42 Facts About Katharine Ross

Katharine Ross's accolades include an Academy Award nomination, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards.

An alumna of The Actors Workshop, Ross made her television debut in 1962.

Katharine Ross made her film debut in the Civil War-themed drama Shenandoah, and had supporting parts in Mister Buddwing and The Singing Nun before being cast in Curtis Harrington's Games, a thriller co-starring James Caan and Simone Signoret.

At Signoret's recommendation, Katharine Ross was cast as Elaine Robinson in Mike Nichols' comedy-drama The Graduate, which saw her receive significant critical acclaim, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, a BAFTA nomination, and Golden Globe win for New Star of the Year.

Katharine Ross garnered further acclaim for her roles in two 1969 Westerns: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here, for both of which she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress.

Katharine Ross spent the majority of the 1980s appearing in a number of made-for-TV films, including Murder in Texas and The Shadow Riders, and later starred on the network series The Colbys from 1985 to 1987.

Katharine Ross spent the majority of the 1990s in semiretirement, although she returned to film with a supporting part in Richard Kelly's cult film Donnie Darko.

Katharine Ross was born in Los Angeles on January 29,1940, when her father, Dudley Tyng Katharine Ross was a lieutenant in the Navy.

Ross's mother, the former Katharine Elizabeth Washburn, was born in Indianapolis and later moved to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Katharine Ross was a keen horse rider in her youth and was friends with rodeo rider Casey Tibbs.

Katharine Ross graduated from Las Lomas High School in 1957.

Katharine Ross transferred to Diablo Valley College in 1958, and starred in a student film by Jim and Artie Mitchell.

In 1964, Katharine Ross was cast by John Houseman as Cordelia in a stage production of King Lear.

Katharine Ross was brought to Hollywood by Metro, dropped, then picked up by Universal.

Katharine Ross auditioned but was not hired for a role in the film West Side Story.

Katharine Ross was signed by agent Wally Hiller, and in 1964, Ross appeared in episodes of Kraft Suspense Theatre, The Lieutenant, Arrest and Trial, The Virginian, The Great Adventure, Ben Casey, Mr Novak, Wagon Train, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, Run for Your Life, Gunsmoke, and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, as well as playing the love interest of Heath Barkley opposite Lee Majors on The Big Valley.

Katharine Ross made her first film, Shenandoah in 1965, playing the daughter-in-law of James Stewart.

Katharine Ross returned to guest-starring on shows including The Loner, The Wild Wild West, and The Road West.

At Universal, Katharine Ross starred in a television film with Doug McClure, The Longest Hundred Miles, then co-starred in Curtis Harrington's psychological thriller, Games with Simone Signoret and James Caan, which she later called "terrible".

Katharine Ross was only eight years younger than Bancroft, who played her mother in the film.

Katharine Ross had been recommended to director Nichols by Signoret.

Katharine Ross was cast as a Native American woman in Universal's Western film Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here, starring Robert Redford.

Katharine Ross refused several roles before accepting the part of Etta Place in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, co-starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, which was another massive commercial hit.

Katharine Ross was paid $175,000 for her performance in the film.

Katharine Ross was dropped by Universal in the spring of 1969 for refusing to play a stewardess in Airport starring Burt Lancaster and Dean Martin, another role that went to Jacqueline Bisset.

Katharine Ross dropped out of Hollywood for a while after marrying cinematographer Conrad Hall.

Katharine Ross occasionally acted, appearing in Get to Know Your Rabbit, They Only Kill Their Masters, which reunited her with James Garner, and Chance and Violence with Yves Montand.

Katharine Ross refused several more roles, including a part in The Towering Inferno.

Katharine Ross reprised the role of Etta Place in a 1976 ABC television film, Wanted: The Sundance Woman, a sequel to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Katharine Ross subsequently appeared in the drama film Voyage of the Damned about a doomed ocean liner carrying Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany, which earned her a second Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Katharine Ross was in The Betsy and the disaster film The Swarm.

Katharine Ross had previously worked with Elliott on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

From 1979, Katharine Ross starred in several television movies, including Murder by Natural Causes in 1979 with Hal Holbrook, Barry Bostwick and Richard Anderson, Rodeo Girl in 1980, Murder in Texas and Marian Rose White.

Katharine Ross had a supporting role in The Final Countdown and Wrong Is Right, but focused largely on television films: The Shadow Riders, a remake of Wait Until Dark, Travis McGee with Elliott, Secrets of a Mother and Daughter, Red Headed Stranger, and Houston: The Legend of Texas with Elliott.

Katharine Ross had a role in the 1980s television series The Colbys opposite Charlton Heston as Francesca Scott Colby, mother of Dynasty crossover character Jeff Colby.

Katharine Ross co-wrote the teleplay and starred in Conagher alongside husband Sam Elliott and was in A Climate for Killing, and Home Before Dark.

Katharine Ross played Donnie's therapist in the 2001 cult classic Donnie Darko.

Katharine Ross was in Don't Let Go, and Capital City and played Carly Schroeder's grandmother in the 2006 independent film Eye of the Dolphin.

Katharine Ross married her second husband John Marion in 1964, but they were divorced in 1967.

Katharine Ross married Gaetano "Tom" Lisi in 1974 after making The Stepford Wives; they met when he was a chauffeur and technician on the set.

In 2011, Katharine Ross filed a restraining order against Cleo Elliott after Cleo allegedly attacked her with a pair of scissors.

Katharine Ross stated in a court document that her daughter has had violent episodes since childhood.