Mary-Louise Parker
Encyclopedia
Mary-Louise Parker is an American actress, known for her current lead role on Showtime's television series Weeds
portraying Nancy Botwin, for which she has received several nominations and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2006. Parker has appeared in films and series such as RED
, Fried Green Tomatoes
, Boys on the Side
, The West Wing, and Angels in America
, for which she received a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Parker is also the recipient of the 2001 Tony Award for Best Actress
for the Broadway play Proof
.
. Her mother, Caroline Louise (née Morell), was of part Swedish descent, and her father, John Morgan Parker, was a judge who served in the U.S. Army. Because of her father's career, Parker spent parts of her childhood in Tennessee
and Texas, as well as in Thailand
, Germany, and France. Parker majored in drama at the North Carolina School of the Arts
.
. In the late 1980s, Parker moved to New York, where she got a job measuring feet at ECCO
. After a few minor roles, she made her Broadway debut in a 1990 production of Craig Lucas
' Prelude to a Kiss, playing the lead role of Rita. She moved with the production when it transferred from its origin Off-Broadway. She won the Clarence Derwent Award for her performance and was nominated for a Tony Award
(although she did not play the role when the film was made). Parker also briefly dated her co-star Timothy Hutton
during this time.
in Grand Canyon
(1991), 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.
's acclaimed Broadway play Angels in America
, directed by Mike Nichols
. 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.
, and a television film 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.
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
, 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."
. 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 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.
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 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 2011, Parker became the host for the tenth season of the PBS documentary series Independent Lens
.
, with whom she had a son, William Atticus Parker, born on January 7, 2004.
In December 2006, Parker began dating actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan
, whom she met on the set of Weeds. In March 2007, Parker stated that the relationship was "going great." The two briefly split in June 2007, but later reconciled. On February 12, 2008, Parker and Morgan announced their engagement
only to break up again in April 2008.
In September 2007, Parker adopted
a baby girl from Ethiopia, Caroline 'Ash' Aberash Parker.
Weeds (TV series)
Weeds is an American television comedy created by Jenji Kohan and produced by Tilted Productions in association with Lionsgate Television. The central character is Nancy Botwin , a widowed mother of two boys who begins selling marijuana to support her family after her husband dies suddenly of a...
portraying Nancy Botwin, for which she has received several nominations and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2006. Parker has appeared in films and series such as RED
Red (2010 film)
RED is a 2010 American action comedy film loosely inspired by the three-issue comic book series of the same name created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, and published by the DC Comics imprint Homage...
, Fried Green Tomatoes
Fried Green Tomatoes (film)
Fried Green Tomatoes is a 1991 comedy-drama film based on the novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. It was released in the UK under the novel's full title. Directed by Jon Avnet and written by Fannie Flagg and Carol Sobieski, it stars Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy,...
, Boys on the Side
Boys on the Side
Boys on the Side is a 1995 comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross . It stars Whoopi Goldberg, Drew Barrymore and Mary-Louise Parker as three friends on a cross-country road trip...
, The West Wing, and Angels in America
Angels in America (miniseries)
Angels in America is a 2003 HBO miniseries adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning play of the same name by Tony Kushner. Kushner adapted his original text for the screen, and Mike Nichols directed...
, for which she received a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Parker is also the recipient of the 2001 Tony Award for Best Actress
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. The award has been presented since 1947, and is for performance in new productions or revivals.-1940s:...
for the Broadway play Proof
Proof (play)
Proof is a play by David Auburn originally produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club on 23 May 2000. It then went to Broadway on 24 October 2000 at the Walter Kerr Theatre, and was directed by Daniel J. Sullivan, with Mary-Louise Parker as Catherine, Larry Bryggman as Robert, Ben Shenkman as Hal, and...
.
Early life
Parker was born in Fort Jackson, South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. Her mother, Caroline Louise (née Morell), was of part Swedish descent, and her father, John Morgan Parker, was a judge who served in the U.S. Army. Because of her father's career, Parker spent parts of her childhood in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and Texas, as well as in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Germany, and France. Parker majored in drama at the North Carolina School of the Arts
North Carolina School of the Arts
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts , formerly the North Carolina School of the Arts, is a public coeducational arts conservatory in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that grants high school, undergraduate and graduate degrees. It is one of the seventeen constituent campuses of the...
.
1980s
Parker got her start in a bit part on the soap opera Ryan's HopeRyan's Hope
Ryan's Hope is an American soap opera, revolving around 13 years of trials and tribulations within a large Irish American family in the Riverside district of New York City. It aired from July 7, 1975 to January 13, 1989 on ABC...
. In the late 1980s, Parker moved to New York, where she got a job measuring feet at ECCO
ECCO
ECCO Sko A/S is a Danish shoe manufacturer and retailer founded in 1963 by Karl Toosbuy in Bredebro, Denmark. Originally established as a footwear manufacturer, the company has since expanded into leather production and leather accessories....
. After a few minor roles, she made her Broadway debut in a 1990 production of Craig Lucas
Craig Lucas
Craig Lucas is an American playwright, screenwriter, theatre director, musical actor, and film director.-Biography:...
' Prelude to a Kiss, playing the lead role of Rita. She moved with the production when it transferred from its origin Off-Broadway. She won the Clarence Derwent Award for her performance and was nominated for a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
(although she did not play the role when the film was made). Parker also briefly dated her co-star Timothy Hutton
Timothy Hutton
Timothy Tarquin Hutton is an American actor. He is the youngest actor to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which he won at the age of 20 for his performance as Conrad Jarrett in Ordinary People . He currently stars as Nathan "Nate" Ford on the TNT series Leverage.-Early life:Timothy...
during this time.
1990s
Parker maintained a strong theater presence in the early 1990s, but also built her reputation on the big screen, starring with Kevin KlineKevin Kline
Kevin Delaney Kline is an American theatre, voice, film actor and comedian. He has won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards, and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and an Emmy Award.- Early life :...
in Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
(1991), Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon is an American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She had also been nominated for the award for four films before that and has received other recognition for her...
and Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....
in The Client (1994); with John Cusack
John Cusack
John Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
in Bullets Over Broadway
Bullets Over Broadway
Bullets Over Broadway is a 1994 crime-comedy film written by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath and directed by Woody Allen. It stars an ensemble cast including John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Chazz Palminteri, and Jennifer Tilly....
(1994); and with Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
and Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
in Boys on the Side
Boys on the Side
Boys on the Side is a 1995 comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross . It stars Whoopi Goldberg, Drew Barrymore and Mary-Louise Parker as three friends on a cross-country road trip...
(1995), as a woman with AIDS. Her next role was in a movie adaptation of another Craig Lucas play, Reckless
Reckless (1995 film)
Reckless is a 1995 American dark comedy film directed by Norman René. The screenplay by Craig Lucas is based on his 1983 play of the same title.-Plot:...
(1995), alongside Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow is an American actress, singer, humanitarian, and fashion model.Farrow first gained wide acclaim for her role as Allison Mackenzie in the soap opera Peyton Place, and for her subsequent short-lived marriage to Frank Sinatra...
, followed by Jane Campion
Jane Campion
Jane Campion is a filmmaker and screenwriter. She is one of the most internationally successful New Zealand directors, although most of her work has been made in or financed by other countries, principally Australia – where she now lives – and the United States...
's The Portrait of a Lady
The Portrait of a Lady (film)
The Portrait of a Lady is a 1996 film adaptation of Henry James's novel The Portrait of a Lady directed by Jane Campion.The film stars Nicole Kidman, Barbara Hershey, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Martin Donovan, Shelley Duvall, Richard E...
(1996), which also starred Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
, Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Peter Mortensen, Jr. is a Danish-American actor, poet, musician, photographer and painter. He made his film debut in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness, and subsequently appeared in many notable films of the 1990s, including The Indian Runner , Carlito's Way , Crimson Tide , Daylight , The...
, Christian Bale
Christian Bale
Christian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Best known for his roles in American films, Bale has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses....
, John Malkovich
John Malkovich
John Gavin Malkovich is an American actor, producer, director and fashion designer with his label Technobohemian. Over the last 25 years of his career, Malkovich has appeared in more than 70 motion pictures. For his roles in Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire, he received Academy Award...
and Barbara Hershey
Barbara Hershey
Barbara Hershey , also known as Barbara Seagull, is an American actress. In a career spanning nearly 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema, in several genres including westerns and comedies...
. In addition, she appeared alongside Matthew Modine
Matthew Modine
Matthew Avery Modine is an award-winning American actor. His film roles include Private Joker in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, the title character in Alan Parker's Birdy, high school wrestler Louden Swain in Vision Quest, football star turned spy Alec McCall in Funky Monkey and the...
in Tim Hunter
Tim Hunter (director)
Tim Hunter is an American television and film director. Since the late 1980s he has mostly worked on television, directing episodes for dozens of televisions series includingBreaking Bad,Carnivàle,...
's The Maker (1997).
Parker's theater career continued when she appeared in Paula Vogel
Paula Vogel
Paula Vogel is an American playwright and university professor. She received the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play, How I Learned to Drive.-Early years:...
's 1997 critical smash How I Learned to Drive
How I Learned To Drive
How I Learned to Drive is a play written by American playwright Paula Vogel. The play premiered on March 16, 1997 off-broadway at the Vineyard Theatre...
, with David Morse
David Morse (actor)
David Bowditch Morse is an American stage, television, and film actor. He first came to national attention as Dr. Jack Morrison in the medical drama St. Elsewhere from 1982 to 1988...
. In the late 1990s, she appeared in several independent films including Let the Devil Wear Black
Let the Devil Wear Black
Let the Devil Wear Black is a 1999 film directed by Stacy Title, co-written by Title and her husband, actor Jonathan Penner. The film is a modern retelling of the classic play Hamlet.-Background:...
and The Five Senses.
2001–2003
On December 7, 2003, HBO aired an epic six-and-a-half hour adaptation of Tony KushnerTony Kushner
Anthony Robert "Tony" Kushner is an American playwright and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1993 for his play, Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, and co-authored with Eric Roth the screenplay for the 2005 film, Munich.-Life and career:Kushner was born...
's acclaimed Broadway play Angels in America
Angels in America
Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes is the 1993 Pulitzer Prize winning play in two parts by American playwright Tony Kushner. It has been made into both a television miniseries and an opera by Peter Eötvös.-Characters:...
, directed by Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols is a German-born American television, stage and film director, writer, producer and comedian. He began his career in the 1950s as one half of the comedy duo Nichols and May, along with Elaine May. In 1968 he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film The Graduate...
. Parker played Harper Pitt, the Mormon Valium-addicted wife of a closeted
The Closet
The Closet may refer to:* The Closet , Chinese film* The Closet , French film* The closet, referring to undisclosed homosexuality- See also :* Closet* Closet * In the closet...
lawyer, appearing full frontally nude. For her performance, Parker received Golden Globe and Emmy awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries.
2004–2006
In 2004, Parker appeared in the comedy Saved!Saved!
Saved! is a 2004 teen comedy-drama film involving elements of religious satire. It was directed by Brian Dannelly and written by Dannelly and Michael Urban. It stars Jena Malone, Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin, Patrick Fugit, Eva Amurri, Martin Donovan, and Mary-Louise Parker...
, and a television film called Miracle Run
Miracle Run
Miracle Run is a 2004 Lifetime Television film starring Mary-Louise Parker, Zac Efron, Bubba Lewis, and Aidan Quinn.-Plot:In a flashback, a single mother, Corrine Morgan-Thomas drives her seven year old twin boys Stephen and Philip to the doctor's office and learns that they have autism...
, based on the true story of a mother of two sons with autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
, 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.
In November 2005, Parker was honored with an exhibition of her career at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, 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
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is an organization composed of working journalists who cover the United States film industry for a variety of outlets, including newspapers and magazines in Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America. Today, the 90 members of the HFPA represent at least 55...
, for her lead role in Weeds. In that category, she defeated the four leads of Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
. She dedicated the award to the late John Spencer
John Spencer (actor)
John Spencer was an American film and television actor. He was most widely known for playing White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry on the NBC political drama series The West Wing, which earned him an Emmy Award in 2002.-Early life:Spencer was born as John Speshock, Jr. in New York City, and...
, known for his work as Leo McGarry
Leo McGarry
Leo Thomas McGarry is a fictional character played by John Spencer on the television serial drama The West Wing. The role earned Spencer the 2002 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. McGarry's character, the former United States Secretary of Labor, begins the series as the White...
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."
2007–present
In March 2007, Parker played the lead role in the television film The Robber BrideThe Robber Bride
The Robber Bride is a Margaret Atwood novel first published by McClelland and Stewart in 1993. Set in present-day Toronto, Ontario, the novel begins with three women who meet once a month in a restaurant to share a meal....
. Her next role, Zerelda Mimms
Zerelda Mimms
Zerelda Amanda Mimms James was the first cousin and wife of Jesse James.-Personal life:Zerelda Amanda Mimms was the daughter of Mary James and Pastor John Wilson Mimms. Her mother was a paternal aunt of Jesse James', the sister of his father, Robert S...
, in the Andrew Dominik
Andrew Dominik
Andrew Dominik is a New Zealand-born Australian film director and screenwriter. He has directed two films so far: Chopper and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.-Early life and career:...
film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a 2007 American Western drama film. The film is directed by Andrew Dominik, with Brad Pitt portraying Jesse James and Casey Affleck as his killer, Robert Ford.Filming took place in rural Alberta and Winnipeg, Manitoba...
, opened in cinemas in September 2007. Parker appeared alongside Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
, Casey Affleck
Casey Affleck
Caleb Casey McGuire Affleck-Boldt , better known as Casey Affleck, is an American actor and film director. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, he played supporting roles in mainstream hits like Good Will Hunting and Ocean's Eleven as well as in critically acclaimed independent films such as...
, Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell is an American actor known for his leading roles in Lawn Dogs, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Choke and Moon, as well as for his supporting roles in The Green Mile, Iron Man 2, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Frost/Nixon, Galaxy Quest, Matchstick Men, The Assassination of...
and Garret Dillahunt. In August 2007, Parker continued her role in the third season of 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.
Parker appeared in 2008's The Spiderwick Chronicles
The Spiderwick Chronicles (film)
The Spiderwick Chronicles is a 2008 fantasy film adaptation of Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi's bestselling series of the same name. Set in the Spiderwick Estate in New England, United States, it follows the adventures of Jared Grace and his family as they discover a field guide to faeries, battle...
and in off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
's Playwrights Horizons in the New York premiere of Dead Man's Cell Phone, a new play by Sarah Ruhl
Sarah Ruhl
Sarah Ruhl is an American playwright. She is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship.-Biography:Ruhl was born in Wilmette, Illinois. Originally, she intended to be a poet. However, after she studied under Paula Vogel at Brown University , she was convinced to switch to playwrighting...
, alongside Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
Winner Kathleen Chalfant
Kathleen Chalfant
-Life and career:Chalfant was born as in San Francisco, California and raised in her parents' boarding house in Oakland. Her father, William Bishop, was an officer in the Coast Guard...
.
She filmed the Donna Vermeer film Les Passages alongside Julie Delpy
Julie Delpy
Julie Delpy is a French-American actress, director, screenwriter, and singer-songwriter. She studied filmmaking at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and has directed, written, and acted in more than 30 films, including Europa Europa , The Voyager , Three Colors: White , Before Sunrise...
. 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 revival of the play Hedda Gabler
Hedda Gabler
Hedda Gabler is a play first published in 1890 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The play premiered in 1891 in Germany to negative reviews, but has subsequently gained recognition as a classic of realism, nineteenth century theatre, and world drama...
, which opened to garner a series of bad reviews.
Parker portrayed Sarah opposite Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
in the film RED
Red (2010 film)
RED is a 2010 American action comedy film loosely inspired by the three-issue comic book series of the same name created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, and published by the DC Comics imprint Homage...
, an adaptation of the comic book mini-series of the same name
Red (comics)
Red is a three-issue comic book mini-series published in 2003 and 2004 by WildStorm imprint Homage Comics. It was created by writer Warren Ellis and artist Cully Hamner.-Plot:...
. The film was released on October 15, 2010.
In 2011, Parker became the host for the tenth season of the PBS documentary series Independent Lens
Independent Lens
Airing weekly on PBS through ITVS, the Emmy Award-winning series Independent Lens introduces new drama and documentary films made by independent filmmakers. Past seasons of Independent Lens have been presented by hosts Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Susan Sarandon, Edie Falco, Terrence Howard, Maggie...
.
Personal life
From 1996 to November 2003, Parker dated actor Billy CrudupBilly Crudup
William Gaither "Billy" Crudup is an American actor of film and stage. He is well known for his roles as guitarist Russell Hammond in Almost Famous, Will Bloom in Big Fish, and Ashitaka in Princess Mononoke. He also starred in the 2007 romantic comedy film Dedication, alongside Mandy Moore...
, with whom she had a son, William Atticus Parker, born on January 7, 2004.
In December 2006, Parker began dating actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Jeffrey Dean Morgan is an American actor, best known to television and movie audiences as Denny Duquette on Grey's Anatomy, patriarch John Winchester on Supernatural, and as The Comedian in the 2009 superhero film Watchmen....
, whom she met on the set of Weeds. In March 2007, Parker stated that the relationship was "going great." The two briefly split in June 2007, but later reconciled. On February 12, 2008, Parker and Morgan announced their engagement
Engagement
An engagement or betrothal is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage which may be lengthy or trivial. During this period, a couple is said to be betrothed, affianced, engaged to be married, or simply engaged...
only to break up again in April 2008.
In September 2007, Parker adopted
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
a baby girl from Ethiopia, Caroline 'Ash' Aberash Parker.
Credits
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Signs of Life Signs of Life (1989 film) Signs of Life, also known as One for Sorrow, Two for Joy, is a film by American director John David Coles, released May 5, 1989. The film stars Beau Bridges, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Arthur Kennedy... |
Charlotte | |
| 1990 | Longtime Companion Longtime Companion Longtime Companion is a 1989 film with Bruce Davison, Campbell Scott, Patrick Cassidy, and Mary-Louise Parker. The first wide-release theatrical film to deal with the subject of AIDS, the film takes its title from the words The New York Times used to describe the surviving same-sex partner of... |
Lisa | |
| 1991 | Fried Green Tomatoes Fried Green Tomatoes (film) Fried Green Tomatoes is a 1991 comedy-drama film based on the novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. It was released in the UK under the novel's full title. Directed by Jon Avnet and written by Fannie Flagg and Carol Sobieski, it stars Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy,... |
Ruth Jamison | |
| 1991 | Grand Canyon | Dee | |
| 1993 | Mr. Wonderful Mr. Wonderful (film) Mr. Wonderful is a 1993 romantic comedy film directed by Academy Award winning director Anthony Minghella.The film stars Matt Dillon, Annabella Sciorra, and features one of the few appearances of Vincent D'Onofrio as a romantic character.-Plot:... |
Rita | |
| 1993 | Naked in New York Naked in New York Naked in New York is a 1993 romantic drama film starring Eric Stoltz, Mary Louise Parker, Ralph Macchio, Jill Clayburgh, Tony Curtis, Timothy Dalton, and Kathleen Turner, and featuring multiple celebrity cameos, including William Styron listing all of his authored, penned and film work, Whoopi... |
Joanne White | |
| 1994 | Bullets Over Broadway Bullets Over Broadway Bullets Over Broadway is a 1994 crime-comedy film written by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath and directed by Woody Allen. It stars an ensemble cast including John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Chazz Palminteri, and Jennifer Tilly.... |
Ellen | |
| 1994 | Dianne Sway | ||
| 1995 | Reckless Reckless (1995 film) Reckless is a 1995 American dark comedy film directed by Norman René. The screenplay by Craig Lucas is based on his 1983 play of the same title.-Plot:... |
Pooty | |
| 1995 | Boys on the Side Boys on the Side Boys on the Side is a 1995 comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross . It stars Whoopi Goldberg, Drew Barrymore and Mary-Louise Parker as three friends on a cross-country road trip... |
Robin | |
| 1996 | Henrietta Stackpole | ||
| 1997 | Murder in Mind Murder In Mind (1997 film) -Characters:*Nigel Hawthorne as Dr. Ellis*Mary-Louise Parker as Caroline Walker*Jimmy Smits as Peter Walker*Jason Scott Lee as Holloway*Gailard Sartain as Charlie*Mitch Ward as Court Clerk*Jon Cedar as superior officer*Ingo Neuhaus as Officer... |
Caroline Walker | |
| 1997 | Officer Emily Peck | ||
| 1998 | Goodbye Lover Goodbye Lover Goodbye Lover is a comedic neo-noir film about a murder plot surrounding an alcoholic advertising agency worker and his adulterous wife. The film was directed by Roland Joffé, and stars Patricia Arquette, Dermot Mulroney, Don Johnson, Ellen DeGeneres, and Mary-Louise Parker. The film premiered at... |
Peggy Blane | |
| 1999 | Let the Devil Wear Black Let the Devil Wear Black Let the Devil Wear Black is a 1999 film directed by Stacy Title, co-written by Title and her husband, actor Jonathan Penner. The film is a modern retelling of the classic play Hamlet.-Background:... |
Julia Hirsch | |
| 1999 | Rona | Nominated—Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role The Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is awarded by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the best Canadian actress.-1st Genie Awards:* Kate Lynch, Meatballs* Louise Portal, Cordélia... |
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| 2002 | Red Dragon Red Dragon (film) Red Dragon is a 2002 thriller film based on Thomas Harris' novel of the same name and featuring psychiatrist and serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter. It is a prequel to The Silence of the Lambs.... |
Molly Graham | |
| 2002 | Sarah Richardson | Award winning short film | |
| 2002 | Pipe Dream Pipe Dream (film) Pipe Dream is a 2002 romantic comedy film starring Mary Louise Parker and Martin Donovan set in New York City. The film was directed by John C. Walsh, who previously wrote and directed the film Ed's Next Move.-Plot:... |
Toni Edelman | |
| 2004 | Saved! Saved! Saved! is a 2004 teen comedy-drama film involving elements of religious satire. It was directed by Brian Dannelly and written by Dannelly and Michael Urban. It stars Jena Malone, Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin, Patrick Fugit, Eva Amurri, Martin Donovan, and Mary-Louise Parker... |
Lillian | |
| 2004 | Sue Zaidman | ||
| 2004 | Miracle Run Miracle Run Miracle Run is a 2004 Lifetime Television film starring Mary-Louise Parker, Zac Efron, Bubba Lewis, and Aidan Quinn.-Plot:In a flashback, a single mother, Corrine Morgan-Thomas drives her seven year old twin boys Stephen and Philip to the doctor's office and learns that they have autism... |
Corrine Morgan-Thomas | |
| 2006 | Romance & Cigarettes Romance & Cigarettes Romance & Cigarettes is a 2005 American musical romantic comedy film written and directed by John Turturro. The film stars an ensemble cast, including James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi, Bobby Cannavale, Mandy Moore, Mary-Louise Parker, Aida Turturro, Christopher Walken,... |
Constance Murder | |
| 2007 | Zee James Zerelda Mimms Zerelda Amanda Mimms James was the first cousin and wife of Jesse James.-Personal life:Zerelda Amanda Mimms was the daughter of Mary James and Pastor John Wilson Mimms. Her mother was a paternal aunt of Jesse James', the sister of his father, Robert S... |
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| 2008 | Helen Grace | ||
| 2009 | Solitary Man Solitary Man (film) Solitary Man is a 2009 American film co-directed by Brian Koppelman and David Levien. The film stars Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Jenna Fischer, Jesse Eisenberg, Mary-Louise Parker and Danny DeVito.-Plot:... |
Jordan | |
| 2010 | Howl Howl (2010 film) Howl is a 2010 American experimental film which explores both the Six Gallery debut and the 1957 obscenity trial of 20th century American poet Allen Ginsberg's noted poem Howl. The film is written and directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman and stars James Franco as Ginsberg.-Plot:Howl... |
Gail Potter | |
| 2010 | Red Red (2010 film) RED is a 2010 American action comedy film loosely inspired by the three-issue comic book series of the same name created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, and published by the DC Comics imprint Homage... |
Sarah Ross | Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| 2013 | R.I.P.D. R.I.P.D. R.I.P.D. is an upcoming action-comedy crime film set to be directed by Robert Schwentke, based on the comic book Rest In Peace Department by Peter M. Lenkov. The film will star Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges as Nick Walker and Bo, respectively... |
Procter | Filming |
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Ryan's Hope Ryan's Hope Ryan's Hope is an American soap opera, revolving around 13 years of trials and tribulations within a large Irish American family in the Riverside district of New York City. It aired from July 7, 1975 to January 13, 1989 on ABC... |
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| 1988 | Too Young the Hero Too Young the Hero Too Young the Hero is a 1988 television movie. It premiered on CBS on March 27, 1988. The film tells the true story of a 12-year old boy who faked a birth certificate to join the United States Navy during World War II. It is based on the real life of Calvin Graham, who was the youngest American... |
Pearl Spencer | |
| 1994 | A Place for Annie A Place for Annie A Place for Annie is a 1994 Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie that stars Sissy Spacek, Mary-Louise Parker and Joan Plowright. Directed by John Gray, the 191st presentation aired on the ABC network on May 1, 1994.-External links:*... |
Linda | |
| 1995 | Sugartime | Phyllis McGuire | |
| 1998 | Saint Maybe | Lucy Dean Bedloe | |
| 1998 | Legalese | Rica Martin | |
| 1999 | Dr. Valerie Crane | ||
| 2000 | Cupid & Cate | Cate DeAngelo | |
| 2001–2006 | Amy Gardner Amy Gardner Amelia "Amy" Gardner is a fictional character on the American television series The West Wing, portrayed by Mary-Louise Parker. Politically skilled and a strong advocate on feminist causes, the character holds various jobs throughout the timeline depicted on The West Wing, both in public-advocacy... |
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) |
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| 2002 | Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story | Bonnie Hanssen | |
| 2003 | Angels in America Angels in America (miniseries) Angels in America is a 2003 HBO miniseries adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning play of the same name by Tony Kushner. Kushner adapted his original text for the screen, and Mike Nichols directed... |
Harper Pitt | Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated—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 |
| 2004 | Miracle Run Miracle Run Miracle Run is a 2004 Lifetime Television film starring Mary-Louise Parker, Zac Efron, Bubba Lewis, and Aidan Quinn.-Plot:In a flashback, a single mother, Corrine Morgan-Thomas drives her seven year old twin boys Stephen and Philip to the doctor's office and learns that they have autism... |
Corrine Morgan-Thomas | |
| 2005 | Vinegar Hill | Ellen Grier | |
| 2005–present | Weeds Weeds (TV series) Weeds is an American television comedy created by Jenji Kohan and produced by Tilted Productions in association with Lionsgate Television. The central character is Nancy Botwin , a widowed mother of two boys who begins selling marijuana to support her family after her husband dies suddenly of a... |
Nancy Botwin | 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 People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show recognizing the people and the work of popular culture. The show has been held annually since 1975 and is voted on by the general public. The People's Choice Awards air on CBS and are produced by Procter & Gamble and Survivor magnate Mark Burnett... 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 an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2007, 2009) |
| 2007 | Zenia | Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series Gemini Award The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are... Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie |
| Year | Play | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Prelude to a Kiss | Rita | Nominated—Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. The award has been presented since 1947, and is for performance in new productions or revivals.-1940s:... |
| 1996 | Bus Stop Bus Stop (play) Bus Stop is a 1955 play by William Inge. The 1956 film is only loosely based upon it.-Characters:Bus Stop is a drama, with romantic and some comedic elements. It is set in a diner in rural Kansas, about 20 miles west of Kansas City, Missouri during a snowstorm from which bus passengers must take... |
Cherie | |
| 1997 | How I Learned to Drive | Li'l Bit | |
| 2000 | Proof Proof (play) Proof is a play by David Auburn originally produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club on 23 May 2000. It then went to Broadway on 24 October 2000 at the Walter Kerr Theatre, and was directed by Daniel J. Sullivan, with Mary-Louise Parker as Catherine, Larry Bryggman as Robert, Ben Shenkman as Hal, and... |
Catherine | Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. The award has been presented since 1947, and is for performance in new productions or revivals.-1940s:... |
| 2004 | Reckless | Rachel | Nominated—Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. The award has been presented since 1947, and is for performance in new productions or revivals.-1940s:... |
| 2009 | Hedda Gabler Hedda Gabler Hedda Gabler is a play first published in 1890 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The play premiered in 1891 in Germany to negative reviews, but has subsequently gained recognition as a classic of realism, nineteenth century theatre, and world drama... |
Hedda Tesman |