Mary McDonnell

Mary McDonnell is an actress who has been nominated for two Oscars(r). She is well-known for her portrayals of characters from the past and present screen roles. Mary Eileen McDonnell was the daughter of John McDonnell (a computer consultant) and Eileen (Mundy) she was who is a Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania native. She was raised in Ithaca and attended Fredonia State University of New York. Then, she went to the drama school and was accepted to the Long Wharf Theatre Company in East Coast. Her most memorable film role was in Dances with Wolves (1990) by Kevin Costner. She played the character of "Stands with a Fist" an Indian Sioux-raised white woman. She earned her first Academy Award nomination for the part. McDonnell's film credits also include Lawrence Kasdan's Grand Canyon (1991) & Mumford (1999) as well as opposite veteran actors such as Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier and Ben Kingsley; Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day (1996) (starring Will Smith); the popular art house cult hit Donnie Darko (192001) as well as Margin Call (2011). The film won her the Robert Altman Awards at the 2012 Independent Spirit Awards. McDonnell was president Laura Roslin in the critically acclaimed show Battlestar Galactica (2004) on Syfy. She was the lead for four seasons. Her recurring guest role as host on the tv series ER (1994) was rewarded with an Emmy nomination. TNT's hit drama show Major Crimes (2012) stars her as Captain Sharon Raydor. It is McDonnell's second season and she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy(r). In recognition of her performance as an actress with paraplegia in John Sayles's critically acclaimed film Passion Fish (1992), she received a Best Actress Academy Award(r) nomination, nomination, and Golden Globe nomination.