Annette O'Toole

Early life

O'Toole was born in Houston, the daughter of Dorothy Geraldine (née Niland) and William West Toole Jr. Her mother taught dance, which O'Toole herself began learning at the age of three. She started taking acting lessons after her family moved to Los Angeles when she was 13.

Career

Film and television

O'Toole's first television appearance was in 1967 on The Danny Kaye Show, followed over the next few years with guest appearances in shows such as My Three Sons, The Virginian, Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-O, and The Partridge Family.

Her first major film role was as a jaded beauty pageant contestant in the 1975 satire Smile; she got the role after doing an impression of a "dead cockroach" at the audition. She also appeared as the tutor and girlfriend of Robby Benson's character in the college basketball story One on One in 1977. She co-starred opposite Gary Busey in the 1980 film Foolin' Around. In 1981, she starred in the HBO onstage production of Vanities, as well as in the TV movie Stand By Your Man, which detailed the life of country music legend Tammy Wynette. Later on in 1982, she appeared briefly as Nick Nolte's girlfriend in 48 Hrs. That same year, she played Alice Perrin in Cat People, and then in 1983 she played Lana Lang (love interest to Clark Kent/Superman), and single mother of Ricky in Superman III.

In 1985, she co-starred with Barry Manilow in the CBS television movie Copacabana playing Lola La Mar to Manilow's Tony Starr. Also in 1985, she had a starring role as Ms. Edmunds in the original Bridge to Terabithia, and appeared in the TV adaptation of Strong Medicine the following year. In 1987's Cross My Heart, a romantic comedy, O'Toole had a leading role opposite Martin Short.

In 1990, O'Toole had roles in two ABC television mini-series. She played the adult Beverly Marsh in the television mini-series adaptation of Stephen King's epic horror novel It. She also portrayed Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy in The Kennedys of Massachusetts, a role that earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress. She next starred in the 1992 NBC mini-series Jewels, based on the Danielle Steel novel of the same name.

In 1993, O'Toole starred in Desperate Justice as Ellen Wells. In 1995, she starred as Cheryl Keeton in the 1995 Lifetime television film based on Ann Rule's true crime novel Dead by Sunset. She had a recurring role on the television show Nash Bridges (1996) and starred in her own series The Huntress (2000) as a female bounty hunter. In 1997 O'Toole starred in the TV movie Keeping the Promise.

In 2001, 18 years after portraying Lana Lang in Superman III, O'Toole returned to the Superman mythos in the role of Martha Kent, Superman's adoptive mother, in the television series Smallville. She remained part of the show's main cast, though at times in the background, until the end of its sixth season. She made guest appearances in the final two seasons, reprising her role, while also portraying The Red Queen.

In 2010, O'Toole played the role of Veronica, a middle-aged woman with a severe case of Alzheimer's, in the television series Lie to Me. In 2013 she appeared in Grey's Anatomy as a school teacher who finds out, after surgery, that she will die from cancer.

O'Toole portrayed Susan Emerson in six episodes of the first two seasons of Halt and Catch Fire. In 2016, O'Toole returned to the Stephen King realm as boarding house owner Edna Price in "The Kill Floor" episode of the King miniseries 11.22.63. She and former Smallville co-star John Glover reunited for the 2016 horror film We Go On.

In 2019, O'Toole filled the role of Hope McCrea in the Netflix series Virgin River. She still currently plays the role, with season six being released in December 2024.

Musical career

O'Toole can date the beginning of her songwriting career to events during a car ride after the September 11 attacks; as her husband Michael McKean describes it, "On September 11, 2001, Annette found herself without an airline to carry her back down to Los Angeles from Vancouver, where she films Smallville. So she drove a rental car down. The two of us drove it back up together, and on the long drive up there, somewhere between Portland and Seattle, she told me she had a tune in her head." The "tune in her head" became "Potato's in the Paddy Wagon", one of three songs the couple wrote for A Mighty Wind, including the Oscar-nominated song "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow".

O'Toole sang "What Could Be Better?"—a song she and her husband co-wrote – for the 2004 Disney children's album A World of Happiness.

In 2005, the couple did a cabaret act for "Feinstein's at the Regency" in New York City.

In 2007, O'Toole appeared as a backing singer for her husband's fictional band Spinal Tap at the London leg of the Live Earth concerts. She has also performed on the band's 2009 Unwigged and Unplugged tour, and contributed lyrics to "Short and Sweet" on the 2009 Spinal Tap album Back from the Dead.

In 2011, she starred in CAP21's production of the new musical Southern Comfort, based on the Sundance award-winning documentary, by Dan Collins and Julianne Wick Davis.

Personal life

Actor Bruno Kirby and O'Toole were in a relationship in the 1970s.

O'Toole married actor Bill Geisslinger on April 8, 1983; they divorced in 1993. The couple had two daughters.

O'Toole met fellow actor Michael McKean while working together on the 1998 television movie Final Justice. The two began bonding over McKean reading the book Dead by Sunset, for which O'Toole had starred in the miniseries adaption. They married on March 20, 1999, with O'Toole becoming the stepmother to McKean's two sons from a previous marriage. She and McKean share a musical career.

Filmography

Films

Television

Theatre

Plays

Performances

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. "Annette O'Toole". [[Fandango Media]].
2. Wallace, Debra. (2022-07-19). "How Annette O'Toole Manages Hope's Recovery in 'Virgin River' Season 4".
3. Phifer, Tony. (2017-11-16). "One On One: 40 years since CSU shone in the Hollywood spotlight". SOURCE.
4. Campbell, Courtney. (2022-12-13). "Who Plays Hope in 'Virgin River'? Annette O'Toole Portrays the No-Nonsense Town Mayor".
5. Smithey, James. (2022-06-07). "Superman III Actor Recalls First Time Seeing Christopher Reeve In Costume".
6. Squires, John. (2017-02-24). "Annette O'Toole Reflects on Stephen King's 'It' Ahead of the New Adaptation".
7. Tucker, Ken. (16 Nov 1990). "From the Archives: EW's Original 'It' Review".
8. Chesek, Tom. (20 June 2014). "Annette O'Toole talks 'Third'".
9. Brennan, Patricia. (17 Oct 1992). "'Jewels'". The Washington Post.
10. (19 Nov 1995). "Controlling Her By Killing Her". The Washington Post.
11. Barney, Chuck. (2021-04-08). "TV reboots: A 'Nash Bridges' revival is in the works … Really".
12. (April 13, 2006). "Will the Senator From ''Smallville'' Please Rise". [[Zap2it]].
13. Wilde, Karlis. (2024-08-16). "Why Annette O'Toole Left Smallville After 6 Seasons As Martha Kent".
14. Jeffery, Morgan. (2010-09-02). "'Smallville' star for 'Lie To Me' role".
15. Bryant, Jacob. (2016-02-22). "'11.22.63' Recap: Jake and Frank Dunning Face Off in 'The Kill Floor'".
16. Kilday, Gregg. (2014-08-18). "Annette O'Toole, John Glover Reteam for Modern-Day Ghost Story".
17. (2016-07-29). "WE GO ON (2016)".
18. Vick, Megan. (2024-12-18). "'Virgin River' Star Annette O'Toole Defends Hope in Season 6 (Exclusive)".
19. Bull, Megan. (2024-12-19). "Virgin River's Annette O'Toole talks wedding bells, homesickness and shooting in Vancouver - exclusive".
20. (January 7, 2004). "Interview: Michael McKean & Annette O'Toole". SoundtrackNet.
21. Alexander, Bryan. "'A Mighty Wind' turns 20: How 'Spinal Tap'-inspired music spoof found award love at end of the rainbow".
22. "A World of Happiness Roster: Annette O'Toole". HyLo Productions.
23. (May 9, 2005). "Michael McKean and Annette O'Toole Promise an Evening of No Standards at Feinstein's". [[Playbill]].
24. (2023-11-22). "'Virgin River' Star Anette O'Toole Reveals What It's Really Like Working With Tim Matheson".
25. "[News Clip: Annette O'toole]".
26. [http://www.supermancinema.co.uk/superman3/general/media/starlog72_1983_otoole/index.shtml 1983 Annette O'Toole Interview]{{Dead link. (June 2020)
27. (30 October 2012). "ANPF Theater Talk Part One Nell Geisslinger".
28. Holden, Stephen. (May 26, 2005). "Kisses at the Rainbow's End". The New York Times.
29. Liebenson, Donald. (2022-08-05). "Michael McKean and Annette O'Toole Have Spent the Past 23 Years Reading to Each Other".
30. Bourbeau, Mary Ann. (2014-05-30). "Annette O'Toole Stars in 'Third' at Two River Theater - Two River Times".
31. Scheck, Frank. (2015-09-17). "'Hamlet in Bed': Theater Review".
32. Isherwood, Charles. (2016-03-14). "Review: In 'Southern Comfort,' a Family Not Bound by Blood". The New York Times.
33. McPhee, Ryan. (2 Dec 2016). "Annette O'Toole Joins the Off-Broadway Cast of Tracy Letts' Man From Nebraska, Starring Reed Birney".
34. McPhee, Ryan. (27 June 2017). "Annette O'Toole Joins The Traveling Lady as the Off-Broadway Revival Extends".
35. Bernardo, Melissa Rose. (2018-09-23). "A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur: Life Is No Picnic".
36. Fancher, Lou. (2019-04-24). "Backstage with Annette O'Toole at Berkeley Rep's 'The Good Book'".
37. Clement, Olivia. (29 August 2017). "Annette O'Toole to Star in Revival of George Kelly's The Show-Off".
38. Harms, Talaura. (26 Feb 2021). "Annette O'Toole & Michael McKean Star in Play-PerView Reading of The Typists February 26".
39. (4 Jan 2024). "Mastercard Midnight Theatre Presents New Family Variety Show "Let You Be You"".