Joan Cusack: Great Supporting Actress Quiz

Answer: October 11, 1962

Joan's parents were Dick Cusack and Ann Paula "Nancy" (Carolan). Richard (Dick) Cusack was a much talented man. He worked in advertising and was also an actor and writer. Nancy was a mathematics teacher. Cusack is an Irish family name.

Answer: New York

Joan Mary Cusack was born in New York. The family moved soon after to Evanston, Illinois, were she was brought up. The family moved because her father had a great work opportunity. She took lessons at the Piven Theatre Workshop. She studied English at the University of Wisconsin - Madison and got her degree in 1985.

Answer: John, Ann, Susie, and Bill

Ann is the eldest of the siblings was born in 1961. She has appeared in films like "A League of their Own" (1992), "Malice" (1993) and "Multiplicity" (1996), she has also appeared in various TV series.
Bill is the middle of the five and was born in 1964. He is an actor and producer. He was involved with films like "The Fugitive" (1993), "Ed Wood" (1994) and "Grosse Pointe Blank" (1997).
John is the fourth of the five. He is an actor, producer and writer. He is by far the most successful of the Cusack's. Some of his films include "Sixteen Candles" (1984), "Eight Men Out" (1988), "Money for Nothing" (1993), "Raven" (2012) and "American Sweethearts" (2001).
Susie is the youngest. Her films include "The Company" (2003), "High Fidelity" (2000) and "Short Cuts" (1993).

Answer: Richard Burke

Envoy Global was a software company that helped firms with the immigration process by bringing suitable employees from outside the US. Before that he had practiced law with various well known law offices. Joan and Richard decided not to live near Hollywood, instead they opted for Chicago. The couple had two children, Dylan John born in 1997 and Miles who was born in 2000.

Answer: Nine Months

The 1995 film was produced by Chris Columbus and starred, apart of the two above mentioned, Hugh Grant, Tom Arnold, Jeff Goldblum, and Robin Williams. Samuel (Hugh Grant) really panicked when he learned that his girlfriend Rebecca (Julianne Moore) was pregnant and wanted to leave her.

But deep down he couldn't do without her. Joan played Gail Dwyer who was married to Marty (Tom Arnold). They had with three daughters who were little terrors. After Sam left her Rebecca moved in with Gail, Marty, and the girls.

Answer: Runaway Bride

In the 1999 film "Runaway Bride", Maggie, played by Julia Roberts, had a habit of leaving grooms at the altar. Joan was Peggy Fleming, who was married to Corey Fleming. She was Maggie's best friend and they worked together in a beauty salon.
Peggy constantly helped Maggie, who always turned to her in difficult situations.

Answer: Where The Heart Is

This 2000 romantic drama was directed by Matt Williams and the stars of the film were Natalie Portman, Stockard Channing, Ashley Judd, and John Cusack. The film was about a seventeen year old pregnant girl who was abandoned by her boyfriend, Billy Jack, in a department store, where she lived undetected for five years.
Joan portrayed Ruth Mayers, a rather eccentric music agent, who met Billy Jack after he did a term in jail, cleaned him up and introduced him to the public as Billy Shadow.

Answer: In And Out

Joan played Emily Montgomery and Kevin Kline played her husband-to-be Howard Brackett. Both of them were teachers. Emily, preparing for her wedding day, went on a diet, changed her hair style and she was going to wear a dress that Howard selected. But everything goes awry when Howard "comes out".

The 1997 film was directed by Frank Oz and starred Kevin Kline, Matt Dillon, and Tom Selleck.

Answer: In And Out and Working Girl

"Working Girl" was directed by Mike Nichols on 1988 and featured Melanie Griffith as Tess, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, and Alec Baldwin. Joan played Cynthia, a co-worker in Tess' office in "Working Girl". She helped Tess change her style and she was delighted when Tess got promoted and had her own office. Joan lost the Best Supporting Actress to Geena Davies. For her role as Emily Montgomery in "In and Out" she lost the same award to Kim Basinger.

Answer: Grosse Pointe Blank

In this 1997 black comedy directed by George Armitage, Joan played the role of Marcella. The professional assassin, Martin Q. Blank, was played by John Cusack, Joan's brother. Marcella was Martin's executive secretary/project manager. She was responsible for procuring all the necessary equipment for her boss, like subsonic rounds of ammunition. She also did all the background work on the hitman's next target.