Mary McDonnell

Mary McDonnell is an actress who has been nominated for two Oscars(r). She is well-known for her portrayals of characters from the past and present screen roles. Mary Eileen McDonnell was born on April 28, 1952 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to Eileen (Mundy) and John McDonnell, a computer consultant who are both from Irish descent. 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. At the age of 22, she was when she got her first film role in Dances with Wolves (1990), where she played "Stands with a Fist", a Sioux Indian woman that is white. In the film, she was awarded her first Academy Award nomination. McDonnell's credits in films include the Lawrence Kasdan films Grand Canyon (1991) and Mumford (1999) (opposite to such well-known actors like 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); and Margin Call (2011) (opposite Kevin Spacey), which won her the Robert Altman Award at the 2012 Independent Spirit Awards. McDonnell was a regular in the Syfy Network's award-winning show Battlestar Galactica (2004), in which she was praised for her portrayal of President Laura Roslin. She earned an Emmy nomination for her recurring guest appearance on the tv show ER (1994). The popular drama series on TNT Major Crimes (2012) stars her as Captain Sharon Raydor. It is McDonnell's second show and she received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy(r). In recognition of her performance as an actress with paraplegia in John Sayles's critically acclaimed film Passion Fish (1992), she received a Best Actress Academy Award(r) nomination, nomination, and Golden Globe nomination.