Inside Kathy Bates' rollercoaster career after star announces she will ...

After a successful, decades-long career, Kathy Bates has announced that she's retiring from acting following the release of her upcoming CBS series Matlock - a devastating loss for horror fans across the globe.

The star, now 71, has become an icon in the horror world thanks to her chilling performances in the psychological thriller Misery and Ryan Murphy's popular American Horror Story franchise.

Kathy's horrifying portrayal of obsessed super fan Annie Wilkes in Misery not only helped transform the 1990 flick into a cult classic that is still beloved even now, but it also turned the Tennessee-native into a massive Hollywood star practically overnight.

It was something the actress spent nearly a decade trying to achieve. Kathy worked tirelessly to break into the industry throughout the 1970s and '80s, as she was turned away from role after role because she was told she wasn't 'pretty enough.' 

And even after she finally found success, she struggled immensely to cope with the pressure that came with the sudden stardom thrust upon her, which was only made worse by a lingering feeling that she didn't fit in with her fellow Hollywood starlets.

She later recalled how she spent years being plagued by her insecurities and grappling with the realization that she'd never be considered for a 'romantic lead' because of her 'looks.'

But Kathy eventually learned that looking 'different' was a good thing, as it helped her land roles as she got older, while her 'beautiful' friends struggled to find work after age 40.

On top of struggling to accept her appearance, Kathy also faced a slew of health woes - including two cancer battles, one of which came at the height of her career, unbeknownst to her growing fanbase.

She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2003 and kept it hidden from the public, enduring an emergency surgery and nine months of grueling chemotherapy treatments - all while she continued to work.

Kathy's journey was certainly not an easy one, and as she gets ready to retire from acting, FEMAIL went ahead and recapped her rollercoaster-ride to the top from start to finish.

From how she broke into Hollywood after years of being turned away to how she learned to embrace the 'weird' roles - all while battling cancer in secret - here's a look back at Kathy's impressive story.

Kathy's rise to fame: The actress worked tirelessly to break into the industry despite being told she wasn't 'pretty enough' for certain roles

While Kathy is one of the most known faces in Hollywood now, it was not easy for her to break into the industry.

She spent years working tirelessly to become a star, after being told she wasn't 'pretty enough' for certain roles.

Her journey began in 1969, when the budding star moved to New York City to pursue her dreams of being an actress after graduating from Southern Methodist University.

One year later, she landed a very small role in the comedy Taking Off, but for nearly a decade after that, she struggled to make it as a star.

She acted in various theater shows but was continuously denied screen roles, and she later admitted that she thought her looks contributed to her inability to break into Hollywood.

'I have always had a problem with my weight. I'm not a stunning woman,' she told the New York Times in 1991. 'I never was an ingenue. I've always just been a character actor. 

'When I was younger it was a real problem, because I was never pretty enough for the roles that other young women were being cast in. 

'The roles I was lucky enough to get were real stretches for me: usually a character who was older, or a little weird, or whatever.

'And it was hard, not just for the lack of work but because you have to face up to how people are looking at you.'

Despite the slow start, Kathy received her big break in 1978 when she appeared opposite Dustin Hoffman in the film Straight Time.

Its success quickly put her on the map, and she was then cast in the flicks Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean in 1982, The Morning After in 1986, and Summer Heat in 1987.

While she was already gaining momentum, everything changed for her in 1990 when she starred in the horror film Misery, which was based off the Stephen King novel of the same name.

The movie was a worldwide hit and her performance as chilling killer Annie Wilkes blew critics away.

She won multiple awards for the role - including the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama - and it launched her into massive stardom practically over night.

Her secret health battle: Kathy battled cancer at the height of her career while hiding it from the public 

Following the success of Misery, Kathy went on to star in a slew of movies and TV shows including the 1991 film Fried Green Tomatoes, psychological thriller Dolores Claiborne, HBO's The Late Shift, comedy drama Primary Colors, Disney's Annie remake, and of course, James Cameron's Titanic in 1997.

She continued to act during the 2000s, appearing in About Schmidt (alongside Jack Nicholson) - for which she made headlines when she appeared in a scene completely nude - Rumor Has It... with Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, Shirley MacLaine, and Mark Ruffalo, rom-com Failure to Launch, P.S. I Love You, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Sandra Bullock-lead film The Blind Side, and drama series Fix Feet Under.

She also dabbled in directing, making her directorial debut in 2006 with the film Have Mercy.

But as her career flourished, Kathy's health began to deteriorate behind the scenes, and she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2003 - something she kept secret from the public until years later.

She underwent emergency surgery, and received nine rounds of chemotherapy, all unbeknownst to her growing fanbase. 

'I didn't tell anybody. I continued to work right after the operation, doing Little Black Book with Brittany Murphy,' she explained to People in 2018.

'My agent at the time was very old-school and didn't want me to be the poster child for ovarian cancer. I didn't want anyone to know, but it really took a lot out of me.'

Thankfully, Kathy ultimately beat the disease, and she later said it was discovering it early that 'saved her life.'

In addition to her cancer battle, Kathy has also admitted that she also grappled with severe confidence issues in the early years of her career.

She said she would 'get her feelings hurt' and have to leave Hollywood to fly back home to Tennessee if someone criticized her.

'When I was younger, I guess I would get my feelings really hurt,' she said during a press conference for Matlock in July. 'Sometimes I'd get on a plane and fly home.'

She confessed to struggling under the immense pressure that came with being in the spotlight, and credited producer Saul Zaentz with helping her overcome her insecurities.

'I had a wonderful producer, God rest him, Saul Zaentz. I remember we were in London [for press once], and it was just a nightmare,' she continued. 

'I got very upset. And I said, "I'm going home, that's it. I'm not going to put myself through this anymore." And I remember Saul coming up to me and saying, "You gotta get tougher."'

While speaking to The Guardian in 2020, she said that she also used to get upset that she was 'never considered the romantic lead,' but that she now looked at is as a positive because it meant she had more opportunities than other stars.

'I hate to complain about it, but never being considered the romantic lead - It's fine, I'm over that – means they look at me in a different way,' she said.

'I look at my friends who are beautiful girls but not working after 40 – very few of them [are].

'I'm so grateful that television is providing all these great roles for [people like me].'

More heartbreak: Kathy was diagnosed with cancer a second time in 2012 before developing a painful condition called lymphedema

Kathy's later roles include the rom-com Valentine's Day, NBC's The Office, legal drama Harry's Law, Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, popular series American Horror Story, Netflix show Disjointed, Ruth Bader biopic On the Basis of Sex, Clint Eastwood's Richard Jewell, The Miracle Club with Laura Linney and Maggie Smith, and most recently, Matlock.

But in 2012, she faced yet more heartbreak in her personal life when she revealed that she had been diagnosed with cancer once again, this time breast cancer.

At the time, she underwent a double mastectomy, and was declared cancer free.

But her health battle wouldn't end there, as she then started suffering from lymphedema, a condition commonly caused by the removal of lymph nodes during cancer treatment.

Symptoms include tissue swelling and severe pain, and it has no cure.

'I really felt that life was over for me,' Kathy told People about first finding out that she had the condition. '[I thought] I probably wouldn't work again, and I was angry for a long time.'

She also told WebMD, 'I was in a lot of pain for weeks and weeks - and I was very angry... It was an awful time.

'I had to have my arms put into these pneumatic sleeves that feel like a boa constrictor.

'One arm at a time, two times a week. Now I've lost quite a bit of weight, and that has helped considerably, but I still have to be careful. 

'I can't have a lot of salt or alcohol, I have to stay out of the heat, and I'm not supposed to pick up heavy things.'

She has since become a national spokesperson for the disease and earned a spot on the board of the Lymphatic Education & Research Network.

The star confirmed to the New York Times that she was retiring from acting this week.

'It becomes my life. Sometimes I get jealous of having this talent. Because I can't hold it back, and I just want my life,' she said. 

She revealed that an undisclosed movie shoot last year had caused her to seriously consider retiring before the Matlock script came her way. 

She said that the injustices she faced early on in her career mirror the plight of her title character, which made her want to do one more acting stint.

'Everything I've prayed for, worked for, clawed my way up for, I am suddenly able to be asked to use all of it. And it's exhausting,' she continued. 'This is my last dance.'

But it seemed she was leaving the industry feeling grateful, as she added, 'Here I am sitting in a posh restaurant in a posh town with a posh career, going home to a posh house, and what right do I have to cry?'