Anjelica Huston didn't just walk into Hollywood; she kind of haunted it until it realized it couldn't live without her. If you look at the landscape of Anjelica Huston movies and TV shows, you’re not just looking at a list of credits. You’re looking at a masterclass in how to be "imposing" without saying a word. Honestly, she spent the better part of the '70s being known as Jack Nicholson’s girlfriend or John Huston’s daughter. Then she won an Oscar, played a witch that terrified an entire generation of kids, and basically became the patron saint of the macabre.
She's 74 now, and her filmography is a wild ride of high-fashion modeling, gritty indie dramas, and those unmistakable Wes Anderson symmetry-fests.
The Breakout That Almost Didn't Happen
People forget that her debut was actually a disaster. Her father, the legendary John Huston, cast her in A Walk with Love and Death (1969) when she was just a teenager. The critics were brutal. One guy, John Simon, famously compared her face to an "exhausted gnu." Ouch.
That kind of public shaming would've sent most people packing for a desk job, but Huston just pivoted to modeling. She became a Vogue staple, leaning into those sharp angles that Hollywood didn't know what to do with yet. It wasn't until 1985 that the "miracle" happened.
Prizzi’s Honor and the Family Business
Winning an Oscar for Prizzi’s Honor was a big deal for a few reasons. First, she was directed by her father. Second, she was acting opposite her then-boyfriend, Jack Nicholson. Third, it made her the third generation of Hustons to win an Academy Award, following her dad and her grandfather, Walter.
📖 Related: Howie Mandel Cupcake Picture: What Really Happened With That Viral Post
She played Maerose Prizzi, a mob daughter who was calculated, scorned, and totally captivating. It was the moment everyone stopped seeing her as "the daughter of" and started seeing her as the powerhouse she is.
Morticia Addams: The Role She Was Born To Play
When we talk about Anjelica Huston movies and TV shows, we have to talk about the corsets. Specifically, the ones she wore for The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993).
Getting that "Morticia look" was actually pretty miserable. In her memoir Watch Me, she explains how they used gauze and spirit gum to pull her eyes up at the temples. She had to wear a metal corset that made it almost impossible to sit down. She’d have to lean against a "slant board" between takes just to rest.
But it worked.
👉 See also: Austin & Ally Maddie Ziegler Episode: What Really Happened in Homework & Hidden Talents
"With the Addams Family, everything white is black and everything good is bad, but Morticia is the most lenient, understanding, and wonderful mother." — Anjelica Huston
She didn't play Morticia as a caricature. She based the warmth of the character on her friend, model Jerry Hall. That’s why that performance still sticks. It wasn't just spooky; it was genuinely maternal in the weirdest way possible.
The Wes Anderson Era
If you’ve seen a Wes Anderson movie in the last twenty years, you’ve probably seen Anjelica. She’s part of that unofficial "acting troupe" he keeps on speed dial.
- The Royal Tenenbaums (2001): As Etheline Tenenbaum, she was the grounded, archaeological heart of a family of geniuses.
- The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004): She played Eleanor, the "brains" of the operation who was clearly way smarter than Bill Murray’s Steve.
- The Darjeeling Limited (2007): A smaller role, but vital. She plays the mother who ran away to become a nun in the Himalayas.
- The French Dispatch (2021): She provided the narration, proving her voice is just as distinctive as her silhouette.
She even had a "voice-only" credit as a (mute) poodle in Isle of Dogs. That’s basically the ultimate "I’m doing this because we’re friends" move.
✨ Don't miss: Kiss My Eyes and Lay Me to Sleep: The Dark Folklore of a Viral Lullaby
Why Her TV Work Is Often Overlooked
While she’s a cinema icon, her television credits are where she’s done some of her most experimental work lately. Most people remember her as the tough Broadway producer Eileen Rand in Smash. She threw a lot of martinis in that show. It was great.
But then there's Transparent. She played Vicki, a new friend for Maura, and the chemistry was palpable. She also voiced Angela Diaz in BoJack Horseman, playing a ruthless TV executive. It's that "imposing" energy again. She doesn't have to shout to make you feel small.
The Directing Credits
You might not know she also steps behind the camera. She directed Bastard Out of Carolina (1996), which was a heavy, difficult film about abuse that showed she had her father's eye for grit. She also directed and starred in Agnes Browne (1999), playing an Irish widow.
Actionable Insights: Where to Start with Anjelica Huston
If you want to understand why she’s a legend, you can't just watch The Addams Family and call it a day. You need the full range.
- Watch The Grifters (1990): This is her at her absolute peak. She plays Lilly Dillon, a con artist. It’s noir, it’s bleach-blonde, and it’s haunting. She got a Best Actress Oscar nom for this.
- Check out The Witches (1990): Don't watch the remake first. Watch the original. Her transformation into the Grand High Witch is some of the best practical effects work in movie history.
- Read her memoirs: A Story Lately Told and Watch Me. Honestly, they’re better than most Hollywood biographies because she actually knows how to write.
- Look for her in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum: She plays "The Director." It’s a meta-nod to her own history, training assassins in a ballet school. It’s fierce.
She’s currently filming Legacy and has a voice role in the upcoming The Christmas Witch Trial of La Befana. At an age when many actresses are relegated to "grandmother in the background" roles, Huston is still playing leaders, witches, and directors.
Basically, she’s still the coolest person in the room. If you haven't revisited her '90s work lately, do yourself a favor and queue up The Dead. It was the last film her father directed, and her performance in the final scene is enough to make you understand why the Huston name still carries so much weight in Hollywood.