Cast & creator
Kate Nelligan
Best known for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, American Playhouse, Play for Today
Kate Nelligan (born Patricia Colleen Nelligan; March 16, 1950) is a Canadian retired actress, who was celebrated for her commanding performances and versatility. She trained at Glendon College in Toronto and London's Central School of Speech and Drama before launching her professional career in 1972 with the Bristol Old Vic, appearing in productions like Barefoot in the Park. Nelligan rose to prominence in the UK with the National Theatre in plays such as David Hare's Knuckle (1974) and Tales from the Vienna Woods (1977), alongside early television roles in The Onedin Line and her film debut in The Romantic Englishwoman (1975). In the early 1980s, she relocated to New York, where she garnered critical acclaim on Broadway, earning four Tony Award nominations for Plenty (1983), A Moon for the Misbegotten (1984), Serious Money (1988), and Spoils of War (1989). Her film career flourished with standout roles in Eye of the Needle (1981) opposite Donald Sutherland, Without a Trace (1983), and later Frankie and Johnny (1991), for which she won a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress; she also received an Academy Award nomination for The Prince of Tides (1991). Other notable films include Wolf (1994), U.S. Marshals (1998), and The Cider House Rules (1999).
Also known as: Patricia Colleen Nelligan, کیت نلیگان
53
film credits
17
television credits
70
1951–2008 · acting roles
6.4
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (70)
Showing 70 of 70 credits
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Sylvia Quinn
1999
American Playhouse
Barbara Hoyle
1982
Play for Today
Hilary
1970Film '72
Self
1971
Heritage Minutes
Emily Murphy
1991
Performance
Kate
1991
The BBC Television Shakespeare
Isabella
1978
Eleventh Hour
Gepetto
2008
Country Matters
Christie Davenport
1972
U.S. Marshals
Walsh
1998The Sunday Drama
Ann
1977
The Cider House Rules
Olive Worthington
1999
The Edwardians
Alice Keppel
1972
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Margaret Pfeiffer
1951Hallmark Hall of Fame
Vera Miller
1951
Eye of the Needle
Lucy
1981
The Prince of Tides
Lila Wingo Newbury
1991
Frankie and Johnny
Cora
1991
Fatal Instinct
Lana Ravine
1993
Wolf
Charlotte Randall
1994
Premonition
Joanne
2007
The Count of Monte-Cristo
Mercédès
1975
How to Make an American Quilt
Constance Saunders
1995
Up Close & Personal
Joanna Kennelly
1996
Shadows and Fog
Eve
1991
Therese Raquin
Thérèse
1980
Dracula
Lucy Seward
1979Human Cargo
A Wrinkle in Time
Mrs. Which
2003
Captive Heart: The James Mink Story
Elizabeth Mink
1996
The Lady of the Camellias
Marguerite Gautier
1976
Licking Hitler
Anna Seaton
1978
In from the Night
Vera Miller
2006
Blessed Stranger: After Flight 111
Kate O'Rourke
2000
Without a Trace
Susan Selky
1983
Million Dollar Babies
Helena Reid
1994
A Mother's Prayer
Sheila Walker
1995
Kojak: The Price of Justice
Kitty
1987
Love & Hate: The Story of Colin and Joanne Thatcher
JoAnn Thatcher
1989
Eleni
Eleni
1985
Swing Vote
Justice Sara Marie Brandwynne
1999
Bethune
Frances Bethune
1977
Mr. Patman
Peabody
1981
Shattered Trust: The Shari Karney Story
Stephanie Chadford
1993
Terror Stalks the Class Reunion
Kay
1992
The Romantic Englishwoman
Isabel
1975
Liar, Liar
Susan Miori
1993
Boy Meets Girl
Mrs. Jones
1998
Revisiting Brideshead
Self (archive footage)
2005
Golden Fiddles
Anne Balfour
1991
Walter and Henry
Elizabeth
2001
Control
Sarah Howell
1987
Margaret's Museum
Catherine MacNeil
1995
Victims
Ruth Hession
1982
Old Times
1991
Spoils of War
Elise
1994
Measure for Measure
Isabella
1979
Into the Deep
Self - Narrator (voice)
1994
By Woman's Hand
Self - Narrator (voice)
1994
The Arcata Promise
Laura
1974
Do as I Say
Hilary
1977The Four Beauties
Christie
1973
Love Is Strange
Kathryn McClain
1999
Calm at Sunset
Margaret Pfeiffer
1996
Heritage Minutes: Emily Murphy
Emily Murphy
1992
The Diamond Fleece
1992
Stolen Moments
Narrator (voice)
1998Rape: A Crime of War
Narrator
1997
Dreams of Leaving
Charlotte
1980
White Room
Jane
1990