Mary Eileen McDonnell (born April 28, 1952) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She received Academy Award nominations for her roles as Stands With A Fist in Dances With Wolves and May-Alice Culhane in Passion Fish. McDonnell is well known for her performances as President Laura Roslin in Battlestar Galactica, First Lady Marilyn Whitmore in Independence Day, and Rose in Donnie Darko. She was featured as Captain Sharon Raydor during seasons 5–7 of the TNT series The Closer and starred as Commander Sharon Raydor in the spin-off series Major Crimes on the same network. In 2023, she played Madeleine Usher in the miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix.
Mary McDonnell | |
|---|---|
 McDonnell at the 2019 GalaxyCon Raleigh | |
| Born | Mary Eileen McDonnell April 28, 1952 |
| Education | State University of New York at Fredonia |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Spouse |
Randle Mell
(m. 1984; sep. 2021) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life and education
editMary Eileen McDonnell was born April 28, 1952,[1][2][3] in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, one of six children born to Eileen (née Mundy) and John "Jack" McDonnell, a computer consultant.[4] She is of Irish descent[5] and was raised Roman Catholic.[6] As a child, McDonnell relocated with her family to Ithaca, New York, where she spent the remainder of her upbringing.[6]
She attended the State University of New York at Fredonia.[7]
McDonnell's father died when she was 21 years old.[8]
Career
editMcDonnell appeared off-Broadway in two separate productions of Buried Child in 1978 and 1979, both times in the role of "Shelly".[9] She won an Obie Award for Best Actress in 1981 for her work in the play Still Life.[10] On Broadway, she has performed in productions of Execution of Justice, The Heidi Chronicles, and Summer and Smoke.
After more than 21 years of theater and television work, McDonnell made her film breakthrough in 1990 as the daughter of American settlers raised by Sioux Indians named Stands With A Fist in Kevin Costner's Dances With Wolves. Portraying the adopted daughter of Graham Greene's character Kicking Bird, McDonnell, then 37, was only 10 months younger than Greene and less than two years younger than Tantoo Cardinal, who played Black Shawl, her adoptive mother. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the role.[11]
McDonnell's role in Passion Fish (1992) brought her another Academy Award nomination, this time for Best Actress in a Leading Role.[12] Her other notable films include Grand Canyon (1991), Sneakers (1992), Independence Day (1996), and Donnie Darko (2001). McDonnell also starred with Patrick Swayze in the 1988 movie, Tiger Warsaw. In 1997, she played the judge in the film 12 Angry Men.
On television, McDonnell had her first regular part in 1980 on the soap opera As the World Turns. She starred in 1984 on the short-lived CBS medical comedy E/R. Coincidentally, she guest-starred in 2001 on the NBC medical series of the same name ER. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role on the show as Eleanor Carter. She played Dr. Virginia Dixon, a surgeon with Asperger syndrome for three episodes of Grey's Anatomy in 2008 and 2009.[13]
In 2003, McDonnell starred in the miniseries Battlestar Galactica as Laura Roslin. The miniseries led to the weekly series, with McDonnell's reprising her Laura Roslin role. The series ended in March 2009. McDonnell received worldwide recognition for her performance in the show, part of which was shown when she was invited to the United Nations for a retrospective and discussion with Edward James Olmos (Admiral Adama).
McDonnell took part in a special session entitled Battlestar Galactica at the 2009 World Science Festival.[14] The session also included Michael Hogan, as well as scientists Nick Bostrom and Kevin Warwick.
In 2011, she appeared in the role of Kate Roberts, the mother of Emma Roberts's character in Scream 4.[15]
From 2009 to 2012, McDonnell had a recurring role in The Closer as Capt. Sharon Raydor, a police captain in the Force Investigation Division, who often butts heads with Kyra Sedgwick's Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning character.[16] McDonnell received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2011 for the role.[17]
After The Closer wrapped up its final season 2012, McDonnell's character continued as the lead in the spin-off, Major Crimes, which debuted August 13, 2012 and ended in January 2018.[18]
Personal life
editMcDonnell married actor Randle Mell in 1984. They have two children, Michael and Olivia.[19] The couple separated in December 2021.[20]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Garbo Talks | Lady Capulet | |
| 1987 | Matewan | Elma Radnor | |
| 1988 | Tiger Warsaw | Paula Warsaw | |
| 1990 | Dances With Wolves | Stands With A Fist | |
| 1991 | Grand Canyon | Claire | |
| 1992 | Passion Fish | May-Alice Culhane | |
| 1992 | Sneakers | Liz | |
| 1994 | Blue Chips | Jenny Bell | |
| 1996 | Independence Day | First Lady Marilyn Whitmore | |
| 1996 | Mariette in Ecstasy | Prioress | |
| 1997 | Woman Undone | Terri Hansen | |
| 1998 | You Can Thank Me Later | Diane | |
| 1999 | Mumford | Althea Brockett | |
| 2001 | Donnie Darko | Rose Darko | |
| 2003 | Nola | Margaret Langworthy | |
| 2004 | Crazy Like a Fox | Amy Banks | |
| 2011 | Scream 4 | Kate Roberts | |
| 2011 | Margin Call | Mary Rogers | |
| 2021 | The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf | Lady Zerbst | Voice role |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | As the World Turns | Claudia Colfax | Unknown episodes |
| 1982 | Money on the Side | Terri | Television film |
| 1984–1985 | E/R | Dr. Eve Sheridan | Main role; 20 episodes |
| 1995–1996 | High Society | Dorothy "Dott" Emerson | Main role; 13 episodes |
| 1997 | 12 Angry Men | Judge Cynthia Nance | Television film |
| 1998 | Evidence of Blood | Dora Overton | Television film |
| 1999 | Replacing Dad | Linda Marsh | Television film |
| 1999 | Ryan Caulfield: Year One | Rachel Caulfield | 2 episodes |
| 2000 | A Father's Choice | Susan Shaw | Television film |
| 2000 | For All Time | Laura Brown | Television film |
| 2001–2002 | ER | Eleanor Carter | 5 episodes |
| 2002 | Touched by an Angel | Sister Theodore | Episode: "Minute by Minute" |
| 2002 | The Locket | Helen Staples | Television film |
| 2003 | Battlestar Galactica | President Laura Roslin | Television miniseries |
| 2004–2009 | Battlestar Galactica | President Laura Roslin | Main role; 71 episodes |
| 2005 | Mrs. Harris | Vivian Schulte | Television film |
| 2008–2009 | Grey's Anatomy | Dr. Virginia Dixon | 3 episodes |
| 2009 | Killer Hair | Rose | Television film |
| 2009 | Hostile Makeover | Rose Smithsonian | Television film |
| 2009–2012 | The Closer | Captain Sharon Raydor | Recurring Role (seasons 5–6) Main Cast (season 7) 23 episodes |
| 2012–2018 | Major Crimes | Captain (later Commander) Sharon Raydor | Main role; 105 episodes |
| 2017 | Fargo | Ruby Goldfarb | 4 episodes |
| 2019 | Veronica Mars | Jane | Episode: "Years, Continents, Bloodshed" |
| 2021 | Rebel | Helen Peterson | 7 episodes |
| 2023 | The Fall of the House of Usher | Madeline Usher | Main role, 8 episodes |
Awards and nominations
editIn 1992 McDonnell received an Outstanding Achievement Award from Fredonia's alumni association.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Mary McDonnell Facts". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Mary McDonnell Biography". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ Hellmann, Paul T. (2006). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. New York: Routledge. p. 952. ISBN 978-1-135-94859-7.
- ^ Butkiewicz, Joe (February 18, 1993). "Mary McDonnell Nominated for Best Actress". Times Leader. Wilkes-Barre. pp. 1 & 2B. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- ^ "Mary McDonnell". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
- ^ a b Devries, Hilary (August 29, 1993). "Acting Her Age". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ a b "Actress and alumna Mary McDonnell to return to Fredonia on Homecoming Weekend". Fredonia.edu. October 15, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ "'Major Crimes' star Mary McDonnell on balancing acting, family". Erie Times-News. July 5, 2015. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ Profile, iobdb.com. Accessed April 15, 2022.
- ^ "81".
- ^ "The 63rd Academy Awards | 1991".
- ^ "The 65th Academy Awards | 1993".
- ^ "Zap2it Interview". MSNBC. Archived from the original on December 23, 2008. Retrieved November 13, 2008.
- ^ Battlestar Galactica World Science Festival, June 10–14, 2009, New York City
- ^ Creepy, Uncle (July 2, 2010). "And the Body Count Continues – More Scream 4 Casting: Mary McDonnell and Alison Brie". Dreadcentral.com. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (March 22, 2009). "'The Closer' exclusive: It's McDonnell vs. Sedgwick!". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 24, 2009. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
- ^ "Primetime Emmy Awards nominations for 2011 – Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series". Emmys.com. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
- ^ Fienberg, Daniel (May 18, 2011). "TNT orders 'Closer' spinoff 'Major Crimes' starring Mary McDonnell". HitFix. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
- ^ "Mary Mcdonnell Biography". TV Guide.
- ^ "'Battlestar Gallactica' Star Mary McDonnell & Husband Randle Mell Split". Extra. December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.