• Name: Mary McDonnell
  • Date of Birth: April 28, 1952
  • Place of Birth: Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, USA
Mini-bio: Renowned stage and screen actress Mary McDonnell graced East Coast stages for two decades before getting her major screen breakthrough in Dances with Wolves (1990). Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania,... read more on April 28, 1952, McDonnell was raised in Ithaca, New York, and graduated from the State University of New York at Fredonia. After a few seasons in regional repertory, she established herself on Broadway with such successful 1980s plays as The Heidi Chronicles. She made her film debut in 1984's Garbo Talks; three years later, she was showered with critical adulation for her portrayal of mining town landlady Elma Radnor in director John Sayles' Matewan. Further adulation and a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination followed for McDonnell's portrayal of Stands with a Fist, a white woman raised by the Lakota Sioux, in Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves (1990). One year later, she starred in the PBS "American Playhouse" dramatization of Willa Cather's O Pioneers!, and also did starring work as the wife of an immigration attorney (Kevin Kline) in Lawrence Kasdan's acclaimed Grand Canyon. Her film career has continued with roles in films big and small, ranging from Sayles' excellent Passion Fish (1992) to the 1996 blockbuster Independence Day to Kasdan's Mumford (1999), which cast McDonnell as a dissatisfied housewife with a mail order catalog obsession. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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Replace this image with an actor photoMary McDonnell mini-bio: Renowned for her stage work on the East Coast, working with the Long Wharf Theatre Co., amongst others. It wasn't until 20 years after working on the theater stage that she had her break through role in Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves (1990). She has since received two Academy Award nominations Has taught acting classes with her husband, even after being nominated for an Academy Award... Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1990" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 42. Two children: Olivia and Michael Attended Fredonia State University. Was a cast member of the medical drama "E/R" (1984) and also has a recurring role on the hit 90s show of nearly the same name, "ER" (1994). Moved to Los Angeles as an adult with her husband and daughter Though born in Pennsylvania, she was raised in Ithaca, New York. Plays the First Lady during a devastating attack by aliens in Independence Day (1996), and the President during the same circumstances in "Battlestar Galactica" (2004). She has appeared in four films with Alfre Woodard: Grand Canyon (1991), Passion Fish (1992), Blue Chips (1994), and Mumford (1999). Has been a huge fan of Vanessa Redgrave since the seventies.

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Mary McDonnell Trivia


  • What movie stars Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, River Phoenix, Mary McDonnell and Dan Aykroyd?  Answer »
  • Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Daveigh Chase, Patrick Swayze, Drew Barrymore, Noah Wyle, Noah Wyle, Katharine Ross, Patience Cleveland, James Duval, and even Ashlee Tisdale. This cast starred in what cult hit?  Answer »
  • What do Maggie Gyllenhaal, Holmes Osborne, James Duval, and Mary McDonnell have in common?  Answer »
  • Who played "Stands With a Fist" in Dances with wolves?  Answer »

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