Mary McDonnell

Mary McDonnell is an actress who has been nominated for two Oscars(r). She is famous for her portrayals of characters from both contemporary and period screen roles. Mary Eileen McDonnell was the daughter of John McDonnell (a computer consultant) and Eileen (Mundy) who was who is a Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania native. Her birthplace was Ithaca, New York and graduated from Fredonia State University of New York. Then, she went to the drama school and was accepted to the Long Wharf Theatre Company in East Coast. She was just 22 when she got her first film part in Dances with Wolves (1990) in which she was "Stands with a Fist", a Sioux Indian woman who was white. In the film, she was awarded her first Academy Award nomination. McDonnell has appeared in the Lawrence Kasdan films Grand Canyon (1991), and Mumford (1999) alongside such experienced actors as Robert Redford as well as Sidney Poitier. She also was a part of Roland Emmerich's Independence Day (1996), with Will Smith. Margin Call (2011) which was a battle with Kevin Spacey, earned McDonnell the Robert Altman award at the 2012 Independent Spirit Awards. McDonnell was a regular in the Syfy Network's award-winning series Battlestar Galactica (2004), which was highly praised for her portrayal of the President Laura Roslin. McDonnell received an Emmy for her frequent guest appearance on the tv show ER (1994). The popular drama series on TNT Major Crimes (2012) features McDonnell as Captain Sharon Raydor. This is the sequel to The Closer (2005) in which McDonnell played the character. McDonnell was nominated for an Primetime Emmy(r). In recognition of her performance as an actress with paraplegia in John Sayles' critically acclaimed film Passion Fish (1992), she was awarded a Best Actress Academy Award(r) nomination and a Golden Globe nomination.