1962–86: Initial work

Kirkland began acting Off-Broadway in 1963.^[12] She joined Andy Warhol's The Factory and appeared nude and tied to a chair for 45 minutes in the 1964 drama film The 13 Most Beautiful Women. By 1964, Kirkland was deeply involved in the New York's avant-garde movement and was also an active drug user until an attempted suicide frightened her into cleaning up her life through yoga and painting.^[1] Four years later, she returned to film, appearing in the western Blue, and the following year^[13] starred in the underground film Coming Apart (1969).

Kirkland spent the 1970s and most of the 1980s playing secondary roles in film include Going Home (1971), The Young Nurses (1973), The Way We Were (1973), The Sting (1973), Big Bad Mama (1974), Crazy Mama (1975), A Star Is Born (1976) and Private Benjamin (1980). She played a leading role in the 1984 horror film Fatal Games. Her television credits include guest-starring roles on Hawaii Five-O, Police Story, The Rookies, Three's Company, Kojak, Starsky & Hutch, Charlie's Angels and Falcon Crest.^[14]

1987–1999: Critical acclaim and awards success

In 1987, Kirkland received widespread critical acclaim for her eponymous performance as a former popular actress in the independent comedy-drama Anna.^[15] The Washington Post deemed her performance as "superb"^[16] and the Los Angeles Times rated her as one of the best actresses of the decade.^[17] She won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, in addition to a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.^{[4][5][15][18]} She next acted in second-grade films include Cold Feet (1989), Paint It Black (1989) and Two Evil Eyes (1990).

In 1990s, Kirkland starred in action comedy Bullseye! (1990) opposite Michael Caine, and played supporting roles in films Revenge (1990), JFK (1991), The Player (1992), Gunmen (1994), Excess Baggage (1997) and EDtv (1999). She starred in the erotic thrillers In the Heat of Passion and Double Threat in 1992, which found success in home video releases.^[19] She found better success on television, playing leading roles in a number of made-for-television movies, and starring in the syndicated soap opera Valley of the Dolls in 1994. In 1990, she also played Truvy Jones in the television adaptation of Steel Magnolias. For her performance in the television film The Haunted (1991), Kirkland received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film. She guest-starred in Roseanne, Murder, She Wrote and The Nanny. In 1999, she had a recurring roles in Felicity and Days of Our Lives.

2000–present: Later career

In 2000s, she played supporting roles in films include Bruce Almighty (2003), Adam & Steve (2005) and Big Stan (2007).

Kirkland hosted a weekly program on the syndicated HealthyLife Radio Network.^[20] In 2019, she starred in the film Cuck.^[21][22] In 2020, she starred in the Amazon release film Hope For The Holidays with Robert Lasardo, Doug Hutchison, Alex Cubis and George Stults.^[23]

Film

Television