Editing Kate Capshaw

{{short description|American actress}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Kate Capshaw
| image              = Kate Capshaw, actress.jpg
| image_size         = 
| caption            = Capshaw in January 1984
| birth_name         = Kathleen Sue Nail
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1953|11|3}}
| birth_place        = [[Fort Worth, Texas]], U.S.
| alma_mater         = [[University of Missouri]]
| occupation         = {{flatlist|
* Actress
* producer
* painter
|}}
| years_active       = 1981–2001
| spouse             = {{ubl|{{marriage|Robert Capshaw|1976|1980|reason=divorced}}|{{marriage|[[Steven Spielberg]]|1991}}}}
| children           = 6, including [[Jessica Capshaw|Jessica]], [[Destry Spielberg|Destry]], and [[Sasha Spielberg|Sasha]]
| relatives          = [[Arnold Spielberg]] (father-in-law)
}}

'''Kathleen Sue Spielberg''' (''[[née]]'' '''Nail'''; born November 3, 1953),<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pohlen |first1=Jerome |title=Oddball Texas |date=February 2006 |publisher=Chicago Review Press |page=89 |isbn=9781569764725 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EPJ_0i9zNS8C}}</ref> known professionally as '''Kate Capshaw''', is an American former actress and painter. She is best known for her portrayal of [[List of Indiana Jones characters#Introduced in Temple of Doom|Willie Scott]], an American nightclub singer and performer in ''[[Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom]]'' (1984), directed by her eventual husband [[Steven Spielberg]]. Since then, she starred in ''[[Dreamscape (1984 film)|Dreamscape]]'' (1984), ''[[Power (1986 film)|Power]]'' (1986), ''[[SpaceCamp]]'' (1986), ''[[Black Rain (1989 American film)|Black Rain]]'' (1989), ''[[Love Affair (1994 film)|Love Affair]]'' (1994), ''[[Just Cause (film)|Just Cause]]'' (1995), ''[[The Locusts (film)|The Locusts]]'' (1997), and ''[[The Love Letter (1999 film)|The Love Letter]]'' (1999). Her portraiture work has been shown in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Pérez Art Museum Miami.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://portraitcompetition.si.edu/exhibition/2019-outwin-boochever-portrait-competition/unaccompanied?lang=eng| title = UNACCOMPANIED, Kate Capshaw {{!}} 2019 {{!}} The Outwin: American Portraiture Today {{!}} Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery| work = The Outwin: American Portraiture Today {{pipe}} Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/museums/portraits-that-bend-the-rules-of-portraiture-in-the-outwin-2019/2019/12/11/db924a86-1619-11ea-9110-3b34ce1d92b1_story.html| title = Art review: At the National Portrait Gallery, the finalists in the 2019 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition redefine the idea of portraiture. - The Washington Post| newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kate Capshaw: Exclusive Tonsorial Services • Pérez Art Museum Miami |url=https://www.pamm.org/en/exhibition/kate-capshaw-exclusive-tonsorial-services/ |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=Pérez Art Museum Miami |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Early life==
Capshaw was born Kathleen Sue Nail, the daughter of Edwin L. Nail, an airline employee.<ref name="fwst">{{cite news |last1=Dickson |first1=Gordon |title=Edwin Nail, Kate Capshaw's dad, dies at 65 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-edwin-nail/127694653/ |access-date=July 5, 2023 |work=Fort Worth Star-Telegram |date=December 30, 1998 |page=Section B, Page 4|via = [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref> 

She married marketing manager Robert Capshaw in January 1976 and they had one child, [[Jessica Capshaw]], before divorcing in 1980.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1995-02-27 |title=Pushing Limits Actress Kate Capshaw Finely Balances Work And Home Goals, Both Set High |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1995/feb/27/pushing-limits-actress-kate-capshaw-finely/ |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=Spokesman.com |language=en}}</ref> She kept the surname Capshaw, which she used for her professional name upon becoming an actress.

==Career==
[[File:Kate Capshaw.jpg|right|thumb|Capshaw in June 1984]]
Capshaw moved to New York City to pursue her dream of acting, landing her first role on the soap opera ''[[The Edge of Night]]''. After auditioning for a small role in ''[[A Little Sex]]'', she was offered the role of the leading lady, which is when she asked for a dismissal from ''The Edge of Night''. She starred in ''[[Dreamscape (1984 film)|Dreamscape]]'' in 1984, and afterwards was directed by her then-boyfriend [[Armyan Bernstein]] in ''[[Windy City (film)|Windy City]]''.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=TFpvAH09IT8C&pg=PA142 ''Spielberg: The Man, the Movies, the Mythology'']</ref>

She met film director and future husband [[Steven Spielberg]] upon winning the female lead as [[Willie Scott (Indiana Jones character)|Willie Scott]] in ''[[Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom]]'' (1984), a prequel to Spielberg's ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'' (1981). Capshaw starred opposite [[Harrison Ford]], who played [[Indiana Jones (character)|Indiana Jones]]. In addition, she appeared as Andie Bergstrom, an appealing and stern yet frustrated camp instructor in the 1986 film ''[[SpaceCamp]]'', opposite [[Richard Gere]] and [[Gene Hackman]] in ''[[Power (1986 film)|Power]]'' (1986), and starred as Susanna McKaskel in ''[[The Quick and the Dead (1987 film)|The Quick and The Dead]]'' (1987) with [[Sam Elliott]]. Capshaw also starred in the spy film/romance ''Her Secret Life''.<ref>[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/code_name_dancer/ Code Name Dancer (1987)] at Rotten Tomatoes</ref>

Capshaw had roles in several films throughout the late 1980s into the 1990s. She starred alongside [[Michael Douglas]] and [[Andy García]] in ''[[Black Rain (American film)|Black Rain]]'' (1989), [[Sean Connery]] and [[Laurence Fishburne]] in ''[[Just Cause (film)|Just Cause]]'' (1995), and [[Warren Beatty]] and [[Annette Bening]] in ''[[Love Affair (1994 film)|Love Affair]]'' (1994). She was also featured in the 1997 film ''[[The Alarmist]]'' with [[David Arquette]] and [[Stanley Tucci]]. In 1999, she starred in and produced ''[[The Love Letter (1999 film)|The Love Letter]].''

In 2001, she starred in the made-for-cable film ''[[A Girl Thing]]'',<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Thing-Kate-Capshaw/dp/B00005NRNS/ "The DVD of A Girl Thing"] reviewed at Amazon</ref> with [[Stockard Channing]], [[Rebecca De Mornay]] and [[Elle Macpherson]].<ref>[http://www.cinema.com/news/item/318/elles-sexy-lesbian-romp.phtml "Elle's Sexy Lesbian Romp."] at Cinema.com</ref> It is her last acting role to date.

== Painting practice ==
In 2009, Capshaw began her art studies—drawing, painting, and portraiture. She turned her interest to portraits of young people experiencing homelessness. In March 2019, three of these portraits were selected as finalists in the Smithsonian [[National Portrait Gallery (United States)|National Portrait Gallery]]'s prestigious juried triennial: the [[Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition]]. Following their selection, the portraits debuted in the exhibition The Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today.<ref>{{cite web |title=Unaccompanied: The Outwin |url=https://portraitcompetition.si.edu/exhibition/2019-outwin-boochever-portrait-competition/unaccompanied/ |website=Smithsonian |access-date=6 November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Cassaday |first1=Daniel |title=Kate Capshaw's Portraits Bring Homeless Youth Out of Dark and Into View |url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/kate-capshaw-homeless-youth-portraits-paintings-1234667547/ |website=ArtNews |access-date=6 November 2023 |date=12 May 2023}}</ref>

Her solo presentation ''Kate Capshaw: Exclusive Tonsorial Services'' at the [[Pérez Art Museum Miami]], Florida, in 2024, derives from conversations with Miami Dade community leader Sergei (Sirj) Grant, a barber and entrepreneur, working towards financial education and justice for the local youth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kate Capshaw: Exclusive Tonsorial Services • Pérez Art Museum Miami |url=https://www.pamm.org/en/exhibition/kate-capshaw-exclusive-tonsorial-services/ |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=Pérez Art Museum Miami |language=en-US}}</ref>   

==Personal life ==
During the production of the film ''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'' (1984), Capshaw became close to director Steven Spielberg, whom she later married. Originally an [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopalian]], she [[Conversion to Judaism|converted to Judaism]] before marrying Spielberg on October 12, 1991.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/24/us/from-schindler-s-list-a-jewish-mission.html |title=From 'Schindler's List,' a Jewish Mission |first=Karen W. |last=Arenson |author-link=Karen W. Arenson |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |date=September 24, 1995 |access-date=17 December 2018 |page=1001030 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/97/06/15/reviews/spielberg-holocaust.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |title=Film: Steven Spielberg Faces the Holocaust |first=Bernard |last=Weinraub |author-link=Bernard Weinraub |date=12 December 1993 |access-date=17 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010218130349/http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/06/15/reviews/spielberg-holocaust.html |archive-date=18 February 2001 |url-status=live }}</ref> They were married in both a civil ceremony and an Orthodox ceremony.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1RsIAQAAMAAJ |title=Spielberg: The Man, the Movies, the Mythology |first=Frank |last=Sanello |author-link=Frank Sanello |publisher=[[Taylor Publishing Co.]] |year=1996 |pages=274 |isbn=9780878339112}}</ref>

There are seven children in the Spielberg–Capshaw family.

*[[Jessica Capshaw]] – daughter from Capshaw's previous marriage to Robert Capshaw
*Max Samuel Spielberg – son from Spielberg's previous marriage to actress [[Amy Irving]]
*Theo Spielberg – son adopted by Capshaw before her marriage to Spielberg, who later also adopted him<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.funtrivia.com/en/Celebrities/Spielberg-Steven-14300.html |title=Spielberg, Steven – Fun Facts, Answers, Factoids, Info, Information |work=Funtrivia.com |access-date=March 2, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100309223135/http://www.funtrivia.com/en/Celebrities/Spielberg-Steven-14300.html |archive-date=9 March 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*[[Sasha Spielberg|Sasha Rebecca Spielberg]]
*[[Sawyer Spielberg]]
*Mikaela George Spielberg – adopted with Steven Spielberg<ref>{{cite news |last=Greissinger |first=Lisa Kay |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20103281,00.html |title=Passages |date=15 April 1996 |magazine=[[People.com]] |access-date=26 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304071940/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20103281,00.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 |publisher=[[Time Inc.]]}}</ref>
*[[Destry Spielberg]]<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/21/us/steven-spielberg-fast-facts |title=Steven Spielberg Fast Facts |date=11 April 2013 |work=[[Cable News Network]] |access-date=26 April 2013 |publisher=[[Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.]]}}</ref>
On April 28, 2023, Capshaw along with [[Michelle Obama]] made a surprise appearance on stage during [[Bruce Springsteen]]'s show in [[Barcelona]] where they provided backing vocals and tambourine on the song "[[Glory Days (Bruce Springsteen song)|Glory Days]]".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blanchett |first=Ben |date=2023-04-29 |title=Michelle Obama Joins Bruce Springsteen Onstage During Barcelona Concert |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/michelle-obama-joins-bruce-springsteen-onstage-during-barcelona-concert/ar-AA1avzvt |access-date=2023-04-29 |website=MSN.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Note
|-
| 1982
| ''[[A Little Sex]]''
| Katherine Harrison
| 
|-
| 1984
| ''[[Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom]]''
| [[List of Indiana Jones characters#Introduced in Temple of Doom|Willie Scott]]
| 
|-
| 1984
| ''[[Best Defense]]''
| Laura Cooper
| 
|-
| 1984
| ''[[Dreamscape (1984 film)|Dreamscape]]''
| Jane DeVries
| 
|-
| 1984
| ''[[Windy City (film)|Windy City]]''
| Emily Reubens
| 
|-
| 1986
| ''[[Power (1986 film)|Power]]''
| Sydney Betterman
| 
|-
| 1986
| ''[[SpaceCamp]]''
| Andie Bergstrom
| 
|-
| 1987
| ''[[The Quick and the Dead (1987 film)|The Quick and the Dead]]''
| Susanna McKaskel
|
|-
| 1988
| ''[[Private Affairs (1987 film)|Private Affairs]]''
| Brunetta
| 
|-
| 1989
| ''[[Black Rain (1989 American film)|Black Rain]]''
| Joyce
| 
|-
| 1990
| ''[[Love at Large]]''
| Mrs. Ellen McGraw
| 
|-
| 1991
| ''[[My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys (film)|My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys]]''
| Jolie Meadows
| 
|-
| 1994
| ''[[Love Affair (1994 film)|Love Affair]]''
| Lynn Weaver
| 
|-
| 1995
| ''[[Just Cause (film)|Just Cause]]''
| Laurie Prentiss Armstrong
| 
|-
| 1995
| ''[[How to Make an American Quilt]]''
| Sally Dodd
| 
|-
| 1997
| ''[[The Locusts (film)|The Locusts]]''
| Delilah Ashford Potts
| 
|-
| 1997
| ''[[The Alarmist]]''
| Gale Ancona
| 
|-
| 1999
| ''[[The Love Letter (1999 film)|The Love Letter]]''
| Helen MacFarquhar
| Also producer
|-
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1981
| ''[[The Edge of Night]]''
| Jinx Avery Mallory #1 
| TV series
|-
| 1982
| ''Missing Children: A Mother's Story''
| Elaine Rogers
| TV film
|-
| 1987
| ''[[The Quick and the Dead (1987 film)|The Quick and the Dead]]''
| Susanna McKaskel
| TV film
|-
| 1987
| ''Her Secret Life''
| Annie
| TV film
|-
| 1988
| ''Internal Affairs''
| Joanna Gates
| TV film
|-
| 1993
| ''[[Black Tie Affair (TV series)|Black Tie Affair]]''
| Margo Cody
| TV series; 13 episodes
|-
| 1994
| ''[[Next Door (1994 film)|Next Door]]''
| Karen Coler
| TV film
|-
| 1996
| ''[[Duke of Groove]]''
| Rebecka
| Short film
|-
| 2001
| ''[[A Girl Thing]]''
| Casey Montgomery
| TV film
|-
| 2001
| ''Due East''
| Becky Purdue
| TV film
|-
|}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{IMDb name|0001009}}

{{Steven Spielberg|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Capshaw, Kate}}
[[Category:21st-century American actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:Actresses from Fort Worth, Texas]]
[[Category:Actresses from St. Louis]]
[[Category:American feminists]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American soap opera actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:American women painters]]
[[Category:Converts to Judaism from Protestantism]]
[[Category:Jewish American actresses]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:University of Missouri alumni]]
[[Category:Spielberg family]]
[[Category:1953 births]]