18 Actresses That Played Multiple Moms of Queer Characters

Many queer narratives have explored the bonds between queer characters and their mothers. Many talented actresses have stepped up to embody these critical roles in movies and series, from supportive matriarchs to problematic mothers in conflict with their child. In honor of Mother's Day, this week's listicle salutes 18 actresses who excelled at playing moms to multiple queer characters. Leave a comment below if we missed any of your favorites. Warning: Spoilers Ahead!
 

Joanna Going 
Character actress Joanna Going joined the cast of the MMA-themed ensemble drama Kingdom in 2014, taking on the role of matriarch Christina Kulina. While coping with her past drug addiction and sex work, Christina attempted to be a better mother, showing support for her mixed martial artist sons, including the closeted Nate (Nick Jonas), for whom she provides a comforting shoulder and ear throughout his struggle with his sexuality. Going would also guest star on the genre series The Magicians, playing the mother of leading man Quentin (Jason Ralph), who would experience a bisexual journey on the series as he became involved with fellow magician Elliot (Hale Appleman). 

 

Jackie Hoffman 
Scene-stealing character actress Jackie Hoffman is no stranger to queer projects having played Billy Eichner's sister-in-law Rucchel on Difficult People, and Uma Heller the grumpy neighbor of queer leading lady Mabel (Selena Gomez) on Only Murders in the Building. She even lent her voice to Queer Duck: The Movie. For the comedy web series Billy Green, Hoffman joined out co-creator and titular leading man Wesley Taylor, playing Billy's opportunistic mother, looking for her big break, even if it's at her conceited son's expense. The 2012 comedy The New Normal cast Hoffman in the recurring role of Frances, a quirky woman who shares an uncomfortably close relationship with her gay son David (Justin Bartha). 

 

Nia Vardalos 
Nia Vardalos' first role as a mother to a gay character was quite problematic. For the 2014 comedy Helicopter Mom, Vardalos played Maggie, the titular mom obsessed with the notion that her son Lloyd (Jason Dolley) could be gay, so much so that she publicly outs him. Despite this, she does go out of her way to support him in the aftermath, even with his annoyance with her behavior. Years later, Vardalos would take on a less overbearing role for the holiday movie Same Time, Next Christmas where she played the matriarch of a family celebrating their annual Christmas visit to Hawaii. She was shown to be warm and supportive of her two adult children, including her gay son Drew (Corey Rieger).

 

Martha Plimpton 
Martha Plimpton played the gruff matriarch to a queer teen in two very different series in her career. For the sitcom The Real O'Neals, Plimpton played judgmental Catholic perfectionist Eileen who struggles to loosen her control of her family in the wake of her marriage crumbling and her teenage son Kenny's coming out. For the 2021 drama Generation, she took on the role of another conservative mother, playing the high-strung Megan, mother to teen twins Naomi (Chloe East) & Nathan (Uly Schlesinger). Megan is immediately dismissive of Nathan's bisexuality when he makes a drunken public declaration. Plimpton brought life to these flawed characters that resembled many real mothers.

 

Felicity Huffman 
Felicity Huffman gained critical acclaim, as well as an Academy Award nomination, for playing a transgender woman in 2005's Transamerica. Her character Bree was forced to reckon with her past upon learning of her troubled son Toby (Kevin Zegers), working as a queer hustler, leading to a life-changing road trip. Huffman would take on less heavy material for her role as Helen Halston in the 2019 Netflix comedy Otherhood, which told the story of a trio of moms facing changing dynamics in relationships with their adult sons. Helen's evolving relationship with her gay son Paul (Jake Lacy) is explored throughout the film, as Helen navigates her role in Paul's life with his partner Andre (Frank De Julio).

 

Maria Dizzia 
Veteran actress Maria Dizzia is no stranger to queer projects, having previously played a queer role herself. In 2024, she took on the role of Rebecca Kaplan for two episodes of the Marvel series Agatha All Along, playing the mother of gay teen William (Joe Locke), whose life is dramatically changed when a tragic car crash leads to his body becoming the home for the displaced soul of hero offspring Billy Maximoff. Four months after that series' release, the gay themed film Plainclothes was released, with Dizzia playing Marie, the mother of closeted police officer Lucas (Tom Blyth). Each character shared a close bond with their son, despite the major differences between the characters. 

 

Ana Ortiz 
Ana Ortiz has become a leading performer in bringing to life complex Latin American women who happen to also be mothers. For the acclaimed comedy series Ugly Betty, Ortiz played Hilda, Betty's older sister and mother to flamboyant tween Justin (Mark Indelicato). Hilda quietly supported the notion that Justin might be gay, giving him time and space to come to terms with his sexuality. Years later, Ortiz would play a very different mother to a gay teen in Netflix's Love, Victor, where she took on the role of Isabel Salazar, a religious mom who becomes conflicted when her son Victor (Michael Cimino) comes out. Ultimately, Isabel would put her love for her son above her religious objection.

 

Mary Kay Place 
Emmy winner Mary Kay Place has appeared in several queer projects during her career. For the 2003 drama Latter Days, Place took on the harsh role of Sister Gladys Davis, the Mormon mother of Aaron (Steve Sandvoss) who struggles with his sexuality as a missionary in Los Angeles. When his romance with Christian (Wes Ramsey) comes to light, Aaron is excommunicated. Gladys even strikes Aaron when he admits he might be gay. Place got to play a much more openly supportive mom for the 2012 comedy series The New Normal, where she played Colleen, the loving mother of leading man Bryan (Andrew Rannells) who arrives to celebrate his marriage to his fiancé David (Justin Bartha).

 

Connie Britton 
Connie Britton has been known for playing strong moms in her career. The 2025 comedy series Overcompensating cast Britton as Kathryn, dedicated mom to closeted leading man Benny (Benito Skinner), who has trouble letting go when her youngest child goes to college. While she remains unaware of his homosexuality, Kathryn provides a supporting shoulder to him, hinting that she may have deduced more than Benny thinks. For the 2020 true story Joe Bell, Britton played Lola Bell, a mother struggling to support her bullied teen son Jadin (Reid Miller). She is left destroyed after finding his suicide note and discovering his death. Britton gave a memorable performance as a grieving mother.

 

Olivia Colman 
Olivia Colman has been a vocal supporter of the queer community for years. Most recently, she played the main role of Hannah in the queer themed film Jimpa, which found Hannah reckoning with her relationships with her gay father Jim (John Lithgow) as well as her nonbinary child Frances (Aud Mason-Hyde). This was after her acclaimed role as Sarah Nelson, mother of bisexual teen Nick (Kit Connor), during the first two seasons of the Netflix series Heartstopper. While the relationships between Hannah & Frances and Sarah & Nick were very different, both were presented with a care and honesty highlighted by Colman's relatable portrayals of mothers ultimately wanting the best for their child. 

 

Megan Mullally 
Megan Mullally has made a name for herself playing off-beat characters in comedy films and series. This extended to her multiple roles as moms of queer characters. In films like Date and Switch and Dicks: The Musical, her characters lacked any filter, often saying whatever was on her mind, even if it was inappropriate. For the movie G.B.F., Mullally played the overly supportive mom of closeted teen Brent (Paul Iacono) ensuring he understood their home was a safe space if he wanted to come out. After his outing, she further proved her support and loyalty without question or conflict. Mullally's support of queer comedies comes as no surprise, given her long-running role on the sitcom Will & Grace. 

 

Missi Pyle 
Actress Missi Pyle is no stranger to playing a messy mom, especially when it comes to her characters in queer stories. She guest starred on the short-lived feel-good comedy The Big Leap, playing the domineering stage mom of dancing twins Simon (Adam Kaplan) and Brittney (Anna Grace Barlow), pressuring them to win by any means necessary. She also proved to not be a fan of Simon's growing affection for fellow competitor Justin (Raymond Cham Jr.). For 2023's musical romance Glitter & Doom, Pyle played the role of Robin, the troubled mother of Doom (Al Cammish), a young man looking to break into the music business when he falls for Glitter (Alex Diaz). 

 

Kerry Fox 
In 2014, the New Zealand-born Kerry Fox played the mother of closeted teen James (Billy Howle) in the UK mystery miniseries Glue. She followed that up in 2015 with consecutive roles as moms of queer characters. For the acclaimed Australian drama Holding the Man, Fox played Mary Gert Conigrave, the supportive mother of leading man Timothy (Ryan Corr). Meanwhile, for the Australian thriller Downriver, Fox played Paige Levy, a broken woman dealing with the community fallout after her son James was sent to prison for drowning another child. Years later, the queer James (Reef Ireland) returns after his release, forcing a reunion and the traumatic history to resurface in the small town. 

 

Molly Shannon 
Molly Shannon played the mom of a gay man in two different projects with "Other" in the title. For the comedy series The Other Two, Shannon played Pat Dubek, a quirky mother juggling sudden stardom and her relationships with her three children, including the gay Cary (Drew Tarver). A few years earlier, Shannon took on the very different role of Joanne for the dark comedy film Other People. Also a mother of three, Joanne reconnects with her gay son David (Jesse Plemons) in the wake of her terminal cancer diagnosis. Despite the differences in the roles, Shannon approached both with a focus on the unconditional love that a mother feels for her child, even in the face of challenge and conflict.

 

Blythe Danner 
Blythe Danner is a Hollywood veteran who added mom of gay character to her acting resume in 2001 when she took on the recurring role of Marilyn Truman, the quirky mother of leading man Will (Eric McCormack). Danner appeared in fifteen episodes for a role that garnered her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Danner even reprised the role for the 2018 revival of the series. Directed by Ryan Murphy, Danner would take on a very different role for the 2008 dramatic television movie Pretty/Handsome, where she starred as Bunny Fitzpayne, the mother of Bob (Joseph Fiennes), a husband and father who comes out as transgender, leading to major drama within her life and family. 

 

Debbie Reynolds 
Legendary actress Debbie Reynolds was not only known for her prolific acting career, but also as a celebrity mother to her daughter, and fellow actress, Carrie Fisher, so taking on motherly roles was certainly not a stretch. In the 1997 comedy In & Out, Reynolds played Berniece, mom to small town teacher Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline) who struggled to accept his sexuality after being outed by a former student. Sixteen years later, Reynolds would come full circle on her real-life friendship with music legend Liberace, taking on the role of his mother Francis Liberace for the 2013 biographical film Behind the Candelabra, where she appeared alongside Michael Douglas in the role of Liberace.

 

Sally Field 
It's no surprise that Hollywood icon Sally Field has taken on multiple roles as moms of gay characters. Field has been open about her own relationship with her gay son Sam. She brought that experience to the screen for her role as matriarch Nora Walker on the Emmy-Award-winning series Brothers and Sisters, which explored Nora's life and the lives of her children, including the gay Kevin (Matthew Rhys) across five seasons. She later took on the role of a real-life mom for 2022's Spoiler Alert, where Field played Marilyn the mother of Kit Cowan (Ben Aldridge), whose romance and marriage to Michael Ausiello (Jim Parsons) was chronicled, leading up to Cowan's death from terminal cancer. 

 

Kathy Najimy 
Comedic actress Kathy Najimy has always been openly supportive of queer media, appearing in many LGBTQ+ series and films throughout her career, from The Newsroom to Dating My Mother to the short film Prop 8: The Musical. It seems natural that her career has included roles as moms of queer characters. Najimy appeared in the two BearCity sequels, BearCity 2: The Proposal and BearCity 3, playing Rose Dean, the mother of one of the comedy's main characters Brent (Stephen Guarino). Najimy also played loving matriarch Carole in the 2021 Netflix Christmas movie Single All the Way, where Carole attempts to help her gay son Peter (Michael Urie) find love for the holidays.