Mary Nell Steenburgen was born on 8 February 1953, in Newport, Arkansas USA, and is an actress, probably best known for her award-winning role of Lynda Dummar in the film “Melvin and Howard”. She’s also been a part of films such as “Parenthood”, “Back to the Future Part III”, “Elf”, and “The Proposal”. All of her efforts have helped put her net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Mary Steenburgen? As of mid-2016, sources estimate a net worth that is at $12 million, mostly earned through a successful career in acting. She’s worked in films, television shows as well as stage productions. All of these ensured the position of her wealth, but Mary is also known to be active in terms of charity work.
Mary Steenburgen Net Worth $12 million
After matriculating from high school, Mary attended Hendrix College to study drama. She then went to Dallas to audition for a Neighborhood Playhouse position in New York City, and was successful so moved to Manhattan, and studied acting at the Playhouse while working as a waitress.
After involvement in a few productions, she would be discovered by Jack Nicholson who would invite her to take part in his film “Goin’ South” in 1978. This opened up more film opportunities for her, including a role in “Time After Time”, and would then go on and appear in “Melvin and Howard”, which earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She then became a part of the well-received film “Cross Creek”. In 1990, she was cast for “Back to the Future Part III” in which she portrayed a teacher who falls in love with Christopher Lloyd’s character Doc Brown. She would go on and reprise her role by voicing her character in “Back to the Future: Animated Series”.
Afterwards, she appeared in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” which starred Johnny Depp, and would then appear in “Nixon”. In 2005, she was cast in “Elf” which starred Will Ferrell, and would continue appearing in comedies such as “Four Christmases” and “The Proposal”, before being seen in the independent film “Dirty Girl” alongside Juno Temple and Milla Jovovich. One of her latest appearances is in the film “The Help” which has been critically acclaimed. Her net worth is still rising.
For television, Steenburgen started out in the sitcom “Ink”, and would then appear in the miniseries “Gulliver’s Travels”. Afterwards, she appeared in “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and would then become part of the drama “Joan of Arcadia”. She had a recurring role in 2011’s “Bored to Death” and also in the “Outlaw Country” pilot. She had a recurring role in “30 Rock”, and one of her latest series is “Orange is the New Black”.
Aside from her awards, Steenburgen has received an honorary doctorate from Hendrix College and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Lyon College.
For her personal life, it is known that Mary married actor Malcolm McDowell in 1980 and they had two children before divorcing in 1990. She would then marry actor Ted Danson in 1995, who has two children from a previous marriage. They currently reside in Los Angeles. Aside from that, it is known that she is a close friend of Hilary Clinton, and supported her presidential campaign in 2008.
Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble, Satellite Award for Best Ensemble – Mot...
Nominations
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie, British Academy Television Award for Best Actress, Golden Globe Award for Best New Star of the Year – Actre...
Movies
Back to the Future Part III, Step Brothers, The Proposal, Last Vegas, Elf, Melvin and Howard, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Goin' South, Four Christmases, Parenthood, Life as a House, Time After Time, Did You Hear About the Morgans?, A Walk in the Woods, The Help, Miss Firecracker, Song One, The Brav...
TV Shows
Bored to Death, Joan of Arcadia, Ink, Back to the Future, The Last Man on Earth, Tender is the Night, Reel Comedy
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Trademark
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High-pitched voice with southern accent
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There's just such a premium on hurrying, and the camera is the be all and end all, and the actors had better hurry up and get it right and get it done.
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I take the fact that films cost a lot of money very seriously, but once in a while to have somebody say, This is a big scene, take your time with it, is important. That's John Sayles.
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I was this person with this weird last name from New York that no one had ever heard of. But my screen test I guess, according to him, was the best. So I got the part, which was incredible.
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I'd already made the decision before I'd even read it-just because it was John Sayles. Then when I read it, the themes were actually themes that have been a big part of my life.
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It was a few days later I came out to Hollywood for a screen test, and so did a lot of other people. So I really didn't think I would get it. I was definitely the one that was least likely to get it, because everyone else was an already established star.
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There's a certain arrogance to an actor who will look at a script and feel like, because the words are simple, maybe they can paraphrase it and make it better.
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Anything to do with the South resonates with me, because I'm Southern.
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I helped found Artists for New South Africa, but it used to be called Artists for Free South Africa. Alfre Woodard and a bunch of us started this.
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I think that we need to look hard at our beliefs and be responsible about how we speak out.
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It's usually, my people speak to your people and then they speak around each other and trade calls for weeks.
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I know this is kind of corny, but we thought about renewing our vows again because I think my mom would really love it if we did that in Arkansas, where I came from.
Was in the film End of the Line (1987) in which she played the wife of a railroad worker. The film used Union Pacific tracks in Arkansas, which were formerly the tracks of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Mary's father was a freight train conductor on the Missouri Pacific Railroad in Arkansas.
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Parents are Maurice H. Steenburgen (1914-1989) and Nellie May Wall Steenburgen (1923-2010).
Became a grandmother for the 1st time at age 58 when her daughter Lilly McDowell gave birth to a daughter, Clementine Mae Walton in January 2012.
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Gave birth to her 2nd child at age 30, a son Charles Malcolm McDowell (aka Charlie McDowell) on July 10, 1983. Child's father is her 1st [now ex] husband, Malcolm McDowell.
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Gave birth to her 1st child at age 27, a daughter Lilly Amanda McDowell (aka Lilly McDowell) on January 22, 1981. Child's father is her 1st [now ex] husband, Malcolm McDowell.
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Her mother, Nellie May Wall Steenburgen, died on January 26, 2010 at age 86.
She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on December 16, 2009.
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When she lived in a Manhattan apartment, her next door neighbor was Steve Martin.
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Discovered by Jack Nicholson in the reception room of Paramount's New York office. Nicholson cast her as his leading lady in Goin' South (1978), Steenburgen's feature debut.
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President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton attended Steenburgen's 1995 wedding to Ted Danson. Steenburgen had personally known Clinton since he was governor of Arkansas when she resided in Little Rock. The President celebrated his 51st birthday at the Martha's Vineyard home of the couple.
In both Time After Time (1979) and Back to the Future Part III (1990), she played the love interest of a time traveller who later became one herself. In the former, she was from the time traveller's future and in the latter, she was from his past.
Returned to old high school in North Little Rock, Arkansas in April 2002, to teach drama workshops to students, fulfilling promise made to parents of teenager Thea Leopoulos, who was killed in a traffic accident in 2001.
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A notable patron of the arts who has set up exhibits in the past, her husband actor Ted Danson sculpts as a sideline.
$12 Million
