Mary McDonnell

Mary McDonnell is an actress who has been nominated for two Oscars(r). She is popular for her portrayals as characters in contemporary and period screen 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 origin. She was born in Ithaca and attended Fredonia State University of New York. Later, she attended the drama school and was accepted to the Long Wharf Theatre Company in East Coast. She was 22 years old when she got her first film part in Dances with Wolves (1990), where she played "Stands with a Fist", a Sioux Indian woman that is white. For the role, she was the first actress to receive an Academy Award nomination. McDonnell has been in the Lawrence Kasdan films Grand Canyon (1991), and Mumford (1999) in the role of famous actors such as Robert Redford as well as Sidney Poitier. She also played in Roland Emmerich's Independence Day (1996), featuring Will Smith. Margin Call (2011) that was directed by Kevin Spacey, earned McDonnell the Robert Altman award at the 2012 Independent Spirit Awards. McDonnell was the President Laura Roslin in the critically loved series Battlestar Galactica (2004) on Syfy. McDonnell was a star in four seasons. McDonnell received an Emmy for her regular guest appearance on the tv series ER (1994). TNT's acclaimed drama series Major Crimes (2012) features McDonnell as Captain Sharon Raydor. This is the sequel to The Closer (2005) in which McDonnell played the character. She was nominated to win an Primetime Emmy(r). Her role as a paraplegic soap-opera actress in John Sayles' critically-acclaimed film Passion Fish (1992), she received a Best Actress Academy Award(r) nomination and a Golden Globe nomination.