Mary Steenburgen
Encyclopedia
Mary Nell Steenburgen is an American
actress
. She is best known for playing the role of Lynda Dummar in Jonathan Demme
's Melvin and Howard
, which earned her an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.
, the daughter of Nellie Mae (née Wall), a school-board secretary, and Maurice Steenburgen, a freight-train conductor who worked at the Missouri Pacific Railroad
. Steenburgen grew up in North Little Rock, Arkansas
.
in 1972, working at Doubleday's while studying acting at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse
under Will Esper. Her break came when she was discovered by Jack Nicholson
in the reception room of Paramount
's New York office and was cast as the lead in his second directorial effort, the 1978 Western Goin' South
. In only her third film, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
for the 1980 film Melvin and Howard
, playing the wife of a man who claims to have befriended reclusive eccentric Howard Hughes
.
She had a leading role in the 1979 film Time After Time
as a modern woman who falls in love with author H. G. Wells
, played by her then-husband-to-be Malcolm McDowell
.
In Back to the Future Part III
(1990), Steenburgen played Clara Clayton, a school teacher who falls in love with Doc Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd
. She was persuaded to play the role by her children, as well as by fans of the Back to the Future films, and reprised the role by providing the character's voice in Back to the Future: The Animated Series
.
Other notable film appearances came in the well-received 1983 film Cross Creek
, her performance in What's Eating Gilbert Grape
as a woman who is having an affair with the main character Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp
), her role as Hannah Nixon in the Oliver Stone
biopic Nixon
, and as a woman who discovers her husband is the father of a North Pole
elf
in the Will Ferrell
holiday comedy Elf
. She appeared in the 2008 comedy Step Brothers
, another film starring Will Ferrell, playing the mother of Ferrell's character.
In The Butcher's Wife
, also starring Demi Moore
and Jeff Daniels
, Steenburgen plays a lead role in which she also sings. Film critic Charles Taylor, in The New York Times
, said Steenburgen's "slow-drip voice comes to your ears like honey arriving on a moonbeam". She also acted in the film Life as a House
.
She has starred in the sitcom
Ink
with her current husband Ted Danson
, had a regular role in the CBS
drama Joan of Arcadia
and starred in the television miniseries of Gulliver's Travels
with Danson. She appeared as herself alongside Danson in the HBO comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm
. In 2002, she played Grace Rinato in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, in the episode "Denial".
In recent years, she has been in the comedy films Four Christmases
opposite Vince Vaughn
and Reese Witherspoon
, Step Brothers
opposite Will Ferrell
and John C. Reilly
and The Proposal
opposite Sandra Bullock
and Ryan Reynolds
.
According to a written note owned by Garry Marshall
, Steenburgen was the first choice to play the lead in the 1990 film Pretty Woman
, starring Julia Roberts
.
Steenburgen received the 2,395th star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
on December 16, 2009.
It was announced in June 2010 that Steenburgen would star in a new FX pilot, Outlaw Country.
Dirty Girl
, which features Steenburgen along with Juno Temple
, Milla Jovovich
and William H. Macy
, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on September 12, 2010.
She also appeared in the critically acclaimed film The Help
, starring opposite Emma Stone, Viola Davis
and Bryce Dallas Howard
.
in 1980 and they had two children together: Lilly Amanda (now Lilly McDowell Walton), born January 31, 1981, and Charles Malcolm, born July 10, 1983. Charlie, who runs a popular blog and twitter feed titled "Dear Girls Above Me" recently had his website, which details the many vapid and airheaded things his upstair neighbors can be overheard saying, optioned for a movie produced by Ashton Kutcher
. Steenburgen and McDowell divorced in 1990, and Steenburgen has been married to actor Ted Danson
since 1995.
In September 2005, she and Danson gave a guest lecture for students at the Clinton School of Public Service
where they discussed their roles in public service as well as the foundations and causes in which they are involved. An alumna of Hendrix College
, Steenburgen received an honorary doctorate from the institution in 1989. In 2006, Steenburgen received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Lyon College
in Batesville, Arkansas
.
She is a close friend of Secretary of State
and former Senator
Hillary Clinton, and supported Clinton's 2008 Presidential campaign along with her husband.
She splits her time living in Ojai, California
and Martha's Vineyard
, in addition to sharing a condominium with Danson in the River Market District of Little Rock.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. She is best known for playing the role of Lynda Dummar in Jonathan Demme
Jonathan Demme
Robert Jonathan Demme is an American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. Best known for directing The Silence of the Lambs, which won him the Academy Award for Best Director, he has also directed the acclaimed movies Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married, the Talking Heads concert movie Stop...
's Melvin and Howard
Melvin and Howard
Melvin and Howard is a 1980 American comedy-drama film directed by Jonathan Demme. The screenplay by Bo Goldman was inspired by real-life Utah service station owner Melvin Dummar, who was listed as the beneficiary of USD$156 million in a will allegedly handwritten by Howard Hughes that was...
, which earned her an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.
Early life
Steenburgen was born in Newport, ArkansasNewport, Arkansas
Newport is a city in Jackson County, Arkansas, northeast of Little Rock, on the White River. In 1900, 2,866 people lived in Newport, Arkansas; in 1910, 3,557. The population was 7,811 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Jackson County....
, the daughter of Nellie Mae (née Wall), a school-board secretary, and Maurice Steenburgen, a freight-train conductor who worked at the Missouri Pacific Railroad
Missouri Pacific Railroad
The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
. Steenburgen grew up in North Little Rock, Arkansas
North Little Rock, Arkansas
the city was 62.55% White, 33.98% Black or African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.18% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races...
.
Career
Steenburgen moved to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1972, working at Doubleday's while studying acting at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse
Neighborhood Playhouse
The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre is an actor training school at 340 East 54th Street in New York City, generally associated with the Meisner technique of Sanford Meisner.-History:...
under Will Esper. Her break came when she was discovered by Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
in the reception room of Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
's New York office and was cast as the lead in his second directorial effort, the 1978 Western Goin' South
Goin' South
Goin' South is an American western-comedy film, directed by and starring Jack Nicholson. The 1978 film also starred Mary Steenburgen in her movie debut and included Christopher Lloyd, John Belushi , Richard Bradford, Veronica Cartwright, Danny DeVito and Ed Begley, Jr.At the beginning, the...
. In only her third film, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
for the 1980 film Melvin and Howard
Melvin and Howard
Melvin and Howard is a 1980 American comedy-drama film directed by Jonathan Demme. The screenplay by Bo Goldman was inspired by real-life Utah service station owner Melvin Dummar, who was listed as the beneficiary of USD$156 million in a will allegedly handwritten by Howard Hughes that was...
, playing the wife of a man who claims to have befriended reclusive eccentric Howard Hughes
Howard Hughes
Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...
.
She had a leading role in the 1979 film Time After Time
Time After Time (1979 film)
Time After Time is a 1979 American fantasy film written and directed by Nicholas Meyer. His screenplay is based largely on a novel by Karl Alexander and a story by Steve Hayes. It concerns British author H. G...
as a modern woman who falls in love with author H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
, played by her then-husband-to-be Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell is an English actor with a career spanning over forty years.McDowell is principally known for his roles in the controversial films If...., O Lucky Man!, A Clockwork Orange and Caligula...
.
In Back to the Future Part III
Back to the Future Part III
Back to the Future Part III is a 1990 American science fiction comedy Western film. It is the third installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson. The film...
(1990), Steenburgen played Clara Clayton, a school teacher who falls in love with Doc Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. He is best known for playing Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He played Reverend Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi and more...
. She was persuaded to play the role by her children, as well as by fans of the Back to the Future films, and reprised the role by providing the character's voice in Back to the Future: The Animated Series
Back to the Future: The Animated Series
Back to the Future: The Animated Series is an animated series for television based on the Back to the Future trilogy of feature films. The series lasted two seasons, each featuring 13 episodes, and ran on CBS from September 7, 1991 to November 28, 1992. It reran until August 14, 1993...
.
Other notable film appearances came in the well-received 1983 film Cross Creek
Cross Creek (film)
Cross Creek is a 1983 film starring Mary Steenburgen as The Yearling author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. The film is directed by Martin Ritt and is based, in part, on Rawlings' 1942 memoir, Cross Creek.-Plot:...
, her performance in What's Eating Gilbert Grape
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
What's Eating Gilbert Grape is a 1993 film directed by Lasse Hallström and starring Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio. Peter Hedges wrote the screenplay adapted from his 1991 novel of the same name...
as a woman who is having an affair with the main character Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
), her role as Hannah Nixon in the Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
biopic Nixon
Nixon (film)
Nixon is a 1995 American biographical film directed by Oliver Stone for Cinergi Pictures that tells the story of the political and personal life of former US President Richard Nixon, played by Anthony Hopkins....
, and as a woman who discovers her husband is the father of a North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
elf
Elf
An elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
in the Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
holiday comedy Elf
Elf (film)
Elf is a 2003 comedy film directed by Jon Favreau, written by David Berenbaum and starring Will Ferrell, James Caan, and Zooey Deschanel. It was released in the United States on November 7, 2003 and grossed over $220,400,000 worldwide.-Plot:A baby crawls into Santa Claus' sack while he is...
. She appeared in the 2008 comedy Step Brothers
Step Brothers (film)
Step Brothers is a 2008 American slapstick buddy-comedy film directed by Adam McKay, produced by Judd Apatow and Jimmy Miller, and stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, who originally teamed up in Talladega Nights . The screenplay was written by Ferrell and McKay, from a story written by Ferrell,...
, another film starring Will Ferrell, playing the mother of Ferrell's character.
In The Butcher's Wife
The Butcher's Wife
The Butcher's Wife is a 1991 romantic comedy film, in which a clairvoyant woman thinks that she's met her future husband , who she has seen in her dreams and is a butcher in New York. They marry and move to the city, where her powers tend to influence everyone she meets while working in the shop...
, also starring Demi Moore
Demi Moore
Demi Guynes Kutcher , known professionally as Demi Moore, is an American actress. After minor roles in film and a role in the soap opera General Hospital, Moore established her career in films such as St...
and Jeff Daniels
Jeff Daniels
Jeffrey Warren "Jeff" Daniels is an American actor, musician and playwright. He founded a non-profit theatre company, the Purple Rose Theatre Company, in his home state of Michigan...
, Steenburgen plays a lead role in which she also sings. Film critic Charles Taylor, in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, said Steenburgen's "slow-drip voice comes to your ears like honey arriving on a moonbeam". She also acted in the film Life as a House
Life as a House
Life as a House is a 2001 American drama film produced and directed by Irwin Winkler. The screenplay by Mark Andrus focuses on a man who is anxious to repair his relationship with his ex-wife and teenaged son after he is diagnosed with terminal cancer....
.
She has starred in the sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Ink
Ink (TV series)
Ink is a television sitcom which aired on CBS from 1996-1997 that starred real-life husband and wife Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen as newspaper journalists, allegedly inspired by the film His Girl Friday. The show was also produced by Danson and Steenburgen. The show was canceled after one season...
with her current husband Ted Danson
Ted Danson
Edward Bridge “Ted” Danson III is an American actor best known for his role as central character Sam Malone in the sitcom Cheers, and his role as Dr. John Becker on the series Becker. He also plays a recurring role on Larry David's HBO sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm and starred alongside Glenn Close...
, had a regular role in the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
drama Joan of Arcadia
Joan of Arcadia
Joan of Arcadia is an American television fantasy/family drama telling the story of teenager Joan Girardi , who sees and speaks with God and performs tasks she is given. The series originally aired on Fridays, 8-9 p.m...
and starred in the television miniseries of Gulliver's Travels
Gulliver's Travels (TV miniseries)
Gulliver's Travels is a U.S. TV miniseries based on Jonathan Swift's novel of the same name, produced by Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment. This miniseries is notable for being one of the very few adaptations of Swift's novel to feature all four voyages. The miniseries aired in the...
with Danson. She appeared as herself alongside Danson in the HBO comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy television series produced and broadcast by HBO, which premiered on October 15, 2000. As of 2011, it has completed 80 episodes over eight seasons. The series was created by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, who stars as a fictionalized version of himself...
. In 2002, she played Grace Rinato in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, in the episode "Denial".
Four Christmases
Four Christmases is a Christmas-themed romantic comedy film about a couple who go to see their divorced parents in one day...
opposite Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
and Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...
, Step Brothers
Step Brothers
Step Brothers may refer to:* A member of a stepfamily*The Four Step Brothers, a South African dance team in the U.S. active from the 1920s through the 1960s*Step Brothers , a 2008 comedy film starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly...
opposite Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
and John C. Reilly
John C. Reilly
John Christopher Reilly, Jr. is an American film and theater actor, singer, and comedian. Debuting in Casualties of War in 1989, he is one of several actors whose careers were launched by Brian De Palma. To date, he has appeared in more than fifty films, including three separate films in 2002...
and The Proposal
The Proposal (film)
The Proposal is a 2009 American romantic comedy film set in Sitka, Alaska. Directed by Anne Fletcher and written by Peter Chiarelli, the film features Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds as the leading roles, with Mary Steenburgen, Betty White, and Craig T. Nelson in supporting roles...
opposite Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Annette Bullock is an Academy Award winning American actress and producer who rose to fame in the 1990s after roles in successful films such as Demolition Man, Speed, The Net, A Time to Kill, and While You Were Sleeping. She continued with films such as Miss Congeniality, The Lake House,...
and Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian film and television actor, best known for his roles in such films as National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Waiting..., The Amityville Horror, Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, Buried, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern.One of his best known...
.
According to a written note owned by Garry Marshall
Garry Marshall
Garry Kent Marshall is an American actor, director, writer and producer. His notable credits include creating Happy Days and The Odd Couple and directing Nothing In Common, Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, Valentine's Day, and The Princess Diaries.-Early life:Marshall was born in the New York City...
, Steenburgen was the first choice to play the lead in the 1990 film Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman is a 1990 romantic comedy film set in Los Angeles, California. Written by J.F. Lawton and directed by Garry Marshall, this motion picture features Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and also Hector Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy, and Jason Alexander in supporting roles. Roberts played the only...
, starring Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
.
Steenburgen received the 2,395th star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
on December 16, 2009.
It was announced in June 2010 that Steenburgen would star in a new FX pilot, Outlaw Country.
Dirty Girl
Dirty Girl (2010 film)
Dirty Girl is a 2010 coming of age comedy, written and directed by Abe Sylvia. It stars Juno Temple, Milla Jovovich and William H. Macy. It premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival on 12 September 2010...
, which features Steenburgen along with Juno Temple
Juno Temple
-Early life:Juno Temple was born in London, and is the daughter of producer Amanda Pirie and film director Julien Temple. She grew up in Somerset, England and attended Enmore Primary School, Bedales School, and King's College, Taunton...
, Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
and William H. Macy
William H. Macy
William Hall Macy, Jr. is an American actor and writer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo. He is also a teacher and director in theater, film and television. His film career has been built mostly on his appearances in small, independent films, though...
, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on September 12, 2010.
She also appeared in the critically acclaimed film The Help
The Help (film)
The Help is a 2011 comedy-drama film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's novel of the same name. The film is about a young white woman, Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, and her relationship with two black maids during Civil Rights era America in the early 1960s...
, starring opposite Emma Stone, Viola Davis
Viola Davis
Viola Davis is an American actress.Known primarily as a stage actress, Davis won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play and a Drama Desk Award for her role in King Hedley II . She won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for her role in the...
and Bryce Dallas Howard
Bryce Dallas Howard
Bryce Dallas Howard is an American film actress and daughter of director Ron Howard. She made her acting debut in her father's 1989 movie Parenthood and went on to have small roles in films and make stage appearances for the next several years...
.
Personal life
Steenburgen married Malcolm McDowellMalcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell is an English actor with a career spanning over forty years.McDowell is principally known for his roles in the controversial films If...., O Lucky Man!, A Clockwork Orange and Caligula...
in 1980 and they had two children together: Lilly Amanda (now Lilly McDowell Walton), born January 31, 1981, and Charles Malcolm, born July 10, 1983. Charlie, who runs a popular blog and twitter feed titled "Dear Girls Above Me" recently had his website, which details the many vapid and airheaded things his upstair neighbors can be overheard saying, optioned for a movie produced by Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher
Christopher Ashton Kutcher , best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model and comedian, best known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show...
. Steenburgen and McDowell divorced in 1990, and Steenburgen has been married to actor Ted Danson
Ted Danson
Edward Bridge “Ted” Danson III is an American actor best known for his role as central character Sam Malone in the sitcom Cheers, and his role as Dr. John Becker on the series Becker. He also plays a recurring role on Larry David's HBO sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm and starred alongside Glenn Close...
since 1995.
In September 2005, she and Danson gave a guest lecture for students at the Clinton School of Public Service
Clinton School of Public Service
The Clinton School of Public Service is a branch of the University of Arkansas system and is the newest of the presidential schools. It is located on the grounds of the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock. The school is housed in a former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad station...
where they discussed their roles in public service as well as the foundations and causes in which they are involved. An alumna of Hendrix College
Hendrix College
Hendrix College is a private liberal arts college located in Conway, Arkansas. The student body averages around 1,400 and currently represents forty-three states and fourteen foreign countries. In US News and World Report's America's Best Colleges, Hendrix is ranked annually in the top tier of...
, Steenburgen received an honorary doctorate from the institution in 1989. In 2006, Steenburgen received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Lyon College
Lyon College
Lyon College is an independent, residential, co-educational, undergraduate liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church . Founded in 1872, it is the oldest independent college in Arkansas...
in Batesville, Arkansas
Batesville, Arkansas
Batesville is the county seat and largest city of Independence County, Arkansas, United States, 80 miles northeast of Little Rock, the state capital. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 9,556...
.
She is a close friend of Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
and former Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Hillary Clinton, and supported Clinton's 2008 Presidential campaign along with her husband.
She splits her time living in Ojai, California
Ojai, California
Ojai is a city in Ventura County, California, USA. It is situated in the Ojai Valley , surrounded by hills and mountains. The population was 7,461 at the 2010 census, down from 7,862 at the 2000 census.-History:Chumash Indians were the early inhabitants of the valley...
and Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
, in addition to sharing a condominium with Danson in the River Market District of Little Rock.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Goin' South Goin' South Goin' South is an American western-comedy film, directed by and starring Jack Nicholson. The 1978 film also starred Mary Steenburgen in her movie debut and included Christopher Lloyd, John Belushi , Richard Bradford, Veronica Cartwright, Danny DeVito and Ed Begley, Jr.At the beginning, the... |
Julia Tate/Moon | Nominated for Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Acting Debut – Female |
| 1979 | Time After Time Time After Time (1979 film) Time After Time is a 1979 American fantasy film written and directed by Nicholas Meyer. His screenplay is based largely on a novel by Karl Alexander and a story by Steve Hayes. It concerns British author H. G... |
Amy Robbins | Saturn Award for Best Actress |
| 1980 | Melvin and Howard Melvin and Howard Melvin and Howard is a 1980 American comedy-drama film directed by Jonathan Demme. The screenplay by Bo Goldman was inspired by real-life Utah service station owner Melvin Dummar, who was listed as the beneficiary of USD$156 million in a will allegedly handwritten by Howard Hughes that was... |
Lynda Dummar | •Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the... •Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance in a motion picture released in the previous year.... •Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress -1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... •Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress The Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award given by the Kansas City Film Critics Circle to honor the best achievements in acting.-1960s:-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:-References:*... •Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress The Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress is one of the annual awards given by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.This award has been awarded since 1977.-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... •National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress The National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress is one of the annual awards given by the National Society of Film Critics.This awards was given for the first time in 1967 to Marjorie Rhodes for her role in The Family Way.... •New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award given by the New York Film Critics Circle, honoring the finest achievements in filmmaking.... |
| 1981 | Ragtime Ragtime (film) Ragtime is a 1981 American film based on the historical novel Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow. The action takes place in and around New York City, New Rochelle, and Atlantic City in the first decade of the 1900s, and includes fictionalized references to actual people and events of the time. The film was... |
Mother | Nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture |
| 1982 | A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy is a 1982 film written, directed by and starring Woody Allen.The plot is loosely based on Ingmar Bergman's Smiles of a Summer Night. This was the first of 13 movies that Allen would make starring Mia Farrow... |
Adrian | |
| 1983 | Faerie Tale Theatre Faerie Tale Theatre Faerie Tale Theatre is a live-action children's television anthology series retelling popular fairy tales. Shelley Duvall serves as narrator, host and executive producer of the program, and occasionally stars in episodes... |
Mary / Little Red Riding Hood | Little Red Riding Hood |
| Cross Creek Cross Creek (film) Cross Creek is a 1983 film starring Mary Steenburgen as The Yearling author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. The film is directed by Martin Ritt and is based, in part, on Rawlings' 1942 memoir, Cross Creek.-Plot:... |
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings was an American author who lived in rural Florida and wrote novels with rural themes and settings. Her best known work, The Yearling, about a boy who adopts an orphaned fawn, won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1939 and was later made into a movie, also known as The... |
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| Romantic Comedy | Phoebe Craddock | ||
| 1985 | One Magic Christmas One Magic Christmas One Magic Christmas is a 1985 Canadian-American holiday film from Walt Disney Pictures directed by Phillip Borsos and starring Mary Steenburgen and Harry Dean Stanton.-Synopsis:... |
Ginny Hanks Grainger | Nominated for 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... |
| Tender Is the Night Tender is the Night Tender Is the Night is a novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was his fourth and final completed novel, and was first published in Scribner's Magazine between January-April, 1934 in four issues... |
Nicole Warren Diver | TV mini-series Nominated for British Academy Television Award for Best Actress British Academy Television Award for Best Actress - 1950s :*1955 Googie Withers*1956 Virginia McKenna*1957 Rosalie Crutchley*1958 Gwen Watford*1959 Catherine Lacey- 1960s :*1960 Catherine Lacey*1961 Billie Whitelaw*1962 Ruth Dunning*1963 Brenda Bruce*1964 Vivien Merchant*1965 Katherine Blake... Nominated for CableACE Award CableACE Award The CableACE Award was an award that was given from 1978 to 1997 to honor excellence in American cable television programming... for Actress in a Movie or Miniseries |
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| 1987 | The Whales of August The Whales of August The Whales of August is a 1987 film starring Bette Davis and Lillian Gish as elderly sisters. Also in the cast were Ann Sothern as one of their friends, and Vincent Price as a peripheral member of the former Russian aristocracy. The film was shot on location on Maine's Cliff Island. The house... |
Young Sarah | |
| Dead of Winter Dead of Winter Dead of Winter is a thriller film made in 1987 It was directed by Arthur Penn and is a remake of the 1945 film My Name Is Julia Ross and stars Mary Steenburgen who plays three roles in the film.-Plot:... |
Julie Rose/Katie McGovern/Evelyn | ||
| 1988 | The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank is a 1988 TV film directed by John Erman, based on Miep Gies' book Anne Frank Remembered.-Plot:... |
Miep Gies Miep Gies Miep Gies was one of the Dutch citizens who hid Anne Frank, her family and several family friends in an attic annex above Anne's father's place of business from the Nazis during World War II... |
Television movie Television movie A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to... Nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie |
| End of the Line | Rose Pickett | ||
| 1989 | Parenthood | Karen Buckman | |
| Miss Firecracker Miss Firecracker Miss Firecracker is a 1989 comedy film directed by Thomas Schlamme. It stars Holly Hunter, Mary Steenburgen, Tim Robbins, Alfre Woodard, and Scott Glenn... |
Elain Rutledge | ||
| 1990 | The Long Walk Home The Long Walk Home The Long Walk Home is a 1990 film starring Sissy Spacek and Whoopi Goldberg.-Origins:The feature film is based on a short screenplay of the same name, written by John Cork. While a student at USC, Cork submitted his script for consideration by the Cinema Department, hoping to also direct. While... |
Narrator voice | |
| Back to the Future Part III Back to the Future Part III Back to the Future Part III is a 1990 American science fiction comedy Western film. It is the third installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson. The film... |
Clara Clayton | Nominated for Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress | |
| 1991 | The Butcher's Wife The Butcher's Wife The Butcher's Wife is a 1991 romantic comedy film, in which a clairvoyant woman thinks that she's met her future husband , who she has seen in her dreams and is a butcher in New York. They marry and move to the city, where her powers tend to influence everyone she meets while working in the shop... |
Stella Keefover | |
| Back to the Future: The Animated Series Back to the Future: The Animated Series Back to the Future: The Animated Series is an animated series for television based on the Back to the Future trilogy of feature films. The series lasted two seasons, each featuring 13 episodes, and ran on CBS from September 7, 1991 to November 28, 1992. It reran until August 14, 1993... |
Clara Clayton-Brown (voice) | ||
| 1993 | Philadelphia Philadelphia (film) Philadelphia is a 1993 American drama film that was one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to acknowledge HIV/AIDS, homosexuality and homophobia. It was written by Ron Nyswaner and directed by Jonathan Demme. The film stars Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington... |
Belinda Conine | |
| What's Eating Gilbert Grape What's Eating Gilbert Grape What's Eating Gilbert Grape is a 1993 film directed by Lasse Hallström and starring Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio. Peter Hedges wrote the screenplay adapted from his 1991 novel of the same name... |
Betty Carver | ||
| 1994 | Pontiac Moon Pontiac Moon Pontiac Moon is a 1994 adventure film directed by Peter Medak, and produced by Robert Schaffel and Youssef Vahabzadeh.The film stars Ted Danson as Washington Bellamy, a "pigheaded" science teacher in a small California town, and Mary Steenburgen as his wife Katherine. Danson was also one of 3... |
Katherine Bellamy | |
| The Gift The Gift (1994 film) The Gift is a 30 minute made for television movie directed by Laura Dern and starring Jason Adelman, Bonnie Bedelia, Peter Horton, Diane Ladd, Isabella Rossellini and Mary Steenburgen. It is about a woman trying to cope with the prospect of breaking up with her longtime partner and moving on with... |
TV | ||
| It Runs in the Family My Summer Story It Runs in the Family is a 1994 film that follows the further adventures of Ralphie Parker and his family from the holiday hit A Christmas Story... |
Mrs. Parker (Mother) | ||
| Clifford Clifford (film) Clifford is a 1994 comedy film starring Martin Short, Charles Grodin, and Mary Steenburgen.The film was shot in 1990 and originally planned for release in the summer of 1991, but remained in limbo for several years due to Orion Pictures' bleak financial situation... |
Sarah Davis | ||
| 1995 | Nixon Nixon (film) Nixon is a 1995 American biographical film directed by Oliver Stone for Cinergi Pictures that tells the story of the political and personal life of former US President Richard Nixon, played by Anthony Hopkins.... |
Hannah Nixon | Nominated for Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
| The Grass Harp | Sister Ida | ||
| My Family My Family (film) My Family is an American drama film directed by Gregory Nava and written by Nava and Anna Thomas. The motion picture stars Jimmy Smits, Edward James Olmos, Esai Morales, and others. It also features Jennifer Lopez in her second film role.... |
Gloria | ||
| Powder Powder (film) Powder is a 1995 film directed by Victor Salva, about a boy, nicknamed "Powder", with incredible intellect, telepathy, and paranormal powers. It stars Sean Patrick Flanery in the title role, with Jeff Goldblum, Mary Steenburgen, Bradford Tatum, Lance Henriksen, and Brandon Smith in supporting roles... |
Jesse | ||
| 1996 | Gulliver's Travels Gulliver's Travels (TV miniseries) Gulliver's Travels is a U.S. TV miniseries based on Jonathan Swift's novel of the same name, produced by Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment. This miniseries is notable for being one of the very few adaptations of Swift's novel to feature all four voyages. The miniseries aired in the... |
Mary Gulliver | TV |
| Ink Ink (TV series) Ink is a television sitcom which aired on CBS from 1996-1997 that starred real-life husband and wife Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen as newspaper journalists, allegedly inspired by the film His Girl Friday. The show was also produced by Danson and Steenburgen. The show was canceled after one season... |
Kate Montgomery | TV Series | |
| 1998 | About Sarah | Sarah Elizabeth McCaffrey | TV Nominated for Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie |
| 1999 | Noah's Ark Noah's Ark (1999 film) Noah's Ark is a 1999 TV Film directed by John Irvin and starring Jon Voight and Mary Steenburgen. The film, as many other related film and television projects, re-tells the Biblical story of Noah's Ark from the Book of Genesis... |
Naamah | TV |
| 2000 | Curb Your Enthusiasm Curb Your Enthusiasm Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy television series produced and broadcast by HBO, which premiered on October 15, 2000. As of 2011, it has completed 80 episodes over eight seasons. The series was created by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, who stars as a fictionalized version of himself... |
Herself | 4 episodes |
| Picnic | Rosemary Sydney | TV | |
| 2001 | I Am Sam I Am Sam I Am Sam is a 2001 American drama film written and directed by Jessie Nelson, and starring Sean Penn as a father with a developmental disability, Dakota Fanning as his inquisitive seven-year-old daughter, and Michelle Pfeiffer as his lawyer... |
Dr. Blake | |
| Life as a House Life as a House Life as a House is a 2001 American drama film produced and directed by Irwin Winkler. The screenplay by Mark Andrus focuses on a man who is anxious to repair his relationship with his ex-wife and teenaged son after he is diagnosed with terminal cancer.... |
Colleen Beck | ||
| The Trumpet of the Swan The Trumpet of the Swan (film) The Trumpet of the Swan is a 2001 animated film produced by RichCrest Animation Studios, directed by Richard Rich, and distributed by TriStar Pictures, being TriStar's first animated film since 1988's Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw.-Plot:... |
Mother Voice | ||
| Nobody's Baby | Estelle | ||
| 2002 | Wish You Were Dead Wish You Were Dead Wish You Were Dead is a crime comedy about two femme fatales fighting over one man in a back-stabbing, money-grabbing, insurance-hustling, double-dealing, two-timing caper.... |
Sally Rider | Nominated for DVD Premiere Award DVD Exclusive Awards The DVD Exclusive Awards is an award that honors direct to video productions. The awards were first held in 2001. They are awarded by online periodical Video Business and The Digital Entertainment Group.... for Best Supporting Actress |
| Sunshine State Sunshine State (film) Sunshine State is a 2002 American comedy–drama film written and directed by John Sayles. The picture stars an ensemble cast that features Angela Bassett, Edie Falco, Jane Alexander, Alan King, Timothy Hutton, Mary Steenburgen, Bill Cobbs, and others. The movie was filmed on Amelia Island,... |
Francine Pinkney | ||
| Talking to Heaven / Living with the Dead Talking to Heaven (film) Living with the Dead is a 2002 supernatural drama starring Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen and Jack Palance. It was inspired by the life of the medium James Van Praagh. The film's rated PG-13... |
Detective Karen Condrin | TV | |
| 2003–2005 | Joan of Arcadia Joan of Arcadia Joan of Arcadia is an American television fantasy/family drama telling the story of teenager Joan Girardi , who sees and speaks with God and performs tasks she is given. The series originally aired on Fridays, 8-9 p.m... |
Helen Girardi | TV Series – 45 episodes Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Television Series Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Television Series The Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series Drama and Musical/Comedy was an award given in 2002 and 2003.-Drama:-Musical or Comedy:... |
| 2003 | Elf Elf (film) Elf is a 2003 comedy film directed by Jon Favreau, written by David Berenbaum and starring Will Ferrell, James Caan, and Zooey Deschanel. It was released in the United States on November 7, 2003 and grossed over $220,400,000 worldwide.-Plot:A baby crawls into Santa Claus' sack while he is... |
Emily Hobbs | |
| Casa de los Babys Casa de los Babys Casa de los Babys is a 2003 drama film written, directed, and edited by filmmaker John Sayles. It features an ensemble cast, including Marcia Gay Harden, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Daryl Hannah.-Plot:... |
Gayle | ||
| Hope Springs | Joanie Fisher | ||
| 2004 | Capital City | Elaine Summer | TV |
| It Must Be Love | Clem Gazelle | TV | |
| 2005 | Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School is a 2005 musical romance film produced by Samuel Goldwyn Films and directed by Randall Miller... |
Marienne Hotchkiss | |
| 2006 | The Dead Girl The Dead Girl The Dead Girl is a 2006 American film written and directed by Karen Moncrieff, starring Brittany Murphy, Toni Collette, Rose Byrne and Marcia Gay Harden. The film was nominated for several 2007 Independent Spirit Awards awards including Best Feature and Best Director. It is the story of a young... |
Beverley, Leah's Mother | |
| Inland Empire Inland Empire (film) Inland Empire, sometimes styled as INLAND EMPIRE, is a 2006 mystery film written and directed by David Lynch. It was his first feature-length film since 2001's Mulholland Drive, and shares many similarities with that film. It premiered in Italy at the Venice Film Festival on September 6, 2006... |
Visitor #2 | ||
| 2007 | Reinventing the Wheelers | Claire Wheeler | TV |
| Elvis and Anabelle Elvis and Anabelle Elvis and Anabelle is an independent film directed by Will Geiger. It premiered on March 10, 2007 at the South by Southwest film and music festival in Austin, Texas... |
Geneva | ||
| Numb Numb (film) Numb is a 2007 American drama film written and directed by Harris Goldberg. According to an interview with Goldberg on a bonus feature of the DVD release, he was inspired to write the screenplay by his own experience battling depersonalization disorder and clinical depression.-Plot:When modestly... |
Dr. Cheryl Blaine | ||
| Nobel Son Nobel Son Nobel Son is a 2007 American black comedy about a dysfunctional family dealing with the kidnapping of their son for ransom following the father's winning of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry... |
Sarah Michaelson | ||
| The Brave One The Brave One (2007 film) The Brave One is a 2007 crime-drama/psychological thriller film directed by Neil Jordan, produced by Joel Silver, and starring Jodie Foster. It was released in the United States on September 14, 2007... |
Carol | ||
| Honeydripper Honeydripper (film) Honeydripper is a 2007 American musical drama film written and directed by John Sayles.-Plot:Filmed and set in Alabama, the film stars Danny Glover as the owner of a blues club that is failing until he hires a young electric guitarist . The film also stars musician Keb' Mo', actor/comedian Kel... |
Amanda Winship | ||
| 2008 | Step Brothers Step Brothers (film) Step Brothers is a 2008 American slapstick buddy-comedy film directed by Adam McKay, produced by Judd Apatow and Jimmy Miller, and stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, who originally teamed up in Talladega Nights . The screenplay was written by Ferrell and McKay, from a story written by Ferrell,... |
Nancy Huff | |
| Four Christmases Four Christmases Four Christmases is a Christmas-themed romantic comedy film about a couple who go to see their divorced parents in one day... |
Marilyn | ||
| 2009 | In the Electric Mist In the Electric Mist In the Electric Mist is a 2009 Franco-American drama/mystical film based on the novel In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead by James Lee Burke... |
Bootsie Robicheaux | |
| The Open Road The Open Road The Open Road is a 2009 comedy-drama film written and directed by Michael Meredith. It stars Justin Timberlake, Kate Mara, Jeff Bridges and Mary Steenburgen and was produced by Anchor Bay Entertainment. Country singer Lyle Lovett and Harry Dean Stanton are also among the cast... |
Katherine | ||
| The Proposal The Proposal (film) The Proposal is a 2009 American romantic comedy film set in Sitka, Alaska. Directed by Anne Fletcher and written by Peter Chiarelli, the film features Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds as the leading roles, with Mary Steenburgen, Betty White, and Craig T. Nelson in supporting roles... |
Grace Paxton | ||
| Did You Hear About the Morgans? Did You Hear About the Morgans? Did You Hear About the Morgans? is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed and written by Marc Lawrence. Golden Globe winners Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker portray the film's protagonists, Paul and Meryl Morgan, a recently separated New York power couple on the verge of divorce until... |
Emma Wheeler | ||
| 2010 | Dirty Girl Dirty Girl (2010 film) Dirty Girl is a 2010 coming of age comedy, written and directed by Abe Sylvia. It stars Juno Temple, Milla Jovovich and William H. Macy. It premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival on 12 September 2010... |
Peggy | |
| 2011 | The Help The Help (film) The Help is a 2011 comedy-drama film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's novel of the same name. The film is about a young white woman, Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, and her relationship with two black maids during Civil Rights era America in the early 1960s... |
Elain Stein | |
| 2011 | Wilfred Wilfred (TV series) Wilfred is an Australian comedy television series directed by Tony Rogers, produced by Jenny Livingston and starring Jason Gann, Adam Zwar and Cindy Waddingham. Created by Zwar, Gann and Rogers, it was based on their award-winning 2002 short film and later adapted to a series... |
Ryan's Mother Katherine | TV |