Tom Cruise co-star is unrecognizable at 75... who is she?
Share and Follow

A veteran character actress with decades of experience in Hollywood was spotted out and about in Los Angeles this week.

She has appeared on the silver screen alongside a variety of A-list actors such as Tom Cruise, Sandra Bullock, Steve Carell, and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Her television work has ranged from The Golden Girls and Friends to CSI and Six Feet Under, with more recent roles on The Mindy Project and How I Met Your Mother.

She was the image of summery style when she surfaced recently in California, looking as spry as ever at the age of 75.

Her snappy outfit included a nautical chic set of navy and white shorts, teamed with a long-sleeved polo shirt and an elegant wide-brimmed straw hat.

Can you guess who she is?

A veteran character actress with decades of experience in Hollywood was spotted out and about in Los Angeles this week

A veteran character actress with decades of experience in Hollywood was spotted out and about in Los Angeles this week

The actress in question is none other than Beth Grant, who featured in the 1988 film Rain Man starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.

Dustin played an autistic man called Ray who insists on maintaining a rigorously fixed routine, with Tom featuring as his brother Charlie.

In one memorable scene, the brothers stop into a strange family’s farmhouse so that Ray can carry out his daily ritual of watching The People’s Court.

Beth plays the mother of the family, to whom Charlie has to explain: ‘That man right there is my brother and if he doesn’t get to watch People’s Court in about 30 seconds he’s going to throw a fit right here on your porch.’

Her other famed movies include the 2001 sci-fi thriller Donnie Darko, with its formidable cast including Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze.

Jake plays a teenager called Donnie plagued by visions of a man in a rabbit costume, resulting in increasingly erratic behavior that his unhinged gym teacher Kitty Farmer – played by Beth – tries to curtail by giving him ‘attitude lessons.’

Beth’s has also been in such movies as A Time to Kill with Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson and Matthew McConaughey, as well as Little Miss Sunshine with Abigail Breslin, Steve Carell, Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette.

She had guest shots on a wide variety of television programs, including The Golden Girls, Criminal Minds, CSI, Six Feet Under and even Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

The actress in question is none other than Beth Grant, who featured in the 1988 film Rain Man starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman; pictured in Rain Man

The actress in question is none other than Beth Grant, who featured in the 1988 film Rain Man starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman; pictured in Rain Man

On the early Friends episode The One with the Thumb, Beth played a vagrant whom Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) knew back when she herself was homeless

On the early Friends episode The One with the Thumb, Beth played a vagrant whom Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) knew back when she herself was homeless

She was the image of summery style when she surfaced recently in California, looking as spry as ever at the age of 75

Her snappy outfit included a nautical chic set of navy and white shorts, teamed with a long-sleeved polo shirt and an elegant wide-brimmed straw hat

She was the image of summery style when she surfaced recently in California , looking as spry as ever at the age of 75 

On the big screen, she has featured in movies with a dazzling array of top-flight stars including Sandra Bullock, Steve Carell and Jake Gyllenhaal

On the big screen, she has featured in movies with a dazzling array of top-flight stars including Sandra Bullock, Steve Carell and Jake Gyllenhaal

Her television work has ranged from The Golden Girls and Friends to CSI and Six Feet Under

More recently she landed roles on The Mindy Project and How I Met Your Mother

Her television work has ranged from The Golden Girls and Friends to CSI and Six Feet Under, with more recent roles on The Mindy Project and How I Met Your Mother

She has roles in a number of upcoming projects as well, having recently filmed the Netflix movie Remarkably Bright Creatures starring Sally Field alongside Bill Pullman's son Lewis

She has roles in a number of upcoming projects as well, having recently filmed the Netflix movie Remarkably Bright Creatures starring Sally Field alongside Bill Pullman’s son Lewis

Beth has been married to fellow actor Michael Chieffo for 40 years, and their daughter Mary Chieffo, 32, has followed her parents' footsteps into the profession

Beth has been married to fellow actor Michael Chieffo for 40 years, and their daughter Mary Chieffo, 32, has followed her parents’ footsteps into the profession

Beth is still working, having landed a principal role on this year's Amazon Prime series The Bondsman, starring Kevin Bacon as a resurrected bounty hunter

Beth's has also been in such movies as A Time to Kill with Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson and Matthew McConaughey

Beth is still working, having landed a principal role on this year’s Amazon Prime series The Bondsman, starring Kevin Bacon as a resurrected bounty hunter

She was part of the cast of Little Miss Sunshine with Abigail Breslin, Steve Carell, Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette

She was part of the cast of Little Miss Sunshine with Abigail Breslin, Steve Carell, Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette

On the early Friends episode The One with the Thumb, Beth played a vagrant whom Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) knew back when she herself was homeless.

In the 2010s she was part of the main cast of The Mindy Project as Beverly, a receptionist at the hospital where Mindy Kaling’s character works as an OB/GYN.

Beth is still working, having landed a principal role on this year’s Amazon Prime series The Bondsman, starring Kevin Bacon as a resurrected bounty hunter. 

She has roles in a number of upcoming projects as well, having recently filmed the Netflix movie Remarkably Bright Creatures starring Sally Field alongside Bill Pullman’s son Lewis Pullman, who is now dating Cindy Crawford’s daughter Kaia Gerber.

On the personal front, Beth has been married to fellow actor Michael Chieffo for 40 years, and their daughter Mary Chieffo, 32, has followed her parents’ footsteps into the profession, featuring on Star Trek: Discovery. 

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Luigi Mangione's lawyers claim DA used fake court date, bogus subpoena to get his medical records

Luigi Mangione’s lawyers claim DA used fake court date, bogus subpoena to get his medical records

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Attorneys for Luigi Mangione…
Trump's Treasury Department targets dangerous Venezuelan prison gang with sanctions on 6 top leaders

Trump’s Treasury Department targets dangerous Venezuelan prison gang with sanctions on 6 top leaders

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The Department of the…
Two Iranian students released after ICE arrested them in a 'ruse,' their lawyers say

Lawyers Claim ‘Ruse’ in Arrests as Two Iranian Students are Freed

Two married Iranian students at Louisiana State University were released from Immigration…
Dax Kilby got his wish after 'hoping' Yankees would draft him

Dax Kilby’s Dream Comes True as Yankees Select Him in the Draft

ATLANTA — When numerous scouts began attending his high school games this…
Kathy reveals her 'Bachelor in Paradise' secret, previews connections

Kathy Shares Her ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Surprise and Teases Possible Connections

HUDSON SQUARE, Manhattan (WABC) — This week on “Playing the Field,” Ryan,…
What should Trump do about Epstein questions? MAGA has a few ideas

How should Trump handle questions about Epstein? MAGA supporters have some suggestions.

President Donald Trump is facing growing pressure, including from some of his…
Slender Man case: Motion filed to stop Wisconsin judge's order to release Morgan Geyser, convicted in stabbing of Payton Leutner

Judge Orders Release of Morgan Geyser, Involved in Notorious ‘Slender Man’ Stabbing

A Wisconsin woman will be released from a mental hospital more than…
72-year-old powerlifting nun preparing for first competition

72-Year-Old Nun Gears Up for Her First Powerlifting Competition

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – Pat Farrell, a 72-year-old nun from San Francisco,…