Stage mother

In the performing arts, a stage mother is a term for the mother of a child actor. The mother will often drive her child to auditions, make sure he or she is on the set on time, etc. The term sometimes has a negative connotation, suggesting that the individual is prone to obnoxiously demanding special treatment for her child, or suggesting that the individual has placed inappropriate pressure on her child to succeed. Some believe that a "stage mom" is vicariously living out her own dreams through her child.

History

A stage mother may also be the official manager of her child (e.g., Rose Thompson Hovick, Dina Lohan, Ethel Gumm, Teri Shields, Jaid Barrymore, Susan Duff, etc.) — representing her child in negotiations for the professional services of her child. Such managers have often been derided as "momagers" in the film industry.

In certain cases where a mother and child both work in the film industry, an automatic labeling of "stage mother" can be affixed to the mother without cause. Kathie Lee Gifford has been against the concept of stage mothers and had explained that when her son Cody co-starred with her in the film Model Behavior, it had been on his own volition to try acting and not at her insistence. Ironically, Gifford plays a stage mother in that movie.

Fathers have also been known to manage their children in this way, such as Joseph Jackson (patriarch of the Jackson family), Murry Wilson (father of three of The Beach Boys), Joe Simpson (father of Jessica and Ashlee Simpson), Jeff Archuleta (father of American Idol runner-up David Archuleta), Mathew Knowles (father of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles) and Kit Culkin (father of Macaulay Culkin). A historical example of such a father was the father of Mozart, who recognized his son's musical ability at an early age and made the most of it. Although fathers have been known to act like stage mothers, fathers have more often been associated with pushing their sons into a potential career in professional sports, such as implementing strength and exercise regimens at a young age and to attempt backhanded actions such as delaying enrollment in school so their sons will be bigger than their classmates.

Popular culture

• Stage Mother is the name of a 1933 film.
• Bellissima by Luchino Visconti is about a stage mother in Cinecittà, Rome, starred by Anna Magnani
• The musical Gypsy is about a child actress and her relationship to her stage mother.
• An episode of the television show Kate & Allie was titled "Stage Mother". In the episode, Allie is overly enthusiastic about Jennie getting a job to sing on cable television.
• Bakekang, a Filipino TV series, which stars Sunshine Dizon is a story of an ugly woman who begets a very beautiful girl from a foreigner. A movie fan as she is, she compels her daughter, named Krystal, to join show business. Her daughter becomes a big star and Bakekang, a stage mother.
• Little Britain has a duo called Sandra and Ralph Patterson. Sandra is very desperate for her son, Ralph to get a part in acting. Whenever he fails, she treats him very badly and even beats him.
• The fourth episode of the third series of BBC comedy The League of Gentlemen features a stage mother named Nancy Glass who forces her daughter to perform at the Little Miss Elegance Pageant.
• Patsy Ramsey, mother of slain child beauty queen, JonBenet Ramsey.
• Abraham Quintanilla Jr. of the slain Tejano queen Selena Quintanilla Perez. He is a stage father in this case in which he discovered Selena's gift of singing and rounded her and her siblings up as a band (Selena Y Los Dinos), named for his band in his younger days.
• Watchmen features Silk Spectre, a superhero who acts as a stage mother for her daughter, forcing her to become the modern incarnation of Silk Spectre against her will.

See also

• Child actor
• Kyoiku mama
• Svengali
• Dance Moms
• Toddlers & Tiaras
• List of stage mothers
• Helicopter parent