All About Kathleen Turner's Daughter Rachel Ann Weiss

Mar. 15, 2025

Rachel Ann Weiss and Kathleen Turner attend the Ms. Foundation For Women’s Annual Gloria Awards on May 08, 2019 in New York City.Photo:Astrid Stawiarz/Getty1980s movie iconKathleen Turnerhas always been outspoken about her beliefs and being a strong woman — lessons she’s passed down to her daughter Rachel Ann Weiss, another creative woman who’s making a career in the performing arts.“I’m very interested in women’s growth as people,” Turner toldVulturein 2018.The star ofPeggy Sue Got Married, Who Framed Roger Rabbitand the cult classicSerial Mom, Turner also hada series of hits with co-star Michael Douglas, includingRomancing the Stone,Jewel of the NileandWar of the Roses.She met Jay Weiss, a property developer, as the shoot forRomancing the Stonewas ending in 1983. “He found me an apartment, and to thank him I took him to lunch,” she toldPEOPLE in 1986. They married a year later, in 1984. “He’s all the man I want — and all I can handle,” she added at the time.Unlike the actress, he preferred to stay out of the spotlight. “He keeps me in the real world,” she added. They welcomed daughter Rachel Ann Weiss in 1987, and the family lived in New York. Weiss and Turner eventually divorced in 2007.In her late 30s, Turner was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that causes pain and inflammation in the joints. As her illness was treated with chemotherapy and steroids, her appearance had changed and gossip began that she was drinking too much alcohol, according to a 2005The New York Timesarticle. In 2002, she checked into rehab to give up drinking, “for my husband, my child and my career,” she told theTimes.“It was incredibly stupid,” the actor toldThe Guardianin 2023. “I had this thing in my head where I thought: ‘I’m not taking pain pills — they are addictive and dangerous.’ But it was OK to have that second or third vodka.” Then, one day, things changed. “I thought: ‘I am wasting my entire day with my daughter, with my husband, because I’d close myself down and drink.’ ”Turner and her daughter have a close relationship; Weiss often posts photos of the two of them on social media, and posts messages in support of her mother’s outspokenness and her work.In 2018, Weissposted a clipof Turner doing an interview, recalling what it was like to film a Billy Ocean music video with Michael Douglas and Danny DeVito. “My mom is the coolest person ever,” she captioned the Instagram post, adding various hashtags.Keep reading for everything to know about Kathleen Turner’s daughter Rachel Ann Weiss.She’s artistically inclinedKathleen Turner and Rachel Ann Weiss attend an after party following the press night performance of “Bakersfield Mist” on May 27, 2014 in London, England.David M. Benett/GettyWeissstudied music at Hampshire College, according to her Facebook page, and is a singer/songwriter who released an album,Dear Love,in 2012.She’s also a performer on the stage and screen, who had a small role in the 1989 movieLittle Monsters. As she wrote on herBackstage.com profile, “A born and raised New Yorker, I’ve spent years as a professional singer/songwriter and performer, touring internationally, but my semi-secret deepest passion is performing Shakespeare, which, so far, I’ve done only in the context of private events, but intend to do more one day.”Turner encourages her daughter to be fearlessKathleen Turner and daughter Rachel at Cat in the Hat birthday bash at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan.Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive/GettyTurner has long challenged the idea that a woman must always be seen as agreeable to be accepted, especially when it comes to getting jobs in Hollywood. “If a man comes on set and says, ‘Here’s how I see this being done,’ people go, ‘He’s decisive,’” she toldVulturein 2018. “If a woman does it, they say, ‘Oh, f—. There she goes.’ ”That sense of boldness comes from her own experience. “I do tend to jump in the water and find out if I can swim,” Turner said in her cabaret show “Kathleen Turner: Finding My Voice,” according toThe Guardian.It’s a lesson she passed down to Weiss. “She’s always taught me there is no halfway,” she toldCloser Weeklyin 2018. “You must invest yourself fully.”Turner echoed that sentiment when recounting what she felt was the most important piece of advice she’s ever given her daughter. “Be brave,” she said in that same interview. “Speak up.”Weiss was on an episode ofFriendsKathleen Turner and daughter Rachel Ann Weiss at the ‘It Runs in the Family’ film premiere on April 13, 2002.Matt Baron/BEI/ShutterstockOnFriends,Turner playeda now-controversial character: Chandler’s parent who was a transgender woman, but who was referred to as the character’s “father” on the show.The character “Helena Handbasket” was described on the show as “gay” and a “drag queen” but never as a transgender woman. Though Turner has said she wouldn’t take the role now, at the time, “It never crossed my mind that I was taking a role from someone,” she toldThe Guardian in 2023.In one of the show’s most famous episodes, “The One Where Monica and Chandler Get Married: Part 2,” Turner plays Helena Handbasket, but Weiss also plays a role — as a wedding guest. Sheposted a screen grab of the showon Instagram, pointing out her young self seated next to Morgan Fairchild (who played Chandler’s mom) and writing, “I’ll be there for you, cuz you’re there for me tooooo… @rockwoodmusichall TOMORROW 8/7 at 7 pm, stage 2 ✌🏻!!! #music #soloshow #friends #ihavethem.”Weiss is proud of her mother’s accomplishmentsKathleen Turner and Rachel Ann Weiss attend the Broadway opening night of “Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical” on March 20, 2011 in New York City.Jemal Countess/GettyIn 2016, Weiss posted a throwback photo of her and her mother at the Olivier Awards in London in 2007, the night that Turner won best actress forWho’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.She captionedthe Instagram post: “#tbt mommy and me at the Olivier awards in London!“In 2018, when Turner brought her one-woman showFinding My Voiceto New York, Weissposted a photoof an ad for the show. “Oh she’s serious… seriously coming to @thecarlylehotel with her show “Finding My Voice”! I suggest getting tickets now; I don’t think they’ll be around for long,” she captioned the shot.After a performance of that show,a fan wrote Turner a letterabout how impactful she found the performance. Weiss posted the letter on her Instagram, writing, in part, in the caption, “An incredible young woman wrote the most wonderful fan letter to my mom!! Reading it made me so proud to be her daughter, and so excited to get on stage again myself.”Weiss is often her mom’s red carpet dateRachel Ann Weiss and Kathleen Turner attend “It’s Only A Play” Broadway Re-Opening Night on January 23, 2015 in New York City.Mike Coppola/GettyWeiss has accompanied Turner to many red carpet events, especially openings of stage shows and performances in New York, like opening night of Cirque du SoleilZarkanaat Radio City Music Hall in 2011, the premiere ofPriscilla Queen of the Desert The Musicalon Broadway that same year and the Broadway re-opening night ofIt’s Only A Playin 2015 in New York CityIn 2017, Weiss attended the Ms. Foundation for Women 2017 Gloria Awards Gala with Turner. The women were photographed with comedian Chelsea Handler at the event.Afterward, Weissposted the photo to Instagram, captioning it, “Chelsea, my mom, me… one of these things is not like the other ones. At least I get to hang out with some seriously badass women on the regular!”

Rachel Ann Weiss and Kathleen Turner attend the Ms. Foundation For Women’s Annual Gloria Awards on May 08, 2019 in New York City.Photo:Astrid Stawiarz/Getty

Astrid Stawiarz/Getty

1980s movie iconKathleen Turnerhas always been outspoken about her beliefs and being a strong woman — lessons she’s passed down to her daughter Rachel Ann Weiss, another creative woman who’s making a career in the performing arts.“I’m very interested in women’s growth as people,” Turner toldVulturein 2018.The star ofPeggy Sue Got Married, Who Framed Roger Rabbitand the cult classicSerial Mom, Turner also hada series of hits with co-star Michael Douglas, includingRomancing the Stone,Jewel of the NileandWar of the Roses.She met Jay Weiss, a property developer, as the shoot forRomancing the Stonewas ending in 1983. “He found me an apartment, and to thank him I took him to lunch,” she toldPEOPLE in 1986. They married a year later, in 1984. “He’s all the man I want — and all I can handle,” she added at the time.Unlike the actress, he preferred to stay out of the spotlight. “He keeps me in the real world,” she added. They welcomed daughter Rachel Ann Weiss in 1987, and the family lived in New York. Weiss and Turner eventually divorced in 2007.In her late 30s, Turner was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that causes pain and inflammation in the joints. As her illness was treated with chemotherapy and steroids, her appearance had changed and gossip began that she was drinking too much alcohol, according to a 2005The New York Timesarticle. In 2002, she checked into rehab to give up drinking, “for my husband, my child and my career,” she told theTimes.“It was incredibly stupid,” the actor toldThe Guardianin 2023. “I had this thing in my head where I thought: ‘I’m not taking pain pills — they are addictive and dangerous.’ But it was OK to have that second or third vodka.” Then, one day, things changed. “I thought: ‘I am wasting my entire day with my daughter, with my husband, because I’d close myself down and drink.’ ”Turner and her daughter have a close relationship; Weiss often posts photos of the two of them on social media, and posts messages in support of her mother’s outspokenness and her work.In 2018, Weissposted a clipof Turner doing an interview, recalling what it was like to film a Billy Ocean music video with Michael Douglas and Danny DeVito. “My mom is the coolest person ever,” she captioned the Instagram post, adding various hashtags.Keep reading for everything to know about Kathleen Turner’s daughter Rachel Ann Weiss.She’s artistically inclinedKathleen Turner and Rachel Ann Weiss attend an after party following the press night performance of “Bakersfield Mist” on May 27, 2014 in London, England.David M. Benett/GettyWeissstudied music at Hampshire College, according to her Facebook page, and is a singer/songwriter who released an album,Dear Love,in 2012.She’s also a performer on the stage and screen, who had a small role in the 1989 movieLittle Monsters. As she wrote on herBackstage.com profile, “A born and raised New Yorker, I’ve spent years as a professional singer/songwriter and performer, touring internationally, but my semi-secret deepest passion is performing Shakespeare, which, so far, I’ve done only in the context of private events, but intend to do more one day.”Turner encourages her daughter to be fearlessKathleen Turner and daughter Rachel at Cat in the Hat birthday bash at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan.Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive/GettyTurner has long challenged the idea that a woman must always be seen as agreeable to be accepted, especially when it comes to getting jobs in Hollywood. “If a man comes on set and says, ‘Here’s how I see this being done,’ people go, ‘He’s decisive,’” she toldVulturein 2018. “If a woman does it, they say, ‘Oh, f—. There she goes.’ ”That sense of boldness comes from her own experience. “I do tend to jump in the water and find out if I can swim,” Turner said in her cabaret show “Kathleen Turner: Finding My Voice,” according toThe Guardian.It’s a lesson she passed down to Weiss. “She’s always taught me there is no halfway,” she toldCloser Weeklyin 2018. “You must invest yourself fully.”Turner echoed that sentiment when recounting what she felt was the most important piece of advice she’s ever given her daughter. “Be brave,” she said in that same interview. “Speak up.”Weiss was on an episode ofFriendsKathleen Turner and daughter Rachel Ann Weiss at the ‘It Runs in the Family’ film premiere on April 13, 2002.Matt Baron/BEI/ShutterstockOnFriends,Turner playeda now-controversial character: Chandler’s parent who was a transgender woman, but who was referred to as the character’s “father” on the show.The character “Helena Handbasket” was described on the show as “gay” and a “drag queen” but never as a transgender woman. Though Turner has said she wouldn’t take the role now, at the time, “It never crossed my mind that I was taking a role from someone,” she toldThe Guardian in 2023.In one of the show’s most famous episodes, “The One Where Monica and Chandler Get Married: Part 2,” Turner plays Helena Handbasket, but Weiss also plays a role — as a wedding guest. Sheposted a screen grab of the showon Instagram, pointing out her young self seated next to Morgan Fairchild (who played Chandler’s mom) and writing, “I’ll be there for you, cuz you’re there for me tooooo… @rockwoodmusichall TOMORROW 8/7 at 7 pm, stage 2 ✌🏻!!! #music #soloshow #friends #ihavethem.”Weiss is proud of her mother’s accomplishmentsKathleen Turner and Rachel Ann Weiss attend the Broadway opening night of “Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical” on March 20, 2011 in New York City.Jemal Countess/GettyIn 2016, Weiss posted a throwback photo of her and her mother at the Olivier Awards in London in 2007, the night that Turner won best actress forWho’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.She captionedthe Instagram post: “#tbt mommy and me at the Olivier awards in London!“In 2018, when Turner brought her one-woman showFinding My Voiceto New York, Weissposted a photoof an ad for the show. “Oh she’s serious… seriously coming to @thecarlylehotel with her show “Finding My Voice”! I suggest getting tickets now; I don’t think they’ll be around for long,” she captioned the shot.After a performance of that show,a fan wrote Turner a letterabout how impactful she found the performance. Weiss posted the letter on her Instagram, writing, in part, in the caption, “An incredible young woman wrote the most wonderful fan letter to my mom!! Reading it made me so proud to be her daughter, and so excited to get on stage again myself.”Weiss is often her mom’s red carpet dateRachel Ann Weiss and Kathleen Turner attend “It’s Only A Play” Broadway Re-Opening Night on January 23, 2015 in New York City.Mike Coppola/GettyWeiss has accompanied Turner to many red carpet events, especially openings of stage shows and performances in New York, like opening night of Cirque du SoleilZarkanaat Radio City Music Hall in 2011, the premiere ofPriscilla Queen of the Desert The Musicalon Broadway that same year and the Broadway re-opening night ofIt’s Only A Playin 2015 in New York CityIn 2017, Weiss attended the Ms. Foundation for Women 2017 Gloria Awards Gala with Turner. The women were photographed with comedian Chelsea Handler at the event.Afterward, Weissposted the photo to Instagram, captioning it, “Chelsea, my mom, me… one of these things is not like the other ones. At least I get to hang out with some seriously badass women on the regular!”

1980s movie iconKathleen Turnerhas always been outspoken about her beliefs and being a strong woman — lessons she’s passed down to her daughter Rachel Ann Weiss, another creative woman who’s making a career in the performing arts.

“I’m very interested in women’s growth as people,” Turner toldVulturein 2018.

The star ofPeggy Sue Got Married, Who Framed Roger Rabbitand the cult classicSerial Mom, Turner also hada series of hits with co-star Michael Douglas, includingRomancing the Stone,Jewel of the NileandWar of the Roses.

She met Jay Weiss, a property developer, as the shoot forRomancing the Stonewas ending in 1983. “He found me an apartment, and to thank him I took him to lunch,” she toldPEOPLE in 1986. They married a year later, in 1984. “He’s all the man I want — and all I can handle,” she added at the time.

Unlike the actress, he preferred to stay out of the spotlight. “He keeps me in the real world,” she added. They welcomed daughter Rachel Ann Weiss in 1987, and the family lived in New York. Weiss and Turner eventually divorced in 2007.

In her late 30s, Turner was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that causes pain and inflammation in the joints. As her illness was treated with chemotherapy and steroids, her appearance had changed and gossip began that she was drinking too much alcohol, according to a 2005The New York Timesarticle. In 2002, she checked into rehab to give up drinking, “for my husband, my child and my career,” she told theTimes.

“It was incredibly stupid,” the actor toldThe Guardianin 2023. “I had this thing in my head where I thought: ‘I’m not taking pain pills — they are addictive and dangerous.’ But it was OK to have that second or third vodka.” Then, one day, things changed. “I thought: ‘I am wasting my entire day with my daughter, with my husband, because I’d close myself down and drink.’ ”

Turner and her daughter have a close relationship; Weiss often posts photos of the two of them on social media, and posts messages in support of her mother’s outspokenness and her work.

In 2018, Weissposted a clipof Turner doing an interview, recalling what it was like to film a Billy Ocean music video with Michael Douglas and Danny DeVito. “My mom is the coolest person ever,” she captioned the Instagram post, adding various hashtags.

Keep reading for everything to know about Kathleen Turner’s daughter Rachel Ann Weiss.

She’s artistically inclined

Kathleen Turner and Rachel Ann Weiss attend an after party following the press night performance of “Bakersfield Mist” on May 27, 2014 in London, England.David M. Benett/Getty

David M. Benett/Getty

Weissstudied music at Hampshire College, according to her Facebook page, and is a singer/songwriter who released an album,Dear Love,in 2012.

She’s also a performer on the stage and screen, who had a small role in the 1989 movieLittle Monsters. As she wrote on herBackstage.com profile, “A born and raised New Yorker, I’ve spent years as a professional singer/songwriter and performer, touring internationally, but my semi-secret deepest passion is performing Shakespeare, which, so far, I’ve done only in the context of private events, but intend to do more one day.”

Turner encourages her daughter to be fearless

Kathleen Turner and daughter Rachel at Cat in the Hat birthday bash at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan.Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive/Getty

Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive/Getty

Turner has long challenged the idea that a woman must always be seen as agreeable to be accepted, especially when it comes to getting jobs in Hollywood. “If a man comes on set and says, ‘Here’s how I see this being done,’ people go, ‘He’s decisive,’” she toldVulturein 2018. “If a woman does it, they say, ‘Oh, f—. There she goes.’ ”

That sense of boldness comes from her own experience. “I do tend to jump in the water and find out if I can swim,” Turner said in her cabaret show “Kathleen Turner: Finding My Voice,” according toThe Guardian.

It’s a lesson she passed down to Weiss. “She’s always taught me there is no halfway,” she toldCloser Weeklyin 2018. “You must invest yourself fully.”

Turner echoed that sentiment when recounting what she felt was the most important piece of advice she’s ever given her daughter. “Be brave,” she said in that same interview. “Speak up.”

Weiss was on an episode ofFriends

Kathleen Turner and daughter Rachel Ann Weiss at the ‘It Runs in the Family’ film premiere on April 13, 2002.Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

OnFriends,Turner playeda now-controversial character: Chandler’s parent who was a transgender woman, but who was referred to as the character’s “father” on the show.

The character “Helena Handbasket” was described on the show as “gay” and a “drag queen” but never as a transgender woman. Though Turner has said she wouldn’t take the role now, at the time, “It never crossed my mind that I was taking a role from someone,” she toldThe Guardian in 2023.

In one of the show’s most famous episodes, “The One Where Monica and Chandler Get Married: Part 2,” Turner plays Helena Handbasket, but Weiss also plays a role — as a wedding guest. Sheposted a screen grab of the showon Instagram, pointing out her young self seated next to Morgan Fairchild (who played Chandler’s mom) and writing, “I’ll be there for you, cuz you’re there for me tooooo… @rockwoodmusichall TOMORROW 8/7 at 7 pm, stage 2 ✌🏻!!! #music #soloshow #friends #ihavethem.”

Weiss is proud of her mother’s accomplishments

Kathleen Turner and Rachel Ann Weiss attend the Broadway opening night of “Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical” on March 20, 2011 in New York City.Jemal Countess/Getty

Jemal Countess/Getty

In 2016, Weiss posted a throwback photo of her and her mother at the Olivier Awards in London in 2007, the night that Turner won best actress forWho’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.

She captionedthe Instagram post: “#tbt mommy and me at the Olivier awards in London!”

In 2018, when Turner brought her one-woman showFinding My Voiceto New York, Weissposted a photoof an ad for the show. “Oh she’s serious… seriously coming to @thecarlylehotel with her show “Finding My Voice”! I suggest getting tickets now; I don’t think they’ll be around for long,” she captioned the shot.

After a performance of that show,a fan wrote Turner a letterabout how impactful she found the performance. Weiss posted the letter on her Instagram, writing, in part, in the caption, “An incredible young woman wrote the most wonderful fan letter to my mom!! Reading it made me so proud to be her daughter, and so excited to get on stage again myself.”

Weiss is often her mom’s red carpet date

Rachel Ann Weiss and Kathleen Turner attend “It’s Only A Play” Broadway Re-Opening Night on January 23, 2015 in New York City.Mike Coppola/Getty

Mike Coppola/Getty

Weiss has accompanied Turner to many red carpet events, especially openings of stage shows and performances in New York, like opening night of Cirque du SoleilZarkanaat Radio City Music Hall in 2011, the premiere ofPriscilla Queen of the Desert The Musicalon Broadway that same year and the Broadway re-opening night ofIt’s Only A Playin 2015 in New York City

In 2017, Weiss attended the Ms. Foundation for Women 2017 Gloria Awards Gala with Turner. The women were photographed with comedian Chelsea Handler at the event.

Afterward, Weissposted the photo to Instagram, captioning it, “Chelsea, my mom, me… one of these things is not like the other ones. At least I get to hang out with some seriously badass women on the regular!”

source: people.com