Allow me to introduce myself…
“When opportunity doesn’t knock- build a door.”
My name is Katherine Connor Duff- a Writer, Actress and Filmmaker. I make work about people at the edge of something- grief, glory, collapse- and the stupid, stunning ways we claw our way through it.
Raised by the last generation of old San Francisco, I came of age in a New York that touted Spongebob the Musical as art, and now live in a panicked Los Angeles that worships million-view Tiktoks and forgets Indie films without a star attached.
I don’t create for everyone. I create for the ones who’ve been humiliated and got up anyway.
As a WRITER…my comedic characters fight witty, triumphant battles with each other. My dramatic characters fight one losing battle, always with themselves. I draw inspiration from Jean Paul Sartre, Neil Simon, Ruth Gordon, and Howard Koch.
As a DIRECTOR…I am a guardian of my written word, a conductor of actors, and a learned disciple of over a hundred years of film. My touchstones include Ernst Lubitsch, Robert Altman, Luis Bunuel, and Howard Hawks.
As an ACTRESS…I can play your loyal, smart-ass friend, your wise younger sister, or your lover who slips a knife neatly between your shoulder blades. Inspirations: Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Ida Lupino, and Emma Stone.
As an ARTIST…I dig into the truth behind Hollywood’s hierarchy, the contradictions of American history, the shifting reputation of women, and the mess of human frailty.