Mary McDonnell

Mary McDonnell is a two-time Oscar(r)-nominated actress she is well-known for her portrayals of characters in both period and present-day screen roles, and an extensive history of screen and stage roles. Mary Eileen McDonnell was born on April 28, 1952, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to Eileen (Mundy) and John McDonnell, a computer consultant Both from Irish heritage. She was raised in Ithaca, New York, she graduated from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia. Later, she attended the drama program and was accepted into the prestigious Long Wharf Theatre Company on the East Coast. A decade later, she landed her breakthrough film role in Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves (1990) as "Stands with a Fist" she was a white girl that is raised by Sioux Indians. Her first Academy Award nomination was for this role. McDonnell's film credits include the Lawrence Kasdan films Grand Canyon (1991) and Mumford (1999) (opposite the likes of veteran actors such as Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier as well as Ben Kingsley); Roland Emmerich's Independence Day (1996) (starring Will Smith); acclaimed art house cult-hit Donnie Darko (2001) as well as Margin Call (2011) (opposite Kevin Spacey), which brought her the Robert Altman Award at the 2012 Independent Spirit Awards. On the small screen, McDonnell starred in four seasons of Syfy Network's award-winning show Battlestar Galactica (2004) in her critically acclaimed performance as President Laura Roslin. Her recurring guest role as a host on the television show ER (1994) resulted in an Emmy nomination. TNT's hit drama series Major Crimes (2012) features her as Captain Sharon Raydor. This is the sequel to The Closer (2005) in which McDonnell created the role. She was nominated for an Primetime Emmy(r). She was awarded an Best Actress Academy Award(r) nomination as well as an Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of an actor with paraplegia on soap opera in John Sayles' critically acclaimed film, Passion Fish (1992).