Mary McDonnell

Mary McDonnell, a two-time Oscar(r),-nominated actress, is known for her portrayals on screen in both historical and modern roles. She also has a long history of acting roles on stage and screen. Mary Eileen McDonnell was born on the 28th of April 1952 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to Eileen (Mundy) and John McDonnell, a computer consultant, both of Irish heritage. She was born in Ithaca and attended Fredonia State University of New York. She attended drama school, and then was accepted into the Long Wharf Theatre Company (East Coast). At the age of 22, she was when she scored her first film part in Dances with Wolves (1990) in which she was "Stands with a Fist" Sioux Indian woman who was white. The actress received her first Academy Award nomination for the role. McDonnell's film credits also include Lawrence Kasdan's Grand Canyon (1991) & Mumford (1999) as well as opposite veteran actors such as 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 won her the Robert Altman Awards at the 2012 Independent Spirit Awards. McDonnell was the main character in the Syfy Network's award-winning show Battlestar Galactica (2004), where she was recognized for her portrayal of the President Laura Roslin. McDonnell was nominated for an Emmy for her frequent guest appearance on the tv series ER (1994). She plays Captain Sharon Raydor on the TNT's hit drama series Major Crimes (2012), the sequel to The Closer (2005), where McDonnell took on the role for the first time and was awarded an Primetime Emmy(r) nomination. Her portrayal of a paraplegic star of soap opera in John Sayles' critically acclaimed film Passion Fish (1992) earned her an Best Actress Academy Award (r) nomination and an Academy Award nomination. Golden Globe nod.