Photo: Kristin Dos Santos / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Kathryn Joosten is the kind of actress I genuinely root for, because she proved it's never too late. She came to acting later in life after working as a nurse, and still carved out unforgettable roles, Mrs. Landingham on The West Wing and the wonderfully prickly Karen McCluskey on Desperate Housewives, the latter earning her two Emmys. What moves me is that she found her stride in character work that lesser performers throw away. She passed in 2012, but those roles still land. To me she's a reminder that a second act, started in middle age, can outshine careers that began at twenty.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Kathryn Joosten
- Name (Japanese)
- キャスリン・ジューステン
- Reading
- きゃすりん・じゅーすてん
- Born
- December 20, 1939 – June 2, 2012
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Rabbit
- Origin
- Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Occupation
- actor / nurse / television actor / film actor
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- 2005 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
- 2008 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Kathryn Joosten born?
December 20, 1939 – June 2, 2012.
Where is Kathryn Joosten from?
Kathryn Joosten is from Chicago, Illinois, United States.
What does Kathryn Joosten do?
Kathryn Joosten works as actor, nurse, television actor, film actor.
Actor — see all → · Nurse — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.