Mary McDonnell

Mary McDonnell is an actress who has been nominated for two Oscars(r). She is well-known for her portrayals of characters in contemporary and period screen roles. Mary Eileen McDonnell was the daughter of John McDonnell (a computer consultant) and Eileen (Mundy), who is a Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania native. She was born in Ithaca and graduated from Fredonia State University of New York. In the following years, she was a student at a the drama school and was accepted to the Long Wharf Theatre Company in East Coast. After a few decades she was offered her first film role in Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves (1990) as "Stands with a Fist" as a white woman that is raised by Sioux Indians. Her first Academy Award nomination for the part. McDonnell's credits in films include Lawrence Kasdan films Grand Canyon (1991) and Mumford (1999) (opposite other experienced actors 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); and Margin Call (2011) (opposite Kevin Spacey), which earned her the Robert Altman Award at the 2012 Independent Spirit Awards. McDonnell was the president Laura Roslin in the critically popular series Battlestar Galactica (2004) on Syfy. She was the lead for four seasons. She garnered an Emmy nomination for her regular guest role on the television show ER (1994). TNT's hit drama series Major Crimes (2012) features McDonnell as Captain Sharon Raydor. This is the sequel to The Closer (2005) in which McDonnell created the role. McDonnell was nominated for a Primetime Emmy(r). Her role as the soap opera star who is paraplegic in John Sayles' critically acclaimed film Passion Fish (1992), she received a Best Actress Academy Award(r) nomination, as well as a Golden Globe nomination.