Best performance by an actress playing a First Lady

"The First Lady" (which sadly cannot be found anywhere online) was spectacular. Gillian Anderson was masterful as Eleanor Roosevelt.

Where's Greer???

Jane Alexander as Eleanor Roosevelt in the 70s miniseries was good.

Natalie Portman as Jackie.

Divine as Jacqueline Kennedy.

Where's Susie?

I couldn’t stop laughing at how over-the-top Jennifer Jason Leigh’s makeup was as Lady Bird in LBJ. I know Lady Bird wasn’t exactly a classic beauty, but wow…

Jane Fonda as Nancy Reagan in The Butler was phenomenal.

I can’t believe Michele didn’t get nominated for an Emmy. She was great.

Mary Tyler Moore's performance as Mary Todd was so campy and bad.

Where's Ruth?

I had never seen any actual clips of the real Jackie Kennedy before seeing Natalie Portman's performance. I couldn't believe she actually spoke that way.

Fake Melania

[quote]I had never seen any actual clips of the real Jackie Kennedy before seeing Natalie Portman's performance.

I just can't.

Michelle Pfeiffer was phenomenal! Can’t believe she did even get an Emmy nom. Thr critics were dumbfounded too. Viola must have insisted that she be submitted only or some shit.

R7 Melissa Leo made a much better Lady Bird Johnson. Also, Woody Harrelson's LBJ makeup was just as bad as Leigh's. That was a terrible movie.

R14 You just can't… what? Was that a reaction to the content or my grammar?

Where's Patti?

Cole Escola

Op, how on earth could you forget Gena Rowlands as Betty Ford?

R18 Isn't that cousin April from Too Close For Comfort?

Poor Viola sucked as Michelle.

OP! How could you ignore Kate McKinnon’s performance as Hillary Clinton?

The compilations of Viola as Michelle Obama are hilarious. Good grief. Did she hate Michelle THAT much!?

Kate McKinnon is a washed up slag with no talent.

Um, wasn't a certain "Our Sally" nominated for an Oscar for playing Mary Todd Lincoln? Lest we forget, "drink the juice, Abe!"

Laura Benanti as the Whore of Slovenia

[quote] I had never seen any actual clips of the real Jackie Kennedy before seeing Natalie Portman's performance. I couldn't believe she actually spoke that way.

I don't she did.

I voted for Joan Allen, but Linney, Portman, and Field are all great picks.

Nanette!

She absolutely spoke like that, in public to everyone but especially around men. Her purpose in life was to marry a rich man and she was taught that that voice was feminie and alluring.

Key words, "in public," R31. I think that was her stage voice. I've read that her private voice wasn't as breathy.

Portman was great in Jackie. The scene where she had to explain to her young children that their father would not be coming home was heartbreaking.

Nobody beats Jean Stapleton as Eleanor Roosevelt.

R31 no her real voice wasn't as breathy but I should have clarified, when she was speaking to a man, either in public or private, she used it.

It was an act but deeply ingrained. JFK himself called her fey.

Dammit. R35 directed at R32.

/gives up

Joan Allen is a great actress. She was also in "The Contender" where she played a liberal woman who is nominated to become Vice President.

Viola Davis was awful as Michelle Obama in The First Lady

I loved Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford. She was excellent.

Did any of those other women sing? No.

Blythe Danner as Martha Jefferson

Fred MacMurray in "Kisses For My President."

Real Melania is just pretending to be First Lady. Their marriage is an arrangement. He would have dumped her long ago for a younger model if not for politics.

Another vote for Jane Alexander as Eleanor ! She was brilliant. The mini series is Eleanor and Franklin and it is a must watch on You Tube for free. I also agree with Gena Rowlands as the absolute best Betty Ford. And Sally Field's Mary Todd Lincoln. Laura Linney was wonderful as Abigail Adams. You'd have to be a brilliant actress to be married to Paul Giamatti's John Adams. I don't think anyone has successfully played Jackie and Viola was a total disaster as Michelle Obama.

Anyone remember the movie The Butler? Jane Fonda did a cameo as Nancy Reagan and she did a great job.

R39 I agree, she was the main reason I continued watching The First Lady. I thought Gillian Anderson was ok as Eleanor Roosevelt.

Viola Davis and her husband were producers on The First Lady, they probably thought Viola would get an Emmy nod for playing Michelle Obama, but her performance was awful. I remember people on twitter making fun of Viola's weird facial expressions. Viola was very sour when critics panned the performance.

Jane Alexander captured Eleanor's voice so well. It was high pitched. And the late Edward Hermann was a wonderful FDR.

Jane Curtin played Mary Todd to Kris Kristoffersons Abe Lincoln in a TNT movie in the 90’s.

Patty Duke was Martha to Barry Bostwicks George Washington as well. There was a scene with an epileptic in that film that scared the shit out of me,

[quote]Viola Davis and her husband were producers on The First Lady, they probably thought Viola would get an Emmy nod for playing Michelle Obama, but her performance was awful. I remember people on twitter making fun of Viola's weird facial expressions.

That’s because she pushed her lips out to replicate Michelle’s big lips.

Julia Roberts would have lost her career for doing that.

DL fave G in Mars Attacks!

Patti Duke and BArry Bostwick. It was an awful movie. I saw it.

Bette Midler in First Wives Clubs you filthy cunts.

Madonna as Eva Peron

Is The First Lady streaming anywhere? I'm intrigued by Viola's poor performance.

Hunny, Viola was absolutely godawful. Embarrassingly bad. Truly. If I was Michelle I would have had Viola barred from acting.

[quote] That’s because she pushed her lips out to replicate Michelle’s big lips.

Michelle also has a very pronounced bite which pushes her lips out.

Peggy Cass as Martha Dinwiddie Butterfield in "First Lady."

Jane Alexander. Full stop

Viola Davis is legendarily bad as Michelle. A performance so bad it ruined my opinion of her abilities. I hope Michelle slapped Viola in the face in private.

Gillian was fine but slightly cartoony, and it wasn't anything we hadn't seen her do better elsewhere.

That said Pfeiffer was truly great, and I'd love it if someone edited just her third of the series together. That show was such a rollercoaster.

R52 Paper bag bitch.

Jacqueline Smith as Jackie Kennedy GOWNED BY TRAVILLA!

Viola!

This is NOT AI.

^ She was dreadful. What was she thinking? Michelle should have had a drone take out Viola for that performance.

A random pornie as Melanija Trump.

Viola was no Meryl. She wasn’t even a Glenn.

I liked the gal who played Dolly Madison in Drunk History. She made me laugh.

R64 Meryl is no Glenn you hating ass bitch. She’s not even a Cate Blanchett.

R61 Oh my! That IS bad.

Does Jeanne Tripplehorn as Jackie Onassis in GREY GARDENS count?

She was nominated for an Emmy.

Why no love for Norma Shearer as Anna Tuthill Harrison?

Pat Nixon as Pat Nixon.

Melania Knauss in, "The Happy Hooker Goes To Washington II".

OP, you forgot that heavily pregnant holstein that played Bess Truman in a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance in "Oppenheimer."

She's *very* good, r68.

Portman was wonderful as Jackie if Jackie were an accent.

R74 I hated that movie and Hated Portman as Jackie. The only thing she did well was wear the clothes. And when you consider that Portman is short, playing Jackie who was tall, I just didn't like it. The same guy made the movie Diana with Kristen Stewart. I hated that too.

Blair Brown in Kennedy (1983) captured Jackie's je ne sais quoi without giving a Marilyn Michaels performance.

I imagine all three leads submitted for The First Lady. It was for Showtime and that’s almost never a good thing to hear if you’re talking about awards.

Hell, they nominated Ellen Burton once for a 13 second cameo and even she didn’t get into supporting.

It did get nominations for hair styling and costumes.

What about pre-First Lady?

No mention of Roma Downey for her turn as Jackie?

lol good. Dreadful.

Viola can’t play warm or funny.

Judy Davis as Nancy Reagan was positively brilliant.

Margaret Colin was Jackie on Broadway.

A friend saw it and really enjoyed it and Colin

Sada Thompson as Mary Todd Lincoln.

[quote]A friend saw it and really enjoyed it and Colin

I saw it twice. Those commercials don’t do the show justice. It was very creative.

Julie Harris

Step aside. These ladies were on fire!

Meryl Streep as Lucy Hayes.

Another vote for Jane Alexander.

[quote]Viola was no Meryl. She wasn’t even a Glenn.

She wasn't even a Pia.

Eileen Heckart (Eleanor Roosevelt) and Celeste Holm (Florence Harding) in the NBC miniseries "Backstairs at the White House" (1979) were both nominated for Emmys.

I'm grateful for Viola Davis's performance because it's so much fun to laugh at. She really didn't "get" Michelle Obama at all. None of MO's intelligence or sophistication was present in her portrayal.

The icing on the cake was Davis calling the criticism "incredibly hurtful".

[quote] Viola can’t play warm or funny.

Too bad, The First Lady writers and producers didn't have Viola and try re-enact Michelle Obama's appearance on Billy on the Street with Big Bird. You just know Viola would have really fucked it up.

I wish The First Lady was streaming somewhere. I need to see this travesty.

Here is a list of first lady performances

Abigail, Mary and Eleanor OWN this thread.

Eleanor Roosevelt was also portrayed by Cynthia Nixon in WARM SPRINGS (2005) opposite Kenneth Branagh's FDR and Laura Linney in HYDE PARK ON HUDSON (2012) opposite Bill Murray's FDR.

DAWSON as Varst Lady.

Renee Fleming as Pat Nixon

Diana Scarwid was excellent as Bess Truman. She really was. And Gena Rowlands as Betty Ford? That was excellent casting.

[quote] I wish The First Lady was streaming somewhere. I need to see this travesty.

Viola Davis as Michelle Obama was the only travesty of the show. The Eleanor Roosevelt and Betty Ford segments weren't bad.