Question: who played the mom on what's eating gilbert grape?
Answer: Darlene Cates

Darlene Cates ( born Rita Darlene Guthrie ; December 13 , 1947 -- March 26 , 2017 ) was an American actress . She was best known for her role in the 1993 film What 's Eating Gilbert Grape , in which she played the title character 's housebound mother .