Portrait of Mary McDonnell

Mary McDonnell

Acting

Biography

Mary Eileen McDonnell (born April 28, 1952) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She received Academy Award nominations for her roles as Stands With A Fist in Dances With Wolves and May-Alice Culhane in Passion Fish. McDonnell is well known for her performances as President Laura Roslin in Battlestar Galactica, First Lady Marilyn Whitmore in Independence Day, and Rose in Donnie Darko. She was featured as Captain Sharon Raydor during seasons 5–7 of the TNT series The Closer and starred as Commander Sharon Raydor in the spin-off series Major Crimes on the same network. In 2023, she played Madeleine Usher in the miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix. Description above from the Wikipedia article Mary McDonnell, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Born: April 28, 1952

Place of Birth: Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA

Filmography

2025
Broke

as Kathy Brandywine

2023
2021
2021
Rebel

as Helen Peterson

2021
Rebel

as Helen

2014
Fargo

as Ruby Goldfarb

2012
Major Crimes

as Captain Sharon Raydor

2011
Margin Call

as Mary Rogers

2011
Scream 4

as Kate Roberts

2009
Hostile Makeover

as Rose Smithsonian

2007
Battlestar Galactica: Razor

as President Laura Roslin

2006
Mrs. Harris

as Vivian Schulte

2005
The Closer

as Sharon Raydor

2005
The Closer

as Captain Sharon Raydor

2005
The Closer

as Sharon Raydor (archive footage) (uncredited)

2005
Grey's Anatomy

as Virginia Dixon

2004
Crazy Like a Fox

as Amy Banks

2004
Battlestar Galactica

as Laura Roslin

2004
2003
Battlestar Galactica

as President Laura Roslin

2003
Nola

as Margaret Langworthy

2002
The Locket

as Helen Staples

2001
Donnie Darko

as Rose Darko

2000
For All Time

as Laura Brown

2000
A Father's Choice

as Susan Shaw

1999
Ryan Caulfield: Year One

as Rachel Caulfield

1999
Mumford

as Althea Brockett

1999
Replacing Dad

as Linda Marsh

1999
Behind the Mask

as Mary Shushan

1998
Evidence of Blood

as Dora Overton

1997
12 Angry Men

as Judge

1997
Two Voices

as Sybil Goldrich

1996
Independence Day

as Marilyn Whitmore

1996
Woman Undone

as Teri Hansen

1995
High Society

as Dott Emerson

1994
Touched by an Angel

as Sister Theodore Claire

1994
ER

as Eleanor Carter

1994
Blue Chips

as Jenny

1993
The American Clock

as Rose Baumler

1992
Passion Fish

as May-Alice Culhane

1992
Sneakers

as Liz

1991
Grand Canyon

as Claire

1990
Dances with Wolves

as Stands With A Fist

1988
American Experience

as Narrator (voice)

1988
Tiger Warsaw

as Paula Warsaw

1987
Matewan

as Elma Radnor

1986
Courage

as Gabriella Estrada

1984
Garbo Talks

as Lady Capulet

1984
E/R

as Eve Sheridan

1982
1953
The Oscars

as Self

1951
Hallmark Hall of Fame

as Helen Staples