Kathy Bates retiring after iconic career as actress reveals upcoming TV role will be her ‘last dance’

KATHY Bates has announced her retirement from acting, confirming that the upcoming Matlock reboot will be her final role.

The actress, known for roles in Fried Green Tomatoes, Misery, and many more popular films, revealed that she put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into her upcoming series, but ultimately decided that it’s time to call it quits.

Kathy spoke with The New York Times about her decision to say farewell.

She noted to the outlet that she actually intended to be done appearing in films before she agreed to appear in Matlock.

The star had resigned to saying goodbye to Hollywood after a film shoot soured for her, but her agent unexpectedly came to her in January with the script for Matlock and she couldn’t say no.

The American Horror Story notable paused her retirement to star in the reboot, but found it “exhausting.”

“Everything I’ve prayed for, worked for, clawed my way up for, I am suddenly able to be asked to use all of it,” she shared.

“And it’s exhausting.”

“This is my last dance,” she added.

Matlock is set to premiere on CBS on September 22, and will also stream on Paramount+.

The show is a reboot of the original, which ran from 1986 until 1995 and starred Andy Griffith as attorney Ben Matlock.

It will star Jason Ritter, Skye P. Marshall, and Beau Bridges.

Making 18 episodes of Matlock wasn’t easy on Kathy, but she managed to push through.

“It becomes my life,” she said of acting.

“Sometimes I get jealous of having this talent. Because I can’t hold it back, and I just want my life.”

Fans in the comments reacted to the shocking news of Kathy on social media.

“We will miss you Kathy. Smashing actress,” one supporter wrote.

“All time great,” praised a second, and another shared, “Hell of a career.”

“Wonderful actress! Wish her the best of luck!” a user added.

“She has done great for this industry,” someone else shared.

“It’s been a nice ride with her in the industry,” wrote a sixth commenter.

“Miss you, Kathy,” penned a seventh.

TOTAL REFRESH

Kathy is headed into retirement rocking a whole new look.

The actress revealed her dramatic weight loss in March after she underwent intense cancer treatments.

She was spotted on the set of Matlock in Los Angeles, wearing a red jacket over a pair of navy pants and a patterned blouse.

Kathy pulled her gray hair into an updo and accessorized her look with a printed scarf that she wore tied around her neck.

She looked serious as she completed her scenes.

The star also looked slimmer than ever in fitted clothes after shedding more than 60 pounds.

Her face was smooth and wrinkle-free.

Kathy revealed what contributed to her weight loss in a previous interview.

The star admitted that she was battling Type Two Diabetes, which prompted her to make some lifestyle changes.

“I was facing diabetes — it runs in my family — and I really didn’t want to live with that,” she told Extra at the time.

Kathy revealed that she completely altered her mindset to achieve her new look.

“[I’m] in the best health I’ve been in in years and I’m so grateful — it’s a miracle,” she went on.

She shared her preferred method for losing weight.

“After you eat for 20-30 minutes, you experience an involuntary sigh. It’s communication between stomach and brain telling you you had enough… and what I discovered is if you listen to that sigh and push that plate away for just five minutes, you realize you’re satisfied and you don’t have to eat more,” she explained.

Kathy has also been open with fans about her battle with lymphedema.

The condition, which causes swelling in the limbs due to excess fluid from inflamed tissue, is a common side effect of certain cancers.

Kathy has battled cancer twice.

She was diagnosed with stage one ovarian cancer in 2003, and doctors found a tumor in her breasts in 2012.