12 Memorable Screen Moms for Mother's Day
Sunday, May 8, 2016 at 10:17AM A huge virtual hug and bouquet of flowers going out to every reader who is a mother, every reader's mother, and all the actresses that have played mothers over the years.
A dozen favorite random delights (from hundreds of great examples) of cinematic motherhood after the jump...
Darlene Cates as "Bonnie" in WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE (1993)
Sophia Loren as "Adelina of Naples" in YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW (1963)
Sally Field as "M'Lynn" in STEEL MAGNOLIAS (1989)
Pepper Labejia from the House of Labejia in PARIS IS BURNING
Vivien Leigh as (eventually) "Scarlett O'Hara Wilkes Butler" in GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) 
Sigourney Weaver as "Ripley 8" in ALIEN: RESURRECTION (1997)
Mrs Jumbo in DUMBO (1941)
Piper Laurie as "Margaret White" in CARRIE (1976) 
Julianne Moore as "Amber Waves" in BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997)
Faye Dunaway as MOMMIE DEAREST (1981)
Anna Magnani as "Serafina" in THE ROSE TATTOO (1955)
Cate Blanchett as CAROL (2015)
Reader Comments (36)
I love how you shoehorned Carol in there.
Claude Rains' mother in Notorious
Annette Benning and Julianne Moore in The Kids Are All Right
Sally Field as Norma Rae
Penelope Cruz in Volver
Susan Sarandon in Lorenzo's Oil!!!!!
Tallulah Bankhead in "Die! Die! My Darling!"
Olivia de Havilland in "Lady in a Cage"
Divine in "Pink Flamingos"
Angela Lansbury in "The Manchurian Candidate"
Meryl Streep in "Sophie's Choice"
Shirley MacLaine!
The "mother" from Psycho.
Let's not forget Tilda Swinton! I nominate her "Bad Mother" trilogy: Julia, I Am Love and We Need To Talk About Kevin. Also worth mentioning... The Deep End, now that's a dedicated mother.
@ferdi - Yes!
I've already mentioned many favorites on Facebook but I'd like to add: Moore in Savage Grace!
Hepburn in Lion in Winter! Then Hepburn in On Golden Pond. ;)
Meryl Streep: Kramer vs Kramer, Sophie's Choice, A Cry in the Dark, The Bridges of Madison County, One True Thing, Devil Wears Prada,
Jessica Lange--Losing Isaiah
Faye Dunaway--Mommie Dearest
Greer Garson--Mrs Miniver
Bette Davis--Now Voyager
Julie Christie--Afterglow
Ellen Burstyn--The Exorcist
Jennifer Jones--Good Morning Miss Dove
Toni Collette--Little Miss Sunshine
Marsha Mason--Only When I Laugh
Christine Lahti--Running On Empty
Barbara Stanwyck--Stella Dallas
Luise Rainier--The Good Earth
Kathleen Turner--Serial Mom
Myrna Loy, The Best Years of Our Lives.
You love mentioning this screen mom every chance you get and yet you forgot her this time.
Anjelica Huston in The Grifters.
Mo'Nique in Precious
Cate Blanchett in Hanna
Tilda Swinton in We Need To Talk About Kevin
Michelle Pfeiffer in White Oleander
Jodie Foster in Panic Room
Glenn Glose in Damages
Sharon Stone in Casino
Gloria Foster in The Matrix
Nicole Kidman in The Others. Such a good portrayal of loving, strict parental anxiety veering into madness and inner rage
Excelent list Brookesboy! Bette Davis' mother in Now, Voyager was Gladys Cooper.
Gena Rowlands dancing with her kids and playing the dying swan in A Woman Under The Influence.
Carol over Brie Larson's Ma?
Can't believe y'all forgot Jackie Weaver in Animal Kingdom. You've done some bad things sweeties!
Amy Poehler, Mean Girls. Surely?
Patricia Arquette in Boyhood.
Mary Tyler Moore as Beth Jarrett in Ordinary People. A mother you really want to hate but can't quite bring yourself to. I screen the film at least once a year and every single time I see something new in her performance and learn something different about the character. Dang Sissy Spacek!
Toni Collette in The Sixth Sense
Mary Alice in the original Sparkle
Sissy Spacek in In the Bedroom
Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce
Barbara Hershey in Black Swan
Brie Larson in Room
The mom-to-be Frances McDormand in Fargo
Sally Field in everything really
It's weird that Scarlett O'Hara is mentioned here I think cause a mother is the least thing you can think of her. The same thing goes to Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada and Sharon Stone in Casino.
Frances McDormand in Almost Famous
Diane Wiest in Edward Scissorhands
Molly Weasley and Narcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter series
Geena Davis in The Long Kiss Goodnight
Lillian Gish in Night of the Hunter
Jamie Lee Curtis in Freaky Friday
Björk in DANCER IN THE DARK!
Joan Bennett in Father of the Bride
Shelley Winters in Lolita
Gene Tierney in Leave Her to Heaven
Gladys Cooper in Now, Voyager
Katharine Hepburn in Suddenly, Last Summer
Katharine Hepburn in Long Day's Journey Into Night
Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby
Judith Malina in Dog Day Afternoon
Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple
Nathan Lane in The Birdcage
That's Scarlett O'Hara Hamilton Kennedy Butler Wilkes, to you.
julia roberts - erin brockovich
julia roberts - steel magnolias
Jackie Weaver - Animal Kingdom
Rosalind Russell-Gypsy
@Craver
You really REALLY need to watch the hotel scene in DWP again. Hear how heartbreaking she talks about her daughters. And there's of course the Harry Potter unpublished script, too. How much more motherly can you get? ;)
Meryl in The River Wild and A:OC should be mentioned, too. Probably the light and dark side.
Loved the inclusion of Ellen Ripley!!!!
"Mommy wants to talk to Santy Claus, too."
Immortal line from the screen debut of Thelma Ritter in "Miracle on 34th St."