It was psychologist Carl Jung’s theory that all actors are dreamers by
nature. As a young girl Trish Nelligan had one basic dream. She dreamed of a life of
glamour and fulfillment far away from London, Ontario, Canada. She wanted more from life
than what her hometown could offer. Ironically she would go on to portray, with great
humanity and compassion, the very kind of embittered woman trapped in the drab existence
that she feared would be her ultimate reality. Early on it was apparent that Trish had a
talent for academics and sports, attributes which were aggressively fostered by her
mother. While the rest of her siblings were doing what kids normally do, Trish was taking
various types of lessons. She participated in track and field, and was a top-ranked
Canadian amateur tennis contender. Admittedly she liked the attention she got from boys in
those early days but her first true love was language. Literature would be her salvation
and her passport to the kind of life she pictured in her dreams. Renowned Jungian
psychologist Marion Woodman, who in the late 1960’s was Nelligan’s English/Drama
teacher at London’s South Secondary School, took an interest in the troubled teen and
cast her in a school play. Knowing that her student was desperate to break away, she
offered encouragement and counseling. With inspired determination Trish Nelligan saw a way
out of her unhappy family life and the negative influence of her alcoholic mother.
At sixteen Nelligan was admitted to York University’s Glendon
College in Toronto on scholarship. During her sophomore year she auditioned for and won a
part in a college production of "Hamlet". She found drama liberating, a way to
express herself without having to be herself. Acknowledging this early motivation in a
1994 interview, "Kate" Nelligan looked back on her career and admitted, "I
didn’t get into this game to reveal myself—the way somebody like (Jack
Nicholson) does. I got into it so I could hide behind many different characters."
To Trish Nelligan, seeking a proper education in the field of
acting meant going to the source. She resolved to go to England and study at a reputable
school. She made application to the Central School of Speech and Drama in London and was
offered one of only two slots set aside for North American students. Knowing her family
was unable to foot the high cost of acting school, money would have to come from other
means. Hometown sponsors covered a portion of the bill, but Nelligan needed more funds in
order to survive. Giving new meaning to the term "odd jobs", she worked at a
Fish and Chips joint, a biscuit factory, and "taught some very strange men how to
tango" at Arthur Murray’s.
Upon graduation from acting school at age 21, Trish, now called
"Kate", was offered a position at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre
Company performing the classics. A year later she made her London stage debut in
"Knuckle" a play by David Hare. Thus began an extended personal and professional
alliance with the politically and socially focused playwright. In 1975 she joined the
National Theatre Company and played leading roles in "Heartbreak House" and
"Tales from the Vienna Woods". She also had a small part in Joseph Losey’s
"The Romantic Englishwoman", her first feature film. In 1977, now a recognized
name in the English theatre scene, the young actress joined the Royal Shakespeare Company
for "As You Like It". She was a sought after stage actress by this time, but she
had her eye on a plum role for which she was nearly rejected. David Hare’s new play
"Plenty" was in the works and he needed an actress to play the part of Susan
Traherne, his tumultuous and unsympathetic heroine. Hare wasn’t sure that Nelligan
was right for the role but against his better judgement and under pressure from peers he
relented. The gamble paid off and Nelligan’s work was critically acclaimed. The
success of "Plenty" led to other work outside of the theatre. Kate went on to
star in Masterpiece Theatre’s "Therese Raquin", and two feature films,
"Dracula" with Frank Langella and "Eye of the Needle" with Donald
Sutherland.
While Britain offered unlimited stage work, film roles were few
and far between and films were what Kate Nelligan wanted to do at this point in her
career. The desire to be a movie actress prompted her to say goodbye to England and her
adopted English persona. In 1981 she moved to Los Angeles in pursuit of movie stardom.
What she experienced instead was frustration and 10 months of "absolute agony".
She went in with no contacts, no friends, and little money. She made one sub par TV movie
and spent a lot of time at the local "Y", running in order to keep body and soul
fit. Nearly to the point of throwing in the towel, Kate received word that Joseph Papp
wanted her to reprise the role of Susan Traherne in his New York production of
"Plenty". She was simultaneously offered the lead in Stanley Jaffe’s
"Without a Trace", a feature film also to be produced in New York. Relieved and
hopeful Kate Nelligan said goodbye to L.A. and hello to New York City.
Nelligan made her mark on Broadway in "Plenty". She was
overwhelmed by the attention she received not only by the critics, but by her peers and
her audience as well. She was a hit in a way that she had never experienced in England.
She received her first of four Tony Award nominations. Unfortunately "Without a
Trace" was not a financial success and her chances of becoming a known box-office
draw were somewhat diminished. It was a disappointment, but when offered the lead in the
film version of "Plenty" she was ambivalent, acknowledging that her ability to
sell tickets was not as good as that of an actress like Meryl Streep, who eventually did
the movie. So it was back to the familiar footlights where Nelligan accepted the female
lead in Eugene O’Neill’s "A Moon for the Misbegotten". It was a
formidable challenge for Kate in many ways. "Josie" was quite a departure from
Plenty’s cerebrally driven Susan Traherne. This heroine operated from the heart. The
previous production of "Misbegotten" starred the legendary Colleen Dewhurst, who
was unquestionably a hard act to follow. Despite all that and some down time due to a
vocal cord hemorrhage, Nelligan was up to the task and the play went on to Broadway and
good reviews.
"Eleni" turned out to be the low point in Kate
Nelligan’s career. The 1985 film was her final hope of proving to the industry that
she could be a movie star. Midway through the ill-fated endeavor she realized that Eleni
was not only going to fail, but it was going to "bury her", career-wise. Her
momentum came to a screeching halt and work was nearly impossible to find. Not only did
the movie flounder but it also took Nelligan out of consideration for other major roles.
And even more to her detriment, as a result of her pursuit of perfection she garnered a
reputation for being difficult. In later years when Garry Marshall considered her for a
part in "Frankie and Johnny", he was reluctant to do so because of the stigma
associated with her Eleni experience. He inquired of playwright Terrence McNally if it was
true that she was indeed "trouble". McNally had worked with her on theatre
projects and assured Marshall that she had unjustly earned the bum rap. He told Marshall,
"In the past she’s been unhappy on projects because of dumb people, but I think
she’s fabulous". Nevertheless Eleni, despite a powerful and passionate
performance by Nelligan, put an end to her film career at least for the time being. Other
short-lived Broadway projects came along, but when the offers of quality work dried up she
gave up acting completely for about a year. Needing employment of some kind Nelligan
started working for the 52nd St. Project, a NYC volunteer program using drama
and music as a means to help disadvantaged children. It was there that she met her future
husband, composer/pianist Robert Reale. "My initial reaction was that this man makes
me feel so good. Of course that immediately ruled him out as a romantic possibility. But
he pursued me until I realized I didn’t have to do the other thing—run around
with emotionally abusive, unpleasant men. For no reason at all he loved me and didn’t
want anyone else." They were married in February 1989. Reale encouraged his wife to
go back into acting and "with different priorities and lowered expectations" she
humbly entered the acting ring once again. In retrospect Nelligan admitted, "it was
failure that helped put an overweening ambition that wanted to control everything in her
life into the proper perspective".
In the early 1990’s things started to change for the better
for Kate both personally and professionally. Barbra Streisand, duly impressed by what she
had seen of Nelligan’s stage work, asked her to read for the young Lila Wingo role in
"The Prince of Tides". After talking with her and hearing her audition for the
young Lila Wingo role, Streisand was convinced that Nelligan could do both the young and
older Lila. Streisand said with a sense of admiration, "She’s the only one who
could pull it off, really". Nelligan did pull it off and with great skill and
instensity. The Academy nominated her for best supporting actress and the critics
applauded loudly. After "Prince of Tides" came "Frankie and Johnny",
and the wisecracking, sexually promiscuous, but big-hearted character of Cora. At the far
end of the spectrum from anything Nelligan had ever done before on screen, her
characterization brought her kudos and high praise for her versatility. It also brought
her a British Academy Award. Director Garry Marshall enthused, "Anyone who can play
Nick Nolte’s mother for Streisand and a slut for me has quite a range." Her
career was back on track and she was working regularly in both films and television. She
had also branched out into audio book reading, radio, and narration. In the midst of a
blossoming career she found out that she was soon to be blossoming in her personal life as
well. She was surprised to discover that she was pregnant after years of trying and
finally giving up on the prospect of having a family. For the first time in her career on
this side of the ocean, work was plentiful but had to be carefully considered and
restricted due to her pregnancy. In July 1992 Gabriel Joseph Reale was born and a new
career was launched. Kate vowed that her son would not be raised by nannies so she limited
her work to approximately 30 days per year in order to be a full-time mother. She arranged
her schedule to accommodate the needs of her family. She took supporting roles in feature
films such as "Wolf" with Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer, "Up Close
and Personal" again with Pfeiffer and Robert Redford, "How to Make an American
Quilt", and her latest film "U.S. Marshalls" with Tommy Lee Jones. In 1997
she returned to the Broadway stage in Wendy Wasserstein’s "An American
Daughter". With 4 film and TV projects now in various stages of development, Kate
Nelligan’s acting career is once again in full swing.
In a 1992 interview Kate Nelligan revealed her work ethic, "I
am terribly devoted to my work. I work harder than anyone I know: I’m prepared and
I’m never late and I give myself entirely to the work of the moment."
Nelligan’s dedication is reflected by the quality of her work. Now more relaxed and
philosophical about her career than ever before she had this to say about her earlier
difficulties, "…I think I came to accept that there is an awful lot that I
can’t control and perhaps shouldn’t even want to. That’s very interesting
for someone who’s always wanted to legislate the outcome of everything. I think
I’ve cracked it."
References: "Nelligan's Leaps" Urjo Kareda Saturday
Night August 1985 / "Better Sassy Than Classy?" Mark
Goodman/David Hutchings People January 27, 1992 / "A Midwife of
Souls" Marci McDonald Maclean's 5/13/96 /
"Close-up: Kate Nelligan" David Evans Toronto Life Fashion
March 1992 / "Nelligan Plays It For Laughs" Patrick Pacheco Newsday
March 4, 1990 / "The Elegant Kate Nelligan" Michael Kaplan Cosmopolitan
April 1, 1994 / The International Movie Database / Wake Me When It's Over
Garry Marshall 1997 / Streisand: Her Life James Spada 1995
