June Squibb

June Louise Squibb (born November 6, 1929) is an American character actress. She began her career making her Broadway debut in the musical Gypsy (1959). Her first film role was in the 1990 romantic comedy Alice by Woody Allen. She later had supporting roles in films The Age of Innocence (1993), In & Out (1997), Meet Joe Black (1998), About Schmidt (2002), and Far from Heaven (2002).

For her role in the Alexander Payne directed comedy-drama film Nebraska (2013), she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She later appeared in films I'll See You in My Dreams (2015), Love the Coopers (2015), Other People (2016), Father Figures (2017), Blow the Man Down (2019), Palm Springs (2020), Hubie Halloween (2020), Palmer (2021), The Humans (2021), and Family Squares (2022). She also provided voice acting roles for the animated films Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), Toy Story 4 (2019), 'Soul' (2020), and Inside Out 2 (2024). On television, she had recurring roles on Ghost Whisperer, Getting On, Shameless, Good Girls, and Little Voice.

In 2024, at the age of 94, Squibb played her first leading role, in the action comedy film Thelma.

Personal life
Squibb was born in Vandalia, Illinois on November 6, 1929. Her mother, JoyBelle, was a silent film pianist. Her father, Lewis, was an insurance agent. Squibb married Edward Sostek in 1953. They divorced in 1959. Squibb married acting teacher Charles Kakatsakis. They have a son, Harry, a filmmaker who directed the short film Admissions. Squibb converted to Judaism in the 1950s. When asked about ageism in show business, she said, "Well, it's like anything else. I always feel, rules are meant to be broken."

Early appearances
Squibb worked at The Muny and trained at HB Studio. In 1951, Squibb moved to Cleveland to sing and dance at the Cleveland Play House, and starred in productions of Marseilles, The Play's the Thing, Goodbye, My Fancy, The Heiress, Detective Story, Antigone, Ladies in Retirement and Bloomer Girl. In the late 50s, she and her second husband Charles Kakatsakis, moved to New York City for career on Broadway. She played Dulcie in the 1958 off-Broadway The Boy Friend and starred in the 1959 Off-Broadway revival of Lend an Ear. She replaced Electra for her Broadway debut in the original production of Gypsy: A Musical Fable. Squibb appeared in the 1968 Broadway version of The Happy Time. The musical was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical. She did modeling work for romance novels, performed on road tours and cruise ships, and worked as Santa Claus’s helper at Christmas in the shopping malls.

In 1985, Squibb received her SAG/AFTRA card after appearing in an episode of CBS Schoolbreak Special. Five years later she made her big screen debut playing a supporting role in the romantic comedy film Alice by Woody Allen. During the 1990s, Squibb also played supporting and minor parts in films Scent of a Woman (1992), The Age of Innocence (1993), In & Out (1997) and Meet Joe Black (1998). She appeared in the 1995 Broadway play Sacrilege. On television, she had a recurring role in the ABC daytime soap opera, All My Children and made guest starring appearances on prime time series such as Law & Order, ER, Just Shoot Me!, Judging Amy, Two and a Half Men and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

In 2002, Squibb co-starred opposite Jack Nicholson in the comedy-drama film About Schmidt playing his wife. After this role she appeared in films Far from Heaven (2004), Welcome to Mooseport (2004), and Just Add Water (2008). From 2005 to 2007 she had a recurring role in the CBS crime series Ghost Whisperer, and from 2008 to 2009 played Pearl on the CBS soap opera, The Young and the Restless. She also appeared in the made-for-television movies A Stranger's Heart (2007) and Shark Swarm (2008) and guest-starred on The Middle, Castle and Mike & Molly. In 2011, she played Stella Gordon in Dividing the Estate at the Dallas Theater Center and received standout reviews.

Breakthrough
In 2013, Squibb starred opposite Bruce Dern in the road comedy-drama film Nebraska directed by Alexander Payne. She received positive reviews for her performance. Film critic Christy Lemire from the RogerEbert.com called her "scene-stealer", while Peter Travers from the Rolling Stone called her "priceless". She received Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress and Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, as well was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female among other accolades for the film. Following her big break, Squibb guest-starred on Girls, Glee, Devious Maids, Mom and Getting On. She was inducted into the Cleveland Play House Hall of Fame in 2016.

In 2015, Squibb starred opposite Blythe Danner in the comedy-drama film I'll See You in My Dreams. Later that year she appeared in the Christmas comedy-drama Love the Coopers. In 2016 she guest-starred on The Big Bang Theory as Sheldon's meemaw. Later that year she had a recurring role as Etta Teasdale in the Showtime comedy-drama series Shameless. In 2017 she guest-starred alongside Hal Holbrook on Grey's Anatomy. She also appeared in films Other People (2016), Father Figures (2017), Blow the Man Down (2019), Palm Springs (2020), Hubie Halloween (2020), The Humans (2021) and Family Squares (2022). She played Old Josie in the 2018 Broadway production of Waitress. She had a supporting role in the Disney+ fantasy film Godmothered in 2020. She played Vivian, the grandmother of Eddie Palmer (Justin Timberlake), in Apple TV+ 2021 film Palmer. From 2018 to 2019 she had a recurring role in the NBC crime comedy-drama Good Girls. She also played Mrs. Danforth, a rich benefactor, in "The Indoor Arm", the final episode of the second season of the Apple TV+ series Little America.

In 2024, at the age of 94, Squibb played her first leading role, in the action comedy film Thelma. The film and her performance received positive reviews from critics. Mae Abdulbaki wrote in her Screen Rant review: "June Squibb proves she's still on top of her acting game in an energetic, charming adventure comedy that is actually genuinely funny." Later that year she appeared in the black comedy Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead. She was cast in another leading role in the drama film Eleanor the Great directed by Scarlett Johansson.