Name : Mary-Louise Parker
Date of Birth : 2 August 1964
Place of Birth : Fort Jackson, South Carolina, USA
Zodiac Sign : Leo
Height : 5' 8" (1.73 m)
Profession : Actor
Nationality : American
Years active :1988–present
Partner : Billy Crudup (1996–2003; 1 child) , Jeffrey Dean Morgan (2006–2008)
Family
Daughter : Caroline Aberash Parker. Adopted from Africa in September 2007
Son : William Atticus Parker. Born Jan. 7, 2004; father, Billy Crudup
BIOGRAPHY
Actress. Born on August 2, 1964 in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Although Mary-Louise Parker has made a career out of shuttling between film, stage and television roles, she is best known for her work in live theater.
As an “army brat”, Mary-Louise Parker spent much of her childhood moving from town to town. She attended the North Carolina School for the Arts, where she studied acting. After graduation, she departed for New York, where she hoped to make it as a stage actress.
Mary-Louise Parker began her theater career in the mid-1980s, performing in regional performances in Buffalo, Syracuse and Hartford. She eventually worked her way onto Broadway, playing the role of Rita in Prelude to a Kiss (1990). The role earned the precocious actress a Tony nomination.
Meanwhile, Mary-Louise Parker had already made her film debut as an abused girlfriend in Signs of Life (1989). Her ability to play long-suffering characters without casting them as pure victims would earn her a number of major roles over the coming years. She followed up with a turn in Longtime Companion (1989), an AIDS drama in which she played the best friend of a young gay man struggling with the disease.
Mary-Louise Parker spent the 1990s jockeying between big-budget and independent films, earning consistent critical attention for her supporting roles. She appeared in the popular novel-adaptation Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), Lawrence Kasdan’s Grand Canyon (1991), Naked in New York (1994), the romantic comedy Mr. Wonderful (1993), Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway (1994), and the Jane Campion adaptation of Henry James’ Portrait of a Lady (1996).
But Mary-Louise Parker never lost her taste for the stage and often eschewed big-budget Hollywood opportunities for live theater. In 1996 she played Cherie in a popular revival of Bus Stop at Manhattan’s Circle in the Square Theater. In 1997, she jumped into the critically acclaimed production of How I Learned to Drive. For her stage work, she received a series of top honors including the Clarence Derwent, Theater World and Lucille Lortel awards. In 2001, she took home the theater world’s highest honor, the Tony Award, for her role in the Broadway production of Proof. Parker also won her first Emmy Award in 2004 for her role in the HBO adaptation of the Broadway play Angels in America.
Mary-Louise Parker also managed to log a fair amount of television time over the course of her distinguished career. After a brief turn in the ABC soap opera Ryan’s Hope, she performed in the WWII television drama Too Young the Hero (1988). She played opposite Sissy Spacek in yet another AIDS drama, A Place for Annie (1994), and starred in the 1995 HBO biopic Sugartime. In 2001, she landed a recurring role on the highly successful ABC drama The West Wing, featuring film veterans Martin Sheen and Rob Lowe. Her turn as Amy Gardner earned her an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2002.
As an “army brat”, Mary-Louise Parker spent much of her childhood moving from town to town. She attended the North Carolina School for the Arts, where she studied acting. After graduation, she departed for New York, where she hoped to make it as a stage actress.
Mary-Louise Parker began her theater career in the mid-1980s, performing in regional performances in Buffalo, Syracuse and Hartford. She eventually worked her way onto Broadway, playing the role of Rita in Prelude to a Kiss (1990). The role earned the precocious actress a Tony nomination.
Meanwhile, Mary-Louise Parker had already made her film debut as an abused girlfriend in Signs of Life (1989). Her ability to play long-suffering characters without casting them as pure victims would earn her a number of major roles over the coming years. She followed up with a turn in Longtime Companion (1989), an AIDS drama in which she played the best friend of a young gay man struggling with the disease.
Mary-Louise Parker spent the 1990s jockeying between big-budget and independent films, earning consistent critical attention for her supporting roles. She appeared in the popular novel-adaptation Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), Lawrence Kasdan’s Grand Canyon (1991), Naked in New York (1994), the romantic comedy Mr. Wonderful (1993), Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway (1994), and the Jane Campion adaptation of Henry James’ Portrait of a Lady (1996).
But Mary-Louise Parker never lost her taste for the stage and often eschewed big-budget Hollywood opportunities for live theater. In 1996 she played Cherie in a popular revival of Bus Stop at Manhattan’s Circle in the Square Theater. In 1997, she jumped into the critically acclaimed production of How I Learned to Drive. For her stage work, she received a series of top honors including the Clarence Derwent, Theater World and Lucille Lortel awards. In 2001, she took home the theater world’s highest honor, the Tony Award, for her role in the Broadway production of Proof. Parker also won her first Emmy Award in 2004 for her role in the HBO adaptation of the Broadway play Angels in America.
Mary-Louise Parker also managed to log a fair amount of television time over the course of her distinguished career. After a brief turn in the ABC soap opera Ryan’s Hope, she performed in the WWII television drama Too Young the Hero (1988). She played opposite Sissy Spacek in yet another AIDS drama, A Place for Annie (1994), and starred in the 1995 HBO biopic Sugartime. In 2001, she landed a recurring role on the highly successful ABC drama The West Wing, featuring film veterans Martin Sheen and Rob Lowe. Her turn as Amy Gardner earned her an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2002.
CAREER
Parker maintained a strong theater presence in the early 1990s but also built her reputation on the big screen, starring with Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones in The Client (1994); with John Cusack in Bullets Over Broadway (1994); and with Drew Barrymore and Whoopi Goldberg in Boys on the Side (1995), as a woman with AIDS. Her next role was in a movie adaptation of another Craig Lucas play, Reckless (1995), alongside Mia Farrow, followed by Jane Campion's The Portrait of a Lady (1996), which also starred Nicole Kidman, Viggo Mortensen, Christian Bale, John Malkovich and Barbara Hershey. In addition, she appeared alongside Matthew Modine in Tim Hunter's The Maker (1997).
Parker's theater career continued when she appeared in Paula Vogel's 1997 critical smash How I Learned To Drive, with David Morse. In the late 1990s, she appeared in several independent films including Let the Devil Wear Black and The Five Senses.
In 2001, Parker appeared alongside Larry Bryggman in David Auburn's Proof on Broadway, for which she won a Tony Award. However, Parker again lost out when the play was made into a film and the role was given to Gwyneth Paltrow. During this period, she left the theater for three years to look for other roles: among them, Red Dragon and Pipe Dream (2002).
Next was a guest role on the NBC drama, The West Wing, as women's rights activist Amelia "Amy" Gardner, which soon became a recurring role as a love interest for Deputy Chief of Staff Joshua Lyman. For this role, Parker was nominated for both an Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. During the fifth season, however, Parker became pregnant and her character was written out of the series after appearing in four episodes. The character returned to the series in the final episodes (see below).
On December 7, 2003, HBO aired an epic six-and-a-half hour adaptation of Tony Kushner's acclaimed Broadway play Angels in America, directed by Mike Nichols. The miniseries, about a group of lost souls in New York during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, was hailed with international critical acclaim. Parker played Harper Pitt, the Mormon Valium-addicted wife of a closeted lawyer, appearing full frontally nude. For her performance, Parker received Golden Globe and Emmy awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries.
In 2004, Parker appeared in the comedy Saved!, and a TV movie called Miracle Run, based on the true story of a mother of two sons with autism, as well as appearing in Craig Lucas' Reckless on Broadway. Parker took the lead role that had been Mia Farrow's on screen. The production, directed by Mark Brokaw, earned Parker another nomination for a Tony Award for Best Actress in 2005.
Parker returned to The West Wing in several guest appearances in 2005 and 2006, the show's final season, portraying the Director of Legislative Affairs under the President-elect Matt Santos.
In 2005, Parker took on the lead role in the television series Weeds, a Showtime comedy-drama. Parker's character, Nancy Botwin, is a suburban mother who, following the death of her husband, decides to sell cannabis to make money, while also attempting to maintain her community reputation. She stars alongside Kevin Nealon, Alexander Gould, Hunter Parish, Elizabeth Perkins, and her Angels in America co-star Justin Kirk.
In November 2005, Parker was honored with an exhibition of her career at Boston University, where memorabilia from her career were donated to the University's library. Parker received the 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy, given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, for her lead role in Weeds. In that category, she defeated the four leads of Desperate Housewives. She dedicated the award to the late John Spencer, best known for his work as Leo McGarry on The West Wing. After receiving the award, Parker stated: "I'm really in favor of legalizing marijuana. I don't think it's that controversial.
Parker's theater career continued when she appeared in Paula Vogel's 1997 critical smash How I Learned To Drive, with David Morse. In the late 1990s, she appeared in several independent films including Let the Devil Wear Black and The Five Senses.
In 2001, Parker appeared alongside Larry Bryggman in David Auburn's Proof on Broadway, for which she won a Tony Award. However, Parker again lost out when the play was made into a film and the role was given to Gwyneth Paltrow. During this period, she left the theater for three years to look for other roles: among them, Red Dragon and Pipe Dream (2002).
Next was a guest role on the NBC drama, The West Wing, as women's rights activist Amelia "Amy" Gardner, which soon became a recurring role as a love interest for Deputy Chief of Staff Joshua Lyman. For this role, Parker was nominated for both an Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. During the fifth season, however, Parker became pregnant and her character was written out of the series after appearing in four episodes. The character returned to the series in the final episodes (see below).
On December 7, 2003, HBO aired an epic six-and-a-half hour adaptation of Tony Kushner's acclaimed Broadway play Angels in America, directed by Mike Nichols. The miniseries, about a group of lost souls in New York during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, was hailed with international critical acclaim. Parker played Harper Pitt, the Mormon Valium-addicted wife of a closeted lawyer, appearing full frontally nude. For her performance, Parker received Golden Globe and Emmy awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries.
In 2004, Parker appeared in the comedy Saved!, and a TV movie called Miracle Run, based on the true story of a mother of two sons with autism, as well as appearing in Craig Lucas' Reckless on Broadway. Parker took the lead role that had been Mia Farrow's on screen. The production, directed by Mark Brokaw, earned Parker another nomination for a Tony Award for Best Actress in 2005.
Parker returned to The West Wing in several guest appearances in 2005 and 2006, the show's final season, portraying the Director of Legislative Affairs under the President-elect Matt Santos.
In 2005, Parker took on the lead role in the television series Weeds, a Showtime comedy-drama. Parker's character, Nancy Botwin, is a suburban mother who, following the death of her husband, decides to sell cannabis to make money, while also attempting to maintain her community reputation. She stars alongside Kevin Nealon, Alexander Gould, Hunter Parish, Elizabeth Perkins, and her Angels in America co-star Justin Kirk.
In November 2005, Parker was honored with an exhibition of her career at Boston University, where memorabilia from her career were donated to the University's library. Parker received the 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy, given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, for her lead role in Weeds. In that category, she defeated the four leads of Desperate Housewives. She dedicated the award to the late John Spencer, best known for his work as Leo McGarry on The West Wing. After receiving the award, Parker stated: "I'm really in favor of legalizing marijuana. I don't think it's that controversial.
In March 2007, Parker played the lead role in the TV film The Robber Bride. Her next role, Zerelda Mimms, in the Andrew Dominik film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, opened in cinemas in September 2007. Parker appeared alongside Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell and Garret Dillahunt. In August 2007, Parker continued her role in the third season of Weeds. In July 2007, Parker was nominated for two Emmy Awards, one for Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie for playing Zenia Arden in The Robber Bride and the other for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Weeds.
In August 2007, she posed nude for an ad for the third season of Weeds. In the ad, she appears as Eve in the Garden of Eden, with a snake draped around her body and a cannabis leaf behind her ear.
On November 9, 2007, Parker was honored as the Entertainer of the Year by Out magazine at the Out 100 Awards, which were celebrated in New York City.
Parker appeared in 2008's The Spiderwick Chronicles and in off-Broadway's Playwrights Horizons in the New York premiere of Dead Man's Cell Phone, a new play by Sarah Ruhl, alongside Drama Desk Award Winner Kathleen Chalfant.
She filmed the Donna Vermeer film Les Passages alongside Julie Delpy. Following this, she returned to work on the fifth season of Weeds, the season finale airing in September 2009. In the spring of 2009, Parker took the lead role in the upcoming revival of the play Hedda Gabler, which opened to garner a series of bad reviews.
Parker portrayed Sarah opposite Bruce Willis in the film Red, an adaptation of the comic book mini-series of the same name. The film was released on October 15, 2010.
In August 2007, she posed nude for an ad for the third season of Weeds. In the ad, she appears as Eve in the Garden of Eden, with a snake draped around her body and a cannabis leaf behind her ear.
On November 9, 2007, Parker was honored as the Entertainer of the Year by Out magazine at the Out 100 Awards, which were celebrated in New York City.
Parker appeared in 2008's The Spiderwick Chronicles and in off-Broadway's Playwrights Horizons in the New York premiere of Dead Man's Cell Phone, a new play by Sarah Ruhl, alongside Drama Desk Award Winner Kathleen Chalfant.
She filmed the Donna Vermeer film Les Passages alongside Julie Delpy. Following this, she returned to work on the fifth season of Weeds, the season finale airing in September 2009. In the spring of 2009, Parker took the lead role in the upcoming revival of the play Hedda Gabler, which opened to garner a series of bad reviews.
Parker portrayed Sarah opposite Bruce Willis in the film Red, an adaptation of the comic book mini-series of the same name. The film was released on October 15, 2010.
MOVIES LIST
Signs of Life (1989)
Longtime Companion (1990)
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
Grand Canyon (1991)
Mr. Wonderful (1993)
Naked in New York (1993)
Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
The Client (1994)
Reckless (1995)
Boys on the Side (1995)
The Portrait of a Lady (1996)
Murder in Mind (1997)
The Maker (1997)
Goodbye Lover (1998)
Let the Devil Wear Black (1999)
The Five Senses (1999)
Nominated—Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Red Dragon (2002)
Nominated—Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Red Dragon (2002)
The Quality of Mercy (2002)
Award winning short film
Pipe Dream (2002)
Award winning short film
Pipe Dream (2002)
Saved! (2004)
The Best Thief in the World (2004)
Miracle Run (2004)
Romance & Cigarettes (2006)
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
Solitary Man (2009)
Howl (2010)
Red (2010)
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
TELEVISION SERIES
Ryan's Hope (1988)
Too Young the Hero (1988)
A Place for Annie (1994)
Sugartime (19995)
Saint Maybe (1998)
Legalese (1998)
The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn (1999)
Cupid & Cate (2000)
The West Wing (2001-2006)
Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series (2002)Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2003)
Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story (2002)
Angels in America (2003)
Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television FilmNominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
Miracle Run (2004)
Vinegar Hill (2005)
Weeds (2005-present)
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (2006)
Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (2005)
Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress - Comedy Series (2007, 2008, 2009)Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (2007, 2008, 2009)
Nominated—People's Choice Award for Favorite TV Drama Diva
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (2006, 2008)
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture (2007, 2009)
The Robber Bride (2007)
Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series
Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress - Miniseries or a Movie
No comments:
Post a Comment