At the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, she presented Quentin Tarantino with the Palme d'Or for Pulp Fiction (1994).

Education: Southwest Missouri State University (SMSU), Springfield, Missouri; transferred after two years University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland; B.F.A., 1977. She was involved in SMSU's Tent Theatre in the same summer as Tess Harper.

Referenced by Jack Black in High Fidelity (2000). He says that his band's name is very close to being called "Kathleen Turner Overdrive".

Somewhat resembles Lauren Bacall (looks and voice).

Attended the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England.

Wanted to do Prizzis Honour so much that she spent 3 months turning down other roles while she waited to see if she'd got it.

Has been a long time member of the People For the American Way Foundation Board of Directors, and was previously on the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood of America.

Returned to work three months after giving birth to her daughter Rachel Ann Weiss to begin filming Voyageur malgré lui (1988).

(October 9-23, 2014) Presided over the 50th Chicago International Film Festival's International Feature Competition Jury. She also received a tribute.

Her mother, Patsy (Magee) Turner, passed away on February 13th, 2015, aged 91.

Has one sister and two brothers.

Presiding the international jury of this 34th edition of the Ghent Film Festival (Flanders, Belgium). (octobre 2007)

Companions with David Guc [1977 - 1982].

Is one of 23 actresses who did not receive an Oscar nomination for their Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical Golden Globe-winning performance; hers being for À la poursuite du diamant vert (1984) and L'honneur des Prizzi (1985). The others, in chronological order, are: June Allyson for Too Young to Kiss (1951), Ethel Merman for Appelez-moi madame (1953), Jean Simmons for Blanches colombes et vilains messieurs (1955), Taina Elg and Kay Kendall for Les Girls (1957), Marilyn Monroe for Certains l'aiment chaud (1959), Rosalind Russell for Le Gentleman en kimono (1961) and Gypsy, vénus de Broadway (1962), Patty Duke for Moi Nathalie (1969), Twiggy for The Boy Friend (1971), Raquel Welch for Les trois mousquetaires (1973), Barbra Streisand for Une étoile est née (1976), Bernadette Peters for Tout l'or du ciel (1981), Miranda Richardson for Avril enchanté (1991), Jamie Lee Curtis for True Lies : Le Caméléon (1994), Nicole Kidman for Prête à tout (1995), Madonna for Evita (1996), Renée Zellweger for Nurse Betty (2000), Sally Hawkins for Be Happy (2008), Amy Adams for Big Eyes (2014) and Awkwafina for L'Adieu (2019), Rosamund Pike for I Care a Lot (2020) and Rachel Zegler for West Side Story (2021).

Ranked #1 in Fotogramas magazine's "Favourite Foreign Actress" poll in 1987 and 1988.

Used to wait tables.

Referenced by Emma Suárez in Una casa en las afueras (1995).

Born at 7:40 PM (CST).

Her former assistant was Polly Brown.

She spent 4 years at the American School in London.

She married in 1983 and has a daughter Rachel and lives in New York.