Celia Weston, born December 14, 1951, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, is a talented actress known for her nuanced portrayals of down-to-earth Southern characters. Raised in South Carolina, Celia and her sister created their own characters and acted out small skits, later appearing in local plays.
She earned an Artist Diploma in Drama at the North Carolina School of the Arts and continued her training in London. After returning to the States in 1977, Celia studied with Uta Hagen and Herbert Berghof while working as a waitress in New York City. Her early career included regional and off-off-Broadway work, as well as summer stock.
At age 28, Celia made her Broadway debut in "Loose Ends" (1979) alongside Kevin Kline. She later appeared in Edward Albee's "The Lady from Dubuque" (1980) and Clint Eastwood's film "Honky Tonk Freeway" (1981). Her breakthrough role came when she played Jolene, a Southern-fried waitress, on the CBS sitcom "Alice" (1981-1985).
After "Alice," Celia had a few lean years before her career took off again. She appeared in the films "Stars and Bars" (1988) and "A New Life" (1988),showcasing her talent for toned-down realism. In the mid-to-late 1990s, Celia's career flourished, earning critical acclaim for her dramatic turns in "Dead Man Walking" (1995) and "The Last Night of Ballyhoo" (1997).
Throughout her career, Celia has preferred art-house obscurity to mainstream popularity, opting for classier, character-driven drama. She has played a wide range of dialects and characters, from the backwoods mother in "Dead Man Walking" to the grieving, prejudicial mother in "Snow Falling on Cedars" (1999).
In the 2000s, Celia continued to appear in ensemble films like "In the Bedroom" (2001),"Far from Heaven" (2002),and "The Village" (2004). Her recent film credits include "Junebug" (2005),"Joshua" (2007),"The Invasion" (2007),"The Box" (2009),"Knight and Day" (2010),"Goodbye to All That" (2014),"In the Radiant City" (2016),"Poms" (2019),and "Adam" (2020).
Celia has also had a successful television career, appearing in recurring roles on "Our Willie" (1913),"Memphis Beat" (2010),"American Horror Story" (2011),"Modern Family" (2009),and "Hunters" (2020).
