An American actress with a distinctive, otherworldly presence, Frances Conroy was born in Monroe, Georgia. She is best known to television audiences for her Emmy-nominated, Golden Globe-winning work as matriarch Ruth Fisher on the acclaimed series 'Six Feet Under', and for recurring roles across Ryan Murphy's 'American Horror Story'. On screen she played Penny Fleck, the mother of the title character, in 'Joker' (2019), and voiced a role in the animated 'Nimona' (2023). A refined character actress equally at home in tenderness and the macabre, respected for her precise, quietly haunting performances. Read more