Bonnie Bedelia Culkin (born March 25, 1948) is an American actress. After beginning her career in theatre in the 1960s, Bedelia starred in the CBS daytime soap opera Love of Life and made her film debut in The Gypsy Moths. Bedelia subsequently appeared in the films They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, Lovers and Other Strangers, Heart Like a Wheel, The Prince of Pennsylvania, Die Hard, Presumed Innocent, Sordid Lives, and Needful Things.
For her television work, Bedelia has earned two Emmy Awards nominations. From 2001 to 2004, Bedelia played the lead role in the Lifetime television drama series The Division. She also starred as family matriarch Camille Braverman in the NBC family drama series Parenthood (2010–15).
Early life Bedelia was born in New York City, the daughter of Marian Ethel (), a writer and editor, and Philip Harley Culkin, who was in public relations and 50 years old at the time. She was born in a difficult financial period when her father's firm went bankrupt, and they lived in a cold-water tenement flat. Her mother died when she was 14, and her father, who always had ulcers, spent a year in hospital following her death. She has two brothers, one of whom is actor Kit Culkin, and an older sister, Candice Culkin. She is the aunt of actors Macaulay, Kieran, and Rory Culkin.
Bedelia studied dance in her youth, at School of American Ballet. She received her acting training at HB Studio.
Career Before becoming an actress, Bedelia studied ballet and appeared in a few productions with the New York City Ballet, including The Nutcracker. Her only dancing role onscreen was that of Clara in the Playhouse 90 television production of the George Balanchine Nutcracker (1958). (By that time she had begun using just her first and middle name.)
From 1961 to 1967, Bedelia was a regular on the CBS soap opera Love of Life, portraying Sandy Porter. She also worked on Broadway, where she debuted supporting Patty Duke in 1962, in Isle of Children, and won a Theatre World Award for playing the lead of in My Sweet Charlie, in 1966.
Bedelia made her film debut in The Gypsy Moths in 1969; later that year she attracted attention as the pregnant marathon dancer in They Shoot Horses, Don't They? She starred in the comedy Lovers and Other Strangers (1970), had dramatic roles in The Strange Vengeance of Rosalie (1972), Bonanza (1972), and Between Friends (1973), and appeared opposite Richard Dreyfuss in the comedy The Big Fix (1978). On television she played the leading role in the short-lived ABC drama series, The New Land (1974).
In 1984, Bedelia received critical acclaim and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her starring role in Heart Like a Wheel (1983), as drag racer Shirley Muldowney. Other well-known performances include her portrayals of Holly Gennero McClane, the wife of Bruce Willis's character John McClane in Die Hard (1988) and Die Hard 2 (1990), and of Barbara Sabich, the wife of Harrison Ford's character in Presumed Innocent (1990).
Bedelia appeared in two Stephen King screen adaptations: Salem's Lot (1979) and Needful Things (1993). She was nominated for Emmy Awards for her performance in the Showtime anthology series Fallen Angels (1993) and for the leading role in the made-for-television movie Locked in Silence (1999). She played a number of leading roles in television films and miniseries, such as Switched at Birth, A Mother's Right: The Elizabeth Morgan Story, Her Costly Affair, and Picnic. From 2001 to 2004, Bedelia starred as Capt. Kate McCafferty in the Lifetime television drama series The Division. She later guest-starred in Big Love and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and starred opposite Rue McClanahan and Olivia Newton-John in the 2008 sitcom Sordid Lives: The Series.
Bedelia starred in the NBC drama series Parenthood (2010–15) as the family matriarch, Camille Braverman.
In 2017, she appeared in season 2 of the ABC crime drama series Designated Survivor, and in two Hallmark movies. In 2019, she guest starred on the Netflix series What/If.
Personal life Bedelia married scriptwriter Ken Luber on April 24, 1969. The couple had two sons, Uri (b. 1970) and Jonah (b. 1976), before divorcing in 1980. She wed actor Michael MacRae in 1995.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes1969 The Gypsy MothsAnnie BurkeThey Shoot Horses, Don't They?Ruby Bates1970Lovers and Other StrangersSusan Henderson1972In Pursuit of Treasure The Strange Vengeance of RosalieRosalie1973Between FriendsEllie1978 The Big FixSuzanne1983Heart Like a WheelShirley Muldowney1986Death of an AngelDeacon Grace McKenzieViolets Are BlueRuth Squires The Boy Who Could FlyCharlene Michaelson1987Like Father Like SonLady with Gum in Hair The StrangerAlice Kildee1988 The Prince of PennsylvaniaPam MarshettaDie HardHolly Gennaro McClane1989Fat Man and Little BoyKitty Oppenheimer1990Die Hard 2Holly Gennaro McClanePresumed InnocentBarbara Sabich1993Needful ThingsPolly Chalmers1994SpeechlessAnnetteJudicial ConsentGwen Warwick1997Bad MannersNancy Westlund1999GloriaBrendaAnywhere But HereCarol2000Sordid LivesLatrelle Williamson2003ManhoodAlice2005BerkeleyHawkins2013MunchausenMotherShort 2016Broken LinksMelanie2017 A Very Sordid WeddingLatrelle Williamson The Scent of Rain and LightningAnnabelle2019 A Stone in the Water Martha2021VioletAunt Helen 2022 The Noel Diary Ellie Foster2023 The HillGram
Television films Year Title Role Notes1968 The High ChaperralTina Granger1969Then Came BronsonTemple Brooks1972SandcastlesJenna Hampshire1973 A Time for LoveKittyMessage to My DaughterJanet Thatcher1974Heatwave!Laura Taylor1978 A Question of LoveJoan Saltzman1979Walking Through the FireDr. RandSalem's LotSusan NortonMiniseries 1980TouristMandy BurkeFighting Back: The Rocky Bleier StoryAleta1982Million Dollar InfieldMarcia Miller1983Memorial DayCass1985 The Lady from YesterdayJanet Weston1986Alex: The Life of a ChildCarole Deford1987When the Time ComesLiddy Travis1990Somebody Has to Shoot the PictureHannah McGrath1991Switched at BirthRegina Twigg1992 A Mother's Right: The Elizabeth Morgan StoryElizabeth Morgan1993 The Fire Next TimeSuzanne Morgan1995Legacy of Sin: The William Coit StoryJill CoitShadow of a DoubtRobin Harwell1996HomecomingEunice Logan A Season in PurgatoryValerie SabbathMiniseries Her Costly AffairDr. Diane Weston1997Any Mother's SonDorothy Hajdys1998To Live AgainIris Sayer1999Locked in SilenceLydia2000Flowers for AlgernonRosePicnicFlo Owens2017 A Joyous ChristmasJoyChristmas on the CoastEllie Cassadine2022 The Noel DiaryEllie Foster
Television series Year Title Role Notes1958Playhouse 90ClaraEpisode: "The Nutcracker"1961–1967Love of LifeSandy PorterMain role1964East Side/West SideLinda StuartEpisode: "The $5.98 Dress"1968Judd, for the DefenseEllieEpisode: "The Death Farm" The High ChaparralTina GrangerEpisode: "The Deceivers"1969Then Came BronsonTemple BrooksEpisode: "Pilot"1969 & 1972BonanzaLaurie Mansfield /Alice HarperEpisodes: "The Unwanted" & "Forever"1973HawkinsEdith Dayton-ThomasEpisode: "Death and the Maiden"Love StoryAlice HartmanEpisode: "Love Came Laughing"1974 The New LandAnna LarsenMain role1993Fallen AngelsSally CreightonEpisode: "The Quiet Room"1996 The Outer LimitsNancy McDonaldEpisode: "Worlds Apart"2001–2004 The DivisionCapt. Kate McCaffertyMain role2007Big LoveVirginia "Ginger" HeffmanEpisode: "Good Guys and Bad Guys"2008CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationDDA Madeline KleinEpisode: "Grissom's Divine Comedy"Sordid Lives: The SeriesLatrelle WilliamsonMain role2010–2015ParenthoodCamille Braverman2017Designated SurvivorEva Booker5 episodes2019What/IfMargaret DennerEpisode: "What Secrets" 2021 Panic Anne McCarthy Recurring role
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result1967Theatre World AwardTheatre World AwardMy Sweet Charlie 1984Golden Globe AwardBest Actress – Motion Picture Drama Heart Like a Wheelrowspan=4 1989Independent Spirit AwardsBest Supporting Female The Prince of Pennsylvania1994Emmy AwardOutstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Fallen Angels1997CableACE AwardOutstanding Actress in a Movie or Miniseries Any Mother's Son1999Lone Star Film & Television AwardsBest TV Actress To Live Again 2000Emmy AwardOutstanding Actress in a Movie or Miniseries Locked in Silence 2012Ojai Film FestivalLifetime Achievement Award rowspan=2 2017FilmOut Festival AwardBest ActressA Very Sordid Wedding
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