Frances McDormand, the Illinois-born actress and producer, is one of a kind. Throughout her extensive and laudable film career which has spanned about four decades, she’s distinguished herself as an exceptional and versatile talent who can take on almost any role across any genre. Her career — which kicked off on stage after obtaining a degree from the famed Yale School of Drama — has given her an adequate background for the big screen. She constantly puts on incredible performances that have over the years earned her several notable accolades, including four Academy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and one Tony Award.
McDormand’s first professional role came in a play titled In a Fine Castle, but her first onscreen role came in Blood Simple, an independent neo-noir crime film written, edited, produced, and directed by McDormand’s husband and his brother, Joel and Ethan Coen. Since then she’s starred in a plethora of other small, independent films — along with a couple of blockbusters as well — which has brought her great acclaim. Here are 10 great movies from the legendary actress’ filmography, ranked from least to best.
10. Moonrise Kingdom
This Wes Anderson-directed coming-of-age drama, which was released in 2012, follows a pair of young lovers — an orphan boy named Gilma, and his pen pal and love interest Hayward — who flee their New England town after feeling alienated from their guardians and their peers. It features other notable stars like Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Bob Balaban, and of course, McDormand, who plays Mrs. Bishop, Hayward’s mum.
9. North Country
This 2005 drama was directed by New Zealand director Niki Caro. North Country was inspired by Clara Bingham and Laura Leedy Gansler’s book, Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law. Here, McDormand plays Glory Dodge, friend of main character Josey Aimes, played by Charlize Theron, who sues a Minnesota mine for the sexual abuse she encountered in the industry. The pair are joined by other stars, including Sean Bean, Jeremy Renner, Woody Harrelson, and Michelle Monaghan.
8. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
One of the few blockbusters McDormand has starred in, Transformer: Dark of the Moon — the third installment in the Transformers film series — shows the final days of the war between the Autobots and Decepticons as they battle to possess powerful technology abandoned on the Moon. Transformers is the most commercially successful movie McDormand has starred in, with a worldwide box office gross exceeding a billion dollars. Here she plays Charlotte Mearing, the Director of National Intelligence.
7. Olive Kitteridge
Based on Elizabeth Strout’s 2008 novel of the same name, Olive Kitteridge stars McDormand as the titular character, a misanthropic and strict, but well-meaning, retired schoolteacher who lives in the fictional seaside town of Crosby. Other names in this show include Richard Jenkins, Rosemarie DeWitt, Zoe Kazan, and Jesse Plemons. The HBO miniseries received lots of praise upon release, and at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards, it earned eight awards, including Outstanding Limited Series, and Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress for Jenkins and McDormand.
6. Women Talking
Women Talking is a 2022 American drama film written and directed by Sarah Polley. It is based on Canadian author Miriam Toews’ novel of the same name and it was also inspired by real-life events that occured at Manitoba Colony, an ultraconservative Mennonite community. The film premiered at the 49th Telluride Film Festival, and received the Best Adapted Screenplay Award at the 28th Critics’ Choice Awards, as well as a nomination at the 95th Academy Awards for Best Picture.
5. Mississippi Burning
This 1988 crime thriller directed by Alan Parker earned McDormand significant critical acclaim, and also put her on the map, as she earned her first Academy Award nomination for her acting. She delivered a brilliant performance as Mrs. Pell, whose abusive husband is a deputy sheriff investigating the disappearance of three civil rights workers in fictional Jessup County. In this thriller, McDormand is joined by other names like Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe, Brad Dourif, Gailard Sartain, and Stephen Tobolowsky.
4. Almost Famous
Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous, an early 2000’s comedy-drama, features one of the most talented crop of actors you’ll find: Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, and Patrick Fugit. The film follows a teenage journalist named William Miller who writes for Rolling Stone magazine in the early 1970s. Miller goes on tour with the fictitious rock band Stillwater, writing his first cover story on the band. Even though the movie wasn’t successful during its theatrical run, it received widespread acclaim especially from critics, and four Academy Award nominations, including a win for Best Original Screenplay.
3. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
In this moving crime drama written, directed, and co-produced by Martin McDonagh, McDormand stars as Mildred Hayes, a Missouri woman who rents three roadside billboards to draw attention to her daughter’s unsolved rape and murder. For McDormand’s brilliant and poignant performance she received several accolades, most notably the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, SAG Award, BAFTA Award, and Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actress.
2. Fargo
Fargo is a 1996 black comedy written, produced, and directed by McDormand’s husband Joel and his brother Ethan Coen. The highly lauded movie, which many consider a classic, stars McDormand as Marge Gunderson, a pregnant Minnesota police chief investigating a triple homicide after suspicious activity from Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard garners attention. McDormand delivered a memorable and impressive performance, earning her her very first Academy Award for Best Actress.
1. Nomadland
This 2020 drama was written, produced, edited, and directed singularly by Chinese-born filmmaker Chloé Zhao. Based on Jessica Bruder’s 2017 nonfiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, the film features David Strathairn, Linda May, Bob Wells, Peter Spears, and McDormand, who plays Fern — a widow who travels around the United States in her van as a nomad. At the 93rd Academy Awards, Nomadland won Best Picture and Best Director – with McDormand also picking up the prestigious Best Actress plaque for her unforgettable portrayal.
