WOMEN WE LOVE: Kathy Bates

We cannot deny that we adore Kathy Bates. She is one of the women we love the most from Hollywood, and when she stated that the new TV show "Matlock" would be her "last dance," we were terrified. It was not possible! The unique actress who broke the classic cinema standards could not be retiring. Luckily, it seemed that her "last dance" had not yet arrived, as she corrected at the Emmys Red Carpet that she will never retire. With that, we began to breathe again.

We can now watch her on "Matlock", where she plays a lawyer older than her colleagues, as they bully her for her age. Again, her image in Matlock breaks conventions and norms as she has done throughout her career. Her acting role has opened the doors for slightly older women's roles in the film industry.

As Kathy toldBusiness Insider, her acting career lasted longer than others because she "wasn't a beauty queen." Ageism happens in many industries to women, especially in acting, because women in film are expected to look young forever. Some of Kathy Bates's "beauty queen" friends have their careers shortened because their image is meant to remain the same in perpetuity.

Let's remember that Kathy Bates was not Michelle Pfeiffer, Julia Roberts, or any of the other conventional beauties that dominated Hollywood in the '80s and '90s. She was overlooked for roles for many years due to not fitting the standard beauty mold. However, with a talent that shattered Hollywood's barriers, she became a beacon of inspiration for future generations of actresses. Her life story is one of relentless struggle, resilience, and a love for acting that has the power to transform her characters into film icons.

But how did she become one of the great Hollywood stars? It was not easy. Since she moved from Memphis to New York at the age of 22, she has not stopped performing. First, on Broadway, she was considered by the New York Times as “one of the greatest theatre actresses from United States.” Her performance in the dramatic play 'night Mother earned her a Tony Award nomination in 1983. However, even though she had succeeded in theatre, she could not find any roles in Hollywood, as she was not considered "attractive" enough.

It didn’t matter if she was the best or that she fit the roles, because it was not in the standard. In fact, all of her theatre roles were given to the Queens of Hollywood in the film adaptations: Sissy Spacek in 'night Mother, Diane Keaton in Crimes of the Heart, etc. But the real gut punch came with Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (1988), which playwright Terrence McNally wrote especially for Bates in mind, and she performed it with huge success on Broadway. It was her ideal role: a shy girl self-conscious with her body, the typical invisible girl who walks as a shadow in the streets. But when Hollywood wanted to make the play into a film, guess who they chose? Michelle Pfeiffer! Yes, you read it right. They say that, when Bates found out, she started to laugh.

It was her last straw. She had enough of being passed over, so she packed her things and moved to Los Angeles. Soon after, in 1990, she landed the role that made her a star -- the psychotic Annie Wilkes in Misery, a role for which she would go on to win an Oscar against the likes of Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep.

Afterward, her successes only continued, with numerous films, TV shows, and awards under her belt, including Fried Green Tomatoes, Dolores Claiborne, Titanic, and "American Horror Story". In 6 decades, in addition to her Oscar, she has also earned two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and many more.

Kathy Bates will never retire. Her performances are among some of the most iconic in the history of Hollywood, and she is pure cinema. She will always dance!

"Matlock" premieres TONIGHT (September 22) on CBS and next day on Paramount+!