'Matlock' star Kathy Bates and her astounding weight loss

It took Kathy Bates about six years to shed over 100 pounds (roughly 45 kilograms), a transformation that not only left her looking more youthful but reportedly in the best shape and health of her life. In interviews, she’s spoken candidly about the process that helped her feel — and look — phenomenal.

A new figure, a new gig

In early May, Bates turned heads at a television event in Los Angeles. Wearing a cinched black pleated skirt and a sheer blouse, the actress radiated joy and confidence, proudly showing off a sleek figure at 76.

When illness became a turning point

Her road back to wellness wasn’t an easy one. Bates said she hadn’t looked this fit since her college days, and her journey began with a wake-up call: a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis. This came after surviving ovarian cancer and b r e ast cancer in 2003 and 2012.

Scared straight

Kathleen Doyle Bates, born June 28, 1948, in Memphis, Tennessee, decided to take control of her health after her 2017 diagnosis. “[Diabetes] runs in my family, and I’d seen what my father had gone through,” she said. “He had had a leg amputation. One of my sisters is dealing with it very seriously, and it terrified me. It scared me straight," she told People in May 2025.

Taking charge

That fear became fuel. Bates committed to change, not just for her health, but because her physical condition had begun to interfere with her acting career.

Breaking point on set

“When I was so heavy in ‘Harry’s Law,’ I had to sit down in between every take, and it was awful,” she said, referring to her 2011 drama series. “I’m ashamed to have put myself through that, to be honest.”

Early days in New York

The youngest daughter of a mechanical engineer and a homemaker, Bates moved to New York City in 1970 to chase her acting dreams, shortly after earning her drama degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

'Always knew going into this business that it was going to take a while because I wasn’t a beauty queen'

While trying to break into acting, Bates worked odd jobs — including as a cashier at the Museum of Modern Art — and landed minor stage roles. “I always knew going into this business that it was going to take me a while because I wasn’t a beauty queen,” she recently told Variety.

Her big breaks

Although her first film was 'Taking Off' in 1971 and she began working in television melodramas and comedies in 1980 — such as ‘The Doctors’, ‘All My Children’ and ‘One Life to Live’ — the role that truly propelled her was Stella Mae in Robert Altman’s 1982 film 'Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean.'

Carving her place in theatre

But her stage work shouldn’t be overlooked. In the early 1980s, The New York Times declared Kathy Bates one of the finest theatre actresses in the United States.

Recognized for her work

The praise was justified: in 1983, Bates earned a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Play for her role in the Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘Night, Mother.’ That same year, she appeared in the Warren Beatty police thriller Dick Tracy.

A string of blockbusters

During the 1990s, Bates appeared in a string of blockbuster films including ‘The Morning After’, ‘Straight Time’, ‘Men Don't Leave’, ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’, ‘Arthur 2: On the Rocks’, and ‘Titanic’.

Academy Award for Best Actress

Although Bates has never paused since 1971, it was at age 42 that she reached critical acclaim and fame for playing the sinister Annie Wilkes in 'Misery' (1990), earning her the Academy Award for Best Actress.

The perks of not being a beauty queen

"I have to say I give an inner wink when I see friends who have been beauty queens who are no longer working because of ageism, and in my case, I’ve been able to continue working for many years because I don’t look like that. I don’t think I would have gotten the role in ‘Misery’ if I had been a beauty queen," she told Variety at the age of 76.

Etching her name into cinema

Her performance in 'Misery' is recognized as one of film’s greatest female villain portrayals, ranking 17th on the list of cinema’s top villainous performances.

After the turn of the century

In the 2000s, Bates continued in Hollywood, taking supporting roles in 'Rumor Has It...' (2005), 'Failure to Launch' (2006), 'P.S. I Love You '(2007), 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' (2008), and 'The Blind Side' (2009). In 2006, she made her directorial debut and co-starred in 'Have Mercy' alongside Melanie Griffith.

A second wind

After losing weight, Bates’s new healthy lifestyle coincided with her 2024 relaunch of 'Matlock,' in which she stars and produces. The series follows retired attorney Madeline "Matty" Matlock, who re-enters the legal world after personal tragedy. A success that has led her to receive a Primetime Emmy nomination.

Kathy Bates isn't slowing down

“Physically, I’m capable of doing this show,” she said. “I don’t have to sit down. I can stand up all day long and walk and move and breathe and do so many things that I couldn’t before.”

Acting is her "life force"

“My friends say I’ll probably be like Molière and die in my chair on the stage,” Bates told Variety, “because it really is a life force for me.”

Looking ahead

Now with a renewed figure, Bates—whose favorite exercise is walking and who plans to start weight training—told People she’s updating her wardrobe and has hired a stylist to enhance her image.

It's not about "willpower"

One method she credits for her transformation is mindful eating. “It’s just knowing when to put the plate down,” she said to Us Weekly in 2019. Bates, who married actor Tony Campisi in 1991 and divorced six years later, emphasized the power of patience and "determination," rather than "willpower."

A mindful eating trick that worked

The first change Bates made to her lifestyle was taking a piece of advice her niece had given her about listening to her body. "When we’re full, we experience an involuntary sigh,” she told People. “I just pushed the plate away.”