Kim Dickens


Kimberly Jan Dickens is an American actress. Her film debut was a supporting role in the 1995 comedy film Palookaville. Dickens had lead roles in the films Truth or Consequences, N.M., Zero Effect, and Mercury Rising. She had several supporting roles in films, such as Hollow Man, House of Sand and Fog, The Blind Side, Gone Girl, and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.
On television, Dickens had regular roles in the drama series Deadwood, Treme, and House of Cards. She starred as Madison Clark on the AMC horror drama series Fear the Walking Dead.

Early life and education

Dickens was born in Huntsville, Alabama to Pam Howell and Justin Dickens, a country-western singer. She graduated from that city's Lee High School and attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she earned a bachelor of arts in communications. Dickens soon moved to New York City, where she worked as a waitress, to continue her studies at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Career

1990s

Dickens made her stage debut in a student production of David Mamet's Sexual Perversity in Chicago, at Vanderbilt University. In 1995, she made her professional screen debut in Alan Taylor's comedy film Palookaville, playing Vincent Gallo's character's girlfriend. Dickens spent the following year playing supporting roles in the made-for-television films Voice from the Grave and Two Mothers for Zachary. In 1997, Dickens returned to film, playing female leading role opposite Vincent Gallo again in neo-noir thriller Truth or Consequences, N.M., directed by Kiefer Sutherland. The film received negative reviews from critics. In 1998, she appeared in Great Expectations, a film adaptation of the Charles Dickens's novel, and had the female leading roles in Zero Effect and Mercury Rising. In 1999, she starred alongside Antonio Banderas in the comedy film, The White River Kid.

2000s

In 2000, Dickens had co-starring roles in films Committed opposite Heather Graham, Hollow Man with Elisabeth Shue and Kevin Bacon, and The Gift starring Cate Blanchett. The following year, she played the lead in the independent film, Things Behind the Sun. Dickens received critical acclaim for her performance, and an Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead nomination. Later in 2001, Dickens was a regular cast member in the short-lived CBS police drama series, Big Apple. In 2003, she co-starred opposite Felicity Huffman and Eric Stoltz in the Showtime miniseries Out of Order.
During the 2000s, Dickens mostly worked on television, playing Joanie Stubbs, the madam, in the HBO western Deadwood from 2004 to 2006. She was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2007 for this role. She was a regular cast member in the unaired HBO comedy series, 12 Miles of Bad Road starring Lily Tomlin and Mary Kay Place. She had recurring roles on Lost and Friday Night Lights. In film, Dickens co-starred in House of Sand and Fog with Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley, Thank You for Smoking, Wild Tigers I Have Known, Red and The Blind Side.

2010s

From 2010 to 2013, Dickens was a regular on the HBO ensemble drama series, Treme, as chef Janette Desautel. From 2013 to 2014, she had a recurring role as Colette Jane in the FX crime drama, Sons of Anarchy. In 2015, she had a recurring role in the Netflix political drama House of Cards. In film, she co-starred in Footloose and At Any Price. In 2014, she had a major supporting role as Detective Rhonda Boney in the psychological thriller film Gone Girl, directed by David Fincher, and in 2016, co-starred as the lead character's mother in Tim Burton's film Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.
In August 2015, Dickens began playing Madison Clark in The Walking Dead companion series, Fear the Walking Dead, on AMC. Dickens left the series in June 2018. In October 2019, Dickens was cast in the film Land

Personal life

Dickens moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s and gave birth to a daughter in October 2000.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games