Mary McDonnell was born on the 28th April 1952, in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania USA, and is a film, theatre and television actress, perhaps best known for her nomination for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in the movie “Dances with Wolves” (1990). Mary is also known for her role of the president Laura Roslin in the television series “Battlestar Galactica” (2004 – 2009). McDonnell has been active in the entertainment industry since 1977.
So just how rich is the actress? It has been calculated by authoritative sources that the outright size of Mary McDonnell’s net worth is as much as $10 million, as of the data given in early 2017. Acting is the main source of McDonnell’s wealth.
Mary McDonnell Net Worth $10 Million
To begin with, she was raised in the state of New York, where Mary graduated from the State University of New York at Fredonia, in which she majored in acting. Then the young actress joined the Long Wharf Theatre Company, in which she worked for more than twenty years.
Talking about her professional career, Mary McDonnel rose to prominence after landing the role of Stands with a Fist in Kevin Costner’s film “Dances with Wolves” (1990), which earned her three nominations for Best Supporting Actress in Academy, Golden Globe and Chicago Film Critic Association Awards. In 1992, her role of May Alice Culhane landed in the film “Passion Fish” brought her another two nominations, this time for the Best Actress, including Academy and Golden Globe. The actress also played the role of the first lady in the movie “Independence Day” (1996) directed and produced by Roland Emmerich, and has also starred in the films “You Can Thank Me Later” (1998), “Donnie Darko” (2001), “Crazy Like a Fox” (2004) and “Scream 4” (2011). Together with the ensemble cast, McDonnell was nominated for Gotham and Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards for starring in drama film “Margin Call” (2011) directed by J. C. Chandor.
Regarding her work on television, McDonnell starred in the soap opera “As the World Turns” (1980), then in the medical drama “ER” (2001 – 2001) in the role of Eleanor Carter, the mother of John Carter; for this role she was nominated for an Emmy Award. Then the actress portrayed President Laura Roslin in the miniseries “Battlestar Galactica” (2003) and later in the television series of the same name from 2004 to 2009, winning a Saturn Award as the Best Actress on Television. Afterwards, she played the role of Captain Sharon Raydor in the television series “The Closer” (2009 – 2012), and when the series finished, she was invited to tske a lead role in crime drama series “Major Crimes” (2012 – present).
To conclude, all the aforementioned roles have added significant sums to the size of Mary McDonnell’s net worth.
Finally, in the personal life of the actress, she is married to the actor Randle Mell, and they have a boy and a girl. The family resides in Pacific Palisades, California.
Obie Award for Performance (1981), Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award (2012), Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television (2009)
Nominations
Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress, Golden Globe Award, Chicago Film Critic Association Awards, Gotham and Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards
Movies
“Dances with Wolves” (1990), “Independence Day” (1996), “You Can Thank Me Later” (1998), “Donnie Darko” (2001), “Crazy Like a Fox” (2004), “Scream 4” (2011),“Margin Call” (2011)
TV Shows
“Battlestar Galactica” (2004 – 2009), “As the World Turns” (1980), “ER” (2001 – 2001), “The Closer” (2009 – 2012), “Major Crimes” (2012 - present)
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Trademark
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Deep smooth voice
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Quote
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Light up the world. The world needs your light.
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We have to get back to the beauty of just being alive in this present moment.
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It's really important for actors to feel that they're more than something for hire.
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Actors are part of a certain percentage of people on this planet who have an emotional vocabulary as a primary experience. It's as if their life is experienced emotionally and then that is translated intellectually or conceptually into the performance.
Went to the United Nations with Edward James Olmos to raise profile of humanitarian concerns.
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Mary and her family lived for a time just outside Philadelphia in Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania, where she attended Port Kennedy Kindergarten, 1957-58.
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After graduation, she moved to New York City. While looking for acting work, she supported herself by selling Fuller brushes door to door in Rockefeller Center. In the classic struggling-actress tradition, she also worked as a waitress.
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Was a competitive and synchronized swimmer as a child and still swims to keep in shape.
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The role of Laura Roslin in Battlestar Galactica (2004) was written with her in mind. She was the first actor offered the role by creator Ronald D. Moore.
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Was offered the part of May-Alice Culhane in Passion Fish (1992) before it was even written.
Plays the First Lady during a devastating attack by aliens in Independence Day (1996), and the President after a devastating attack by robots in Battlestar Galactica (2004).
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Though born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, she was raised in Ithaca, New York.
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Moved to Los Angeles, California, as an adult with her husband and daughter.
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Was a cast member of the medical drama E/R (1984) and also has a recurring role on the 1990s medical drama of nearly the same name, ER (1994).