Mare Winningham
| Mare Winningham | |
|---|---|
 Winningham in 1981. |
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| Born | May 16, 1959 Phoenix, Arizona, United States |
| Occupation | Actress, Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Spouse(s) | A Martinez (1981) William Mapel (1981-1996) Jason Trucco (2008-present) |
| Children | Riley Mapel (deceased) Happy Atticus Mapel Jack Mapel Calla Louise Mapel Patrick "Paddy" Mapel |
Mary Megan "Mare" Winningham (born May 16, 1959) is an American actress and singer-songwriter.[1] She has been nominated once for an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Drama Desk, 8 Emmy Award nominations (winning two), and has also won an Independent Spirit Award and two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. She is best known for performances in St. Elmo's Fire, Miracle Mile, Turner & Hooch, The War, Georgia, George Wallace, Dandelion, Brothers, Swing Vote, Mildred Pierce and Hatfields & McCoys.
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Early life [edit]
Winningham was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and raised in Northridge, California.[2] She has three brothers and one sister. Her father was the chairman of the Department of Physical Education at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) and her mother was an English teacher and college counsellor at Monroe High School. She credits her first interest in acting to seeing an interview with Kym Karath (who played Gretl in The Sound of Music) on Art Linkletter's television show House Party when she was five or six years old.
Winningham attended Andasol Ave. Elementary School, where her favorite activities included drama and playing the guitar and drums. She took the extended drama option at Patrick Henry Junior High School and continued to study over her summer vacations at CSUN's Teenage Drama Workshop. It was at this time that she adopted the nickname "Mare". Her mother arranged for her to go to Chatsworth High School. In Grade 12, Winningham starred in a production of The Sound of Music, playing the part of Maria, opposite classmate Kevin Spacey as Captain Von Trapp.
Career [edit]
Acting [edit]
Winningham began her career as a singer-songwriter. In 1976, she got her break singing The Beatles song "Here, There and Everywhere" on The Gong Show. Though Winningham received no record contracts as result of the appearance, she was signed to an acting contract by Hollywood agent Meyer Mishkin, and received her Screen Actor's Guild card for doing three lines in an episode of James at 15. That year she was offered a role on Young Pioneers and Young Pioneers Christmas, pilots for the short-lived 1978 drama The Young Pioneers. Though the series ended with just three episodes being broadcast, a number of television projects followed, including parts on Police Woman in 1978 and Starsky and Hutch in 1979. Later that same year, she played the role of teenage outcast Jenny Flowers in the made-for-TV movie of the week called, The Death of Ocean View Park.
In 1980, Winningham starred in Off the Minnesota Strip playing a young prostitute. She then won an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie for her role in the critically acclaimed Amber Waves, a made-for-TV movie about a rough farmer (Dennis Weaver) who finds he is dying of cancer.[1] In that year, she also broke into film in One Trick Pony, starring Paul Simon. In 1983, Winningham was nominated for a Canadian Genie Award for her work in the futuristic 1981 drama Threshold, and appeared in the 1983 epic miniseries The Thorn Birds, in which she played Justine O'Neill. In 1984, she starred as Helen Keller in Helen Keller: The Miracle Continues.[2]
Winningham achieved greater fame in St. Elmo's Fire (1985) as one of the original "brat pack" alumni.[2] Despite the film's success, she failed to cash in on her teen idol status, and returned to television in the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, Love Is Never Silent, for which she received an Emmy nomination. Another well-known and well-received performance was as a homeless young mother in the television movie God Bless the Child. Winningham finished the 1980s with two Hollywood films: the nuclear disaster drama, Miracle Mile (1988), for which she received an Independent Spirit Award nomination in 1989, and the Tom Hanks vehicle Turner & Hooch in 1989. In 1988, Winningham also starred in the Los Angeles stage production of Hurlyburly with Sean Penn and Danny Aiello.
In the early 1990s, she returned to film for 1994's all-star Wyatt Earp and the family drama The War, both starring Kevin Costner. 1995 brought Georgia, a thoughtful character study of two sisters (Winningham and Jennifer Jason Leigh), which earned Winningham Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award nominations.[2] Two years later, she starred opposite Gary Sinise in George Wallace, for which she garnered her first Golden Globe Award nomination[3] and won an Emmy Award.[1]
She made acclaimed appearances on the series ER and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as appearances in the 2001 television project Sally Hemmings opposite Sam Neill and the short-lived David E. Kelley series The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire. Also in 2001, she appeared in the made for TV movie Snap Decision with Felicity Huffman. She also appeared in the independent film Dandelion, which was a staple of film festivals worldwide between 2003 and 2004 and had a limited American release in October 2005.
In 2006, she landed the role of Susan Grey on the ABC drama Grey's Anatomy where she played the stepmother of one of the main characters, Dr. Meredith Grey. Her character was killed off in May 2007.[2] In 2006, Winningham voiced the audio version of Stephen King's Lisey's Story. In 2007, she voiced Alice Hoffman's Skylight Confessions. In 2010, Winningham starred in an episode of Cold Case as main character Lilly Rush's stepmother, Celeste Cooper.[4] In 2011 she appeared in the fourth episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day as character Ellis Hartley Monroe.[5] She also starred in miniseries Mildred Pierce and Hatfields & McCoys and garnered two another Emmy nominations.[1] In 2012, she appeared off Broadway as Beth, the mother in an intellectual, though dysfunctional, British family, in the award-winning comic-drama Tribes by Nina Raine.
Music [edit]
Winningham has recorded three albums:[2] What Might Be (1992) on the Bay Cities label, Lonesomers (1998) produced by Carla Olson on the Razor and Tie label, and Refuge Rock Sublime (2007) on the Craig & Co. label. Lonesomers is a folksy album dealing with relationship issues. The country/bluegrass/Jewish/folk songs on Refuge Rock Sublime deal mostly with her recent conversion to Judaism, and include the tracks, "What Would David Do," "A Convert Jig" and the Israeli national anthem "Hatikva". She also sings on the soundtrack of Georgia.
Personal life [edit]
Winningham was raised a Roman Catholic. In November 2001, on a friend's recommendation, she took a class given by Rabbi Neal Weinberg at the University of Judaism (now the American Jewish University) in Los Angeles, California. On March 3, 2003, she converted to Judaism.[6]
Awards and nominations [edit]
Filmography [edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Young Pioneers | Nettie Peters | TV movie |
| 1976 | Young Pioneers' Christmas | Nettie Peters | TV movie |
| 1977 | James at 15 | Wanda | Episode: "The Girl with the Bad Rep" |
| 1978 | Special Olympics | Janice Gallitzin | TV movie |
| 1978 | Police Woman | Linda | Episode: "Battered Teachers" |
| 1978 | The Young Pioneers | Nettie Peters | Episode: "Sky in the Window" |
| 1979 | Starsky and Hutch | Joey Carston | Episode: "Ninety Pounds of Trouble" |
| 1979 | Family | Merilee Kalisher | Episode: "The Competition" |
| 1979 | Steeletown | Aggie Modgelewsky | TV movie |
| 1979 | The Death of Ocean View Park | Jenny Flowers | TV movie |
| 1980 | Amber Waves | Marlene Burkhardt | TV movie Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie |
| 1980 | Off the Minnesota Strip | Micki Johansen | TV movie |
| 1980 | The Women's Room | Chris | TV movie |
| 1980 | One Trick Pony | Modeena Dandridge | |
| 1981 | Threshold | Carol Severance | |
| 1981 | Freedom | Libby Bellow | TV movie |
| 1981 | A Few Days in Weasel Creek | Locksley Claitor | TV movie |
| 1982 | Missing Children: A Mother's Story | Kate Bradshaw | TV movie |
| 1983 | The Thorn Birds | Justine O'Neill | |
| 1984 | Helen Keller: The Miracle Continues | Helen Keller | TV movie |
| 1984 | Single Bars, Single Women | Bootsie | TV movie |
| 1985 | ABC Afterschool Specials | Beth | Episode: "One Too Many" |
| 1985 | St. Elmo's Fire | Wendy Beamish | |
| 1985 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Margaret Ryder | Episode: "Love Is Never Silent" |
| 1986 | The Twilight Zone | Norma Lewis | Episode: "Button, Button" |
| 1986 | A Winner Never Quits | Annie | TV movie |
| 1986 | Who Is Julia? | Mary Frances Bodine | TV movie |
| 1986 | Nobody's Fool | Pat | |
| 1987 | Shy People | Candy | |
| 1987 | Made in Heaven | Brenda Carlucci | |
| 1987 | Eye on the Sparrow | Ethel Lee | TV movie |
| 1988 | God Bless the Child | Theresa Johnson | TV movie |
| 1988 | Miracle Mile | Julie Peters | Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female |
| 1989 | Turner & Hooch | Dr. Emily Carson | |
| 1990 | Love and Lies | Kim Paris | TV movie |
| 1990 | Crossing to Freedom | Nicole Rougeron | TV movie |
| 1991 | Fatal Exposure | Jamie Hurd | TV movie |
| 1991 | She Stood Alone | Prudence Crandall | TV movie |
| 1991 | Hard Promises | Dawn | |
| 1992 | Those Secrets | Faye | TV movie |
| 1992 | Intruders | Mary Wilkes | TV movie |
| 1993 | Sexual Healing | Marta | |
| 1993 | Better Off Dead | Kit Killner | TV movie Nominated—CableACE Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie |
| 1994 | Betrayed by Love | Dana | TV movie |
| 1994 | Teresa's Tattoo | Singer | |
| 1994 | Wyatt Earp | Mattie Blaylock | |
| 1994 | The War | Lois Simmons | |
| 1995 | Georgia | Georgia Flood | Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role |
| 1995 | Letter to My Killer | Judy Parma | TV movie |
| 1996 | The Boys Next Door | Sheila | TV movie Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie |
| 1996 | The Deliverance of Elaine | Elaine Hodges | TV movie |
| 1997 | Bad Day on the Block | Catherine Braverton | |
| 1997 | George Wallace | Lurleen Wallace | TV movie Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie |
| 1997-1998 | Mad About You | Sarah McCain | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | Everything That Rises | Kyle Clay | TV movie |
| 1998 | Little Girl Fly Away | Catherine Begley | TV movie |
| 1999 | ER | Dr. Amanda Lee | 4 episodes |
| 1999 | Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke | Chandi Heffner | TV movie |
| 2000 | Sally Hemings: An American Scandal | Martha Jefferson Randolph | TV movie |
| 2000 | Sharing the Secret | Dr. Nina Moss | TV movie |
| 2001 | Snap Decision | Jennifer Bradley | TV movie |
| 2001 | Night Visions | Kate Morris | Episode: "Still Life" |
| 2002 | Six Feet Under | Eileen Piper | Episode: "The Plan" |
| 2002 | Tru Confessions | Ginny | TV movie |
| 2002 | Touched by an Angel | Maggie | Episode: "The Bells of St. Peters" |
| 2003 | The Maldonado Miracle | Maisie | TV movie |
| 2003 | The Adventures of Ociee Nash | Aunt Mamie Nash | |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Sandra Blaine | Episode: "Manic" Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series |
| 2003 | The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire | Dottie Shaw | 7 episodes |
| 2004 | Dandelion | Layla Mullich | |
| 2004-2005 | Clubhouse | Lynne Young | 11 episodes |
| 2005 | The Magic of Ordinary Days | Martha | TV movie |
| 2007 | War Eagle, Arkansas | Belle | |
| 2007 | Boston Legal | Patrice Kelly | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Grey's Anatomy | Susan Grey | 6 episodes |
| 2007 | Swing Vote | Larissa Johnson | |
| 2009 | CSI: NY | Katherine Donovan | Episode: "Greater Good" |
| 2009 | Brothers | Elsie Cahill | |
| 2010 | Cold Case | Celeste Cooper | Episode: "The Good Soldier" |
| 2010 | 24 | Elaine Al-Zacar | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Criminal Minds | Nancy Riverton | Episode: "Safe Haven" |
| 2011 | Mildred Pierce | Ida Corwin | 5 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie |
| 2011 | Torchwood: Miracle Day | Ellis Hartley Monroe | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Mirror Mirror | Baker Margaret | |
| 2012 | Hatfields & McCoys | Sally McCoy | 3 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film |
Discography [edit]
- 1992: What Might Be
- 1998: Lonesomers
- 2007: Refuge Rock Sublime
References [edit]
- ^ a b c d Mare Winningham at emmys.com
- ^ a b c d e f Mare Winningham- Biography
- ^ Winningham's awards page at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Cold Case at IMDb
- ^ Doctor Who Magazine (435). June 2011.
- ^ Naomi Pfefferman (17 September 2004). "Actress-singer Mare Winningham an unlikely Jewish soul". Jewish News Weekly. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mare Winningham |
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- 1959 births
- Living people
- American female singer-songwriters
- American film actresses
- Jewish American musicians
- American television actresses
- Converts to Judaism from Roman Catholicism
- Primetime Emmy Award winners
- Independent Spirit Award winners
- Actresses from Phoenix, Arizona
- People from the Greater Los Angeles Area
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- Jewish American actresses
