Annette O'Toole
Encyclopedia
Annette O'Toole is an American
actress, dancer, and singer-songwriter
. She is most recently known for portraying Martha Kent, the mother of Clark Kent
on the television series Smallville
.
, the daughter of Dorothy Geraldine (née
Niland) and William West Toole, Jr. Her mother taught dance, something O'Toole learned at the age of 3. She started taking acting lessons after family moved to Los Angeles
when she was 13; her first role was on The Danny Kaye Show
. She also had guest appearances in shows such as My Three Sons
(1960), The Virginian
, Gunsmoke
, Hawaii Five-O
, and The Partridge Family
.
; she got the role after doing an impression of a "dead cockroach" at the audition. She also appeared as Robby Benson
's tutor/girlfriend in the college basketball story One on One
in 1977. She co-starred opposite Gary Busey
in the 1980 film Foolin' Around
. In 1981, she starred in the HBO onstage production of Vanities
, as well as in the TV movie Stand By Your Man, which detailed the life of country music legend Tammy Wynette
. Later on in 1982, she appeared briefly as Nick Nolte
's girlfriend in 48 Hours. That same year, she played Alice Perrin in Cat People
and in 1983 she played Clark Kent's boyhood first love Lana Lang
in Superman III
.
In 1985, she co-starred with Barry Manilow
in the CBS television movie Copacabana
playing Lola La Mar to Manilow's Tony Starr. Also in 1985, she had a starring role as Ms. Edmunds in the original Bridge to Terabithia
. In 1987's Cross My Heart
, a romantic comedy, O'Toole had a leading role opposite Martin Short
.
. She played the adult Beverly Marsh in the miniseries adaptation
of the Stephen King
novel It
. She also portrayed Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy
in The Kennedys of Massachusetts
, a role that earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress.
In 1993, she starred in Desperate Justice
as Ellen Wells.
She had a recurring role on the television shows Nash Bridges
(1996) and starred in her own series The Huntress
(2000). She starred in the TV movie Keeping the Promise as Anne Hallowell, Matt Hallowell's mother.
In October 2001, 18 years after portraying Lana Lang
in a feature film (Superman III
), she returned to the Superman mythos in the role of Martha Kent, Superman's adoptive mother, in the television series Smallville
. She remained part of the show's main cast, though at times in the background, until the end of its sixth season
. On January 19, 2010, it was announced that O'Toole would be returning to Smallville for at least one episode. On November 22, 2010, Annette O'Toole played the role of Veronica; a middle aged woman suffering from severe case of Alzheimer's, in season 3 episode 7 of the TV series Lie to Me
.
describes it, "On September 11, 2001, Annette found herself without an airline to carry her back down to Los Angeles from Vancouver, where she films Smallville. So she drove a rental car down. The two of us drove it back up together, and on the long drive up there, somewhere between Portland and Seattle, she told me she had a tune in her head." The "tune in her head" became "Potato's in the Paddy Wagon", one of three songs the couple wrote for A Mighty Wind
, including the Oscar-nominated song "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow."
O'Toole sang "What Could Be Better?" — a song she and her husband co-wrote — for the 2004 Disney children's album A World of Happiness.
In May–June 2005, the couple did a cabaret
act for "Feinstein's
at the Regency" in New York City.
On July 7, 2007, O'Toole appeared as a backing singer for her husband's fictional band Spinal Tap
at the London
leg of the Live Earth
concerts. She has also performed on the band's 2009 Unwigged and Unplugged tour.
O'Toole first met Michael McKean
, the man who would later become her second husband, when McKean was working on Laverne & Shirley
. After both were divorced, O'Toole and McKean became friends in 1997, while starring together on Final Justice, a Lifetime movie. They were married in March 1999.
O'Toole and McKean guest-starred together in "Mega", a 10th season episode of Law & Order
as a wealthy married couple accused of murder. The couple also guest starred on Boy Meets World
as Topanga Lawrence's parents, Jedidiah and Rhiannon. McKean also played Perry White, the reporter, and later boyfriend, of O'Toole's character Martha Kent on Smallville.
In 2011 she starred in CAP21's production of the new musical Southern Comfort, based on the Sundance award winning documentary, by Dan Collins and Julianne Wick Davis.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, dancer, and singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. She is most recently known for portraying Martha Kent, the mother of Clark Kent
Clark Kent (Smallville)
Clark Kent is a fictional character on the television series Smallville. The character of Clark Kent, first created for comic books by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1938 as the alternate identity of Superman, was adapted to television in 2001 by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar—this is the fourth...
on the television series Smallville
Smallville
Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
.
Early life and career
O'Toole was born Annette Toole in Houston, TexasHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, the daughter of Dorothy Geraldine (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Niland) and William West Toole, Jr. Her mother taught dance, something O'Toole learned at the age of 3. She started taking acting lessons after family moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
when she was 13; her first role was on The Danny Kaye Show
The Danny Kaye Show
The Danny Kaye Show is an American variety show hosted by Danny Kaye that aired on CBS from 1963 to 1967 on Wednesday nights. Directed by Robert Scheerer, the show premiered in black-and-white, but later switched to color broadcasts...
. She also had guest appearances in shows such as My Three Sons
My Three Sons
My Three Sons is an American situation comedy. The series ran from 1960 to 1965 on ABC, and moved to CBS until its end on August 24, 1972. My Three Sons chronicles the life of a widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas , raising his three sons.The series was a cornerstone of the CBS...
(1960), The Virginian
The Virginian (TV series)
The Virginian is an American Western television series starring James Drury and Doug McClure, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television's first 90-minute western series...
, Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
, Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
, and The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family is an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children who embark on a music career. The series originally ran from September 25, 1970 until August 31, 1974, the last new episode airing on March 23, 1974, on the ABC network, as part of a Friday-night lineup...
.
1970s–1980s
O'Toole's first major film role was as a jaded beauty pageant contestant in the 1975 satire SmileSmile (1975 film)
Smile is a 1975 film directed by American director Michael Ritchie, with a screenplay by Jerry Belson, about a beauty pageant in Santa Rosa, California. It stars Bruce Dern and Barbara Feldon and introduced a number of young actresses who later went on to greater success and recognition, such as...
; she got the role after doing an impression of a "dead cockroach" at the audition. She also appeared as Robby Benson
Robby Benson
Robby Benson is an American film and television actor, television director, educator and singer.-Early life:Benson was born Robin David Segal in Dallas, Texas, the son of Freda Ann , a singer, actress, and business promotions manager, and Jerry Segal, a writer...
's tutor/girlfriend in the college basketball story One on One
One on One (film)
One on One is a 1977 drama film starring Robby Benson and Annette O'Toole. It was written by Benson and Jerry Segal , and shot on location in 1976 at Colorado State University. The film features songs from Seals and Crofts and was directed by Lamont Johnson.-Plot:Henry Steele , a naive high school...
in 1977. She co-starred opposite Gary Busey
Gary Busey
William Gary Busey , best known as Gary Busey, is an American film and stage actor and artist. He has appeared in a large variety of films, as well as making regular appearances on Gunsmoke, Walker, Texas Ranger, Law & Order, and Entourage...
in the 1980 film Foolin' Around
Foolin' Around
Foolin' Around is a 1980 film directed by Richard T. Heffron and starring Gary Busey and Annette O'Toole. The film was shot on location in Minnesota.-Plot:...
. In 1981, she starred in the HBO onstage production of Vanities
Vanities (TV program)
Vanities is a Home Box Office television presentation of the comedy-drama stage production written by Jack Heifner, Vanities.-Background:...
, as well as in the TV movie Stand By Your Man, which detailed the life of country music legend Tammy Wynette
Tammy Wynette
Virginia Wynette Pugh, known professionally as Tammy Wynette , was an American country music singer-songwriter and one of the genre's best-known artists and biggest-selling female vocalists....
. Later on in 1982, she appeared briefly as Nick Nolte
Nick Nolte
Nicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
's girlfriend in 48 Hours. That same year, she played Alice Perrin in Cat People
Cat People (1982 film)
Cat People is a 1982 American erotic horror film directed by Paul Schrader and starring Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell and John Heard. The film co-stars Annette O'Toole, Ruby Dee, Ed Begley, Jr. and John Larroquette. Jerry Bruckheimer served as executive producer...
and in 1983 she played Clark Kent's boyhood first love Lana Lang
Lana Lang
Lana Lang is a fictional supporting character in DC Comics' Superman series. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist John Sikela, the character first appears in Superboy #10...
in Superman III
Superman III
Superman III is a 1983 superhero film and the third film in the Superman film series based upon the long-running DC Comics superhero. Christopher Reeve, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure and Margot Kidder are joined by new cast members Annette O'Toole, Annie Ross, Pamela Stephenson, Robert Vaughn and...
.
In 1985, she co-starred with Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
in the CBS television movie Copacabana
Copacabana (musical)
Copacabana is a TV-musical, stage musical, and nightclub show written by Barry Manilow, based on the song of the same name. The show toured the United States and, as of 2006, became available to license to performing companies and schools for the first time....
playing Lola La Mar to Manilow's Tony Starr. Also in 1985, she had a starring role as Ms. Edmunds in the original Bridge to Terabithia
Bridge to Terabithia (1985 film)
Bridge to Terabithia was the name of a telefilm shot in Edmonton, Alberta for PBS in 1985, starring Annette O'Toole, Julian Coutts, and Julie Beaulieu. The film is based on the children's novel of the same name by Katherine Paterson....
. In 1987's Cross My Heart
Cross My Heart (film)
Cross My Heart is an American romantic comedy that was released in the United States on November 13, 1987. It stars Annette O'Toole and Martin Short.-Plot:...
, a romantic comedy, O'Toole had a leading role opposite Martin Short
Martin Short
Martin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, singer and producer. He is best-known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live...
.
1990s–2000s
In 1990, she had roles in two ABC television miniseriesMiniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
. She played the adult Beverly Marsh in the miniseries adaptation
It (1990 film)
It is a 1990 horror television miniseries based on the novel of the same name. The story revolves around an inter-dimensional predatory life-form that is simply referred to as "It", which has the ability to transform itself into its prey's worst fears allowing it to exploit the fears and phobias...
of the Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
novel It
It (novel)
It is a 1986 horror novel by American author Stephen King. The story follows the exploits of seven children as they are terrorized by the eponymous inter-dimensional predatory life-form that exploits the fears and phobias of its victims in order to disguise itself while hunting its prey. "It"...
. She also portrayed Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy
Rose Elizabeth Kennedy was the wife of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and the mother of nine children, among them United States President John F. Kennedy, United States Senator Robert F...
in The Kennedys of Massachusetts
The Kennedys of Massachusetts
The Kennedys of Massachusetts is a 1990 TV miniseries that aired on ABC. Focusing mainly on the fifty-four year marriage of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Kennedy. The events depicted in the series are based upon the book by Doris Kearns Goodwin titled The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys : An...
, a role that earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress.
In 1993, she starred in Desperate Justice
Desperate Justice
Desperate Justice is a 1993 film starring Lesley Ann Warren, Bruce Davison, and Shirley Knight. It was based on the novel of the same name by Richard Speight, who also co-wrote the screenplay.-Plot:...
as Ellen Wells.
She had a recurring role on the television shows Nash Bridges
Nash Bridges
Nash Bridges is an American television police drama created by Carlton Cuse. The show starred Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit. The show ran for six seasons on CBS from March 29, 1996 to May 4, 2001 with a total of...
(1996) and starred in her own series The Huntress
The Huntress (TV series)
The Huntress is an American TV series that appeared on the USA Network over subsequent summers of the 2000 and 2001 television seasons. It was inspired by a book about the real bounty hunter, Dottie Thorson, and is also a belated sequel to the 1980 Steve McQueen film, The Hunter.-Cast:*Annette...
(2000). She starred in the TV movie Keeping the Promise as Anne Hallowell, Matt Hallowell's mother.
In October 2001, 18 years after portraying Lana Lang
Lana Lang
Lana Lang is a fictional supporting character in DC Comics' Superman series. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist John Sikela, the character first appears in Superboy #10...
in a feature film (Superman III
Superman III
Superman III is a 1983 superhero film and the third film in the Superman film series based upon the long-running DC Comics superhero. Christopher Reeve, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure and Margot Kidder are joined by new cast members Annette O'Toole, Annie Ross, Pamela Stephenson, Robert Vaughn and...
), she returned to the Superman mythos in the role of Martha Kent, Superman's adoptive mother, in the television series Smallville
Smallville (TV series)
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
. She remained part of the show's main cast, though at times in the background, until the end of its sixth season
Smallville (Season 6)
Season six of Smallville, an American television series, began airing on September 28, 2006. The series recounts the early adventures of Kryptonian Clark Kent as he adjusts to life in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, during the years before he becomes Superman...
. On January 19, 2010, it was announced that O'Toole would be returning to Smallville for at least one episode. On November 22, 2010, Annette O'Toole played the role of Veronica; a middle aged woman suffering from severe case of Alzheimer's, in season 3 episode 7 of the TV series Lie to Me
Lie to Me
Lie to Me is a 2009-2011 American television series.Lie to Me may also refer to:* Lie to Me , a South Korean drama series* "Lie to Me" , an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer...
.
Musical career
In retrospect, O'Toole can date the beginning of her songwriting career to events during a car ride after the September 11 attacks; as her husband Michael McKeanMichael McKean
Michael John McKean is an American actor, comedian, writer, composer and musician, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Squiggy's friend, Leonard 'Lenny' Kosnowski, on the sitcom Laverne and Shirley; and for his work in the Christopher Guest ensemble films, particularly as David St...
describes it, "On September 11, 2001, Annette found herself without an airline to carry her back down to Los Angeles from Vancouver, where she films Smallville. So she drove a rental car down. The two of us drove it back up together, and on the long drive up there, somewhere between Portland and Seattle, she told me she had a tune in her head." The "tune in her head" became "Potato's in the Paddy Wagon", one of three songs the couple wrote for A Mighty Wind
A Mighty Wind
A Mighty Wind is a 2003 mockumentary about a folk music reunion concert in which three folk bands must reunite for a television performance for the first time in decades. It was directed by Christopher Guest...
, including the Oscar-nominated song "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow."
O'Toole sang "What Could Be Better?" — a song she and her husband co-wrote — for the 2004 Disney children's album A World of Happiness.
In May–June 2005, the couple did a cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
act for "Feinstein's
Michael Feinstein
Michael Jay Feinstein is an American singer, pianist, and music revivalist. He is an interpreter of, and an anthropologist and archivist for, the repertoire known as the Great American Songbook. In 1988 he won a Drama Desk Special Award for celebrating American musical theatre songs...
at the Regency" in New York City.
On July 7, 2007, O'Toole appeared as a backing singer for her husband's fictional band Spinal Tap
Spinal Tap (band)
Spinal Tap is a parody heavy metal band that first appeared on a failed 1979 ABC TV sketch comedy pilot called "The T.V. Show", starring Rob Reiner...
at the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
leg of the Live Earth
Live Earth
-Background:Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Live Earth was built upon the belief that entertainment has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers to move the world community to action...
concerts. She has also performed on the band's 2009 Unwigged and Unplugged tour.
Personal life
O'Toole married actor Bill Geisslinger on April 8, 1983; the couple had two daughters, Nell and Anna Geisslinger.O'Toole first met Michael McKean
Michael McKean
Michael John McKean is an American actor, comedian, writer, composer and musician, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Squiggy's friend, Leonard 'Lenny' Kosnowski, on the sitcom Laverne and Shirley; and for his work in the Christopher Guest ensemble films, particularly as David St...
, the man who would later become her second husband, when McKean was working on Laverne & Shirley
Laverne & Shirley
Laverne & Shirley is an American television situation comedy that ran on ABC from January 26, 1976, to May 10, 1983...
. After both were divorced, O'Toole and McKean became friends in 1997, while starring together on Final Justice, a Lifetime movie. They were married in March 1999.
O'Toole and McKean guest-starred together in "Mega", a 10th season episode of Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
as a wealthy married couple accused of murder. The couple also guest starred on Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World is an American comedy-drama series that chronicles the events and everyday life lessons of Cory Matthews, played by Ben Savage, a kid from suburban Philadelphia who grows up from a young boy to a married man. The show aired for seven seasons from 1993 to 2000 on ABC, part of the...
as Topanga Lawrence's parents, Jedidiah and Rhiannon. McKean also played Perry White, the reporter, and later boyfriend, of O'Toole's character Martha Kent on Smallville.
In 2011 she starred in CAP21's production of the new musical Southern Comfort, based on the Sundance award winning documentary, by Dan Collins and Julianne Wick Davis.