Cast & creator
Kathleen Chalfant
Best known for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Kathleen Chalfant (b. 1945, San Francisco) is an American actress, primarily a stage performer. She earned a Tony nomination for Angels in America (1993) and won multiple awards for Wit (1998), including a Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and Obie. She received the Obie for Lifetime Achievement in 2018. On screen, her highlights include Old (2021) and Familiar Touch (2024), the latter earning her the Venice Orizzonti Award and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress. She is married to photographer Henry Chalfant.
Also known as: Kathleen Ann Bishop , Kathleen A. Chalfant
44
film credits
29
television credits
73
1982–2025 · acting roles
6.7
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (73)
Showing 73 of 73 credits
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Judge Cutress
1999Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Mrs. Nash
1999Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
President Roberts
1999
Law & Order
Defense Attorney Lisa Cutler
1990Law & Order
Lisa Cutler
1990
The Blacklist
Alberta Gilbert
2013
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Bessie Holland
2001Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Priscilla Van Acker
2001
Elementary
Mrs. Clennon
2012
L.A. Law
Sister Marlene Branson
1986
American Playhouse
Erna Hauser
1982American Playhouse
Self
1982
Madam Secretary
Dean Felicia Ward
2014Madam Secretary
Dean Ward
2014
The Americans
Aunt Helen
2013
House of Cards
Margaret Tilden
2013
The Strain
Abraham's Grandmother
2014
New Amsterdam
Molly
2018
Spin City
Mother Superior
1996
The Guardian
Laurie Solt
2001
Rescue Me
Sean's Ma
2004
The Affair
Margaret Butler
2014
New York Undercover
1994
Forever
Gloria Carlyle
2014
Old
Agnes
2021
Mercy
2009
Storm of the Century
Joanna Stanhope
1999
The Beat
2000
The Copenhagen Test
St. George
2025
Perfect Stranger
Elizabeth Clayton
2007
The Book of Daniel
Catherine Webster
2006
Duplicity
Pam Frailes
2009
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
Dean (segment ‘Lot 249’)
1990
Junior
Casitas Madres Receptionist
1994
The Last Days of Disco
Zenia
1998
Kinsey
Barbara Merkle
2004
The Laramie Project
Anonymous Female Rancher
2002
Familiar Touch
Ruth
2025
Lackawanna Blues
Mrs. Carmichael
2005
First Born
Mrs. Kasperian
2007
The People Speak
Self
2009
Jumpin' at the Boneyard
Mom
1991
Miss Firecracker
Miss Lilly
1989
Class Rank
Barbara – The Editor in Chief
2017
Bob Roberts
Constance Roberts
1992
A Price Above Rubies
Beggar Woman
1998
Company Man
Mother Quimp
2000
Georgia O'Keeffe
Mrs. Stieglitz
2009
Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight
Ethel Harlan
2013
Turning Blue
Clara
2024
Heart of Broadway: The Ensemble Behind Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Herself
2011
Five Corners
Mrs. Fitzgerald
1987
Side Streets
Nanda
1998
2BPerfectlyHonest
Female Customer
2004
Dangerous Music
Therapist
1991
They Shall Not Perish
Mabel Elliot
2017
The Courtroom
Judge Easterbrook
2022
A Death in the Family
Aunt Hannah
2002
Out of the Rain
Ruth
1991
My America
2014
Where to Land
Elizabeth
2025
The Pornographer: A Love Story
Mom
2004
The Last New Yorker
Mimi
2010
A Dream of Flying
Old Woman
2013500 Calories
Ms. Evangeline
2020
In the Wings: Angels in America On Broadway
1993
Isn't It Delicious
Joan Weldon
2013
QM, I Think I'll Call Her QM
Dr. Ruth Fielding
1998
Welcome to This House
Elizabeth Bishop
2015
David Searching
Grandmother
1997
Ambition's Debt
Soothsayer
2017
MURDER and murder
Mildred
1996Book of Kings
Nina
2002