Mary McDonnell

Mary McDonnell, a two-time Oscar(r),-nominated actress, is famous for her performance on screen in traditional and contemporary roles. She also has a lengthy history of acting roles on stage and screen. Mary Eileen McDonnell was the daughter of John McDonnell (a computer consultant) and Eileen (Mundy), who is a Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania native. She was raised in Ithaca, New York, she graduated from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia. She went on to theatre school, and then was accepted into Long Wharf Theatre Company (East Coast). Two decades later she got her first film role in Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves (1990) as "Stands with a Fist", a white woman raised by the Sioux Indians. For the role, she was the first actress to receive an Academy Award nomination. McDonnell's film credits include Lawrence Kasdan's Grand Canyon (1991) & Mumford (1999) as well as opposite veteran actors like Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier and Ben Kingsley; Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day (1996) (starring Will Smith); the popular art house cult hit Donnie Darko (192001); and Margin Call (2011). This earned her the Robert Altman Awards at the 2012 Independent Spirit Awards. McDonnell was the main character on the Syfy Network's award-winning show Battlestar Galactica (2004), in which she was praised for her portrayal of President Laura Roslin. She was honored with an Emmy nomination for her frequent guest spot on the popular television 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 developed the role. The show was nominated for an Primetime Emmy(r). McDonnell was awarded an Best Actress Academy Award(r) nomination as well as a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of the paraplegic soap-opera star in John Sayles' critically acclaimed film, Passion Fish (1992).