Mary Steenburgen | Biography, Movies, TV Shows, & Facts | Britannica (2024)

American actress

verifiedCite

While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

Select Citation Style

Feedback

Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Print

verifiedCite

While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

Select Citation Style

Feedback

Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Also known as: Mary Nell Steenburgen

Written by

Patricia Bauer Pat Bauer graduated from Ripon College in 1977 with a double major in Spanish and Theatre. She spent most of the next 42 years working as a copy editor and editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Patricia Bauer

Fact-checked by

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Article History

Quick Facts

In full:
Mary Nell Steenburgen
Born:
February 8, 1953, Newport, Arkansas, U.S. (age 71)
Awards And Honors:
Academy Award (1981)
Golden Globe Award (1981)
Academy Award (1981): Actress in a Supporting Role
Golden Globe Award (1981): Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Notable Family Members:
spouse Ted Danson

See all related content →

Recent News

Sep. 26, 2024, 6:13 AM ET (The Hollywood Reporter)

Ben Stiller to Produce, Act in Pickleball Comedy ‘The Dink’

Mary Steenburgen (born February 8, 1953, Newport, Arkansas, U.S.) is an American actress who is known for her charming and gentle demeanor in a wide variety of roles ranging from comic to villainous and from long-suffering to authoritative.

Steenburgen grew up in Arkansas and performed in high-school plays. She briefly attended Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, before moving in 1972 to New York City to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. She cofounded an improvisational comedy troupe with other graduates of the school before being cast by Jack Nicholson as a spinster who saves his character from the gallows in the little-seen western comedy Goin’ South (1978). She played opposite Malcolm McDowell (who portrayed H.G. Wells) in the time-travel film Time After Time (1979). In her third movie, Melvin and Howard (1980), Steenburgen’s performance as the winsome go-go dancer married to the hapless dreamer Melvin Dummar (played by Paul Le Mat) won her both a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award as best supporting actress. She played a prim matriarch in Miloš Forman’s Ragtime (1981), based on the 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow, and the writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings in the biopic Cross Creek (1983). Steenburgen was nominated for a BAFTA award for her portrayal of Nicole Diver in the 1985 television miniseries Tender Is the Night, based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Britannica QuizOscar-Worthy Movie Trivia

Steenburgen’s later films included the comedy Miss Firecracker (1989), Ron Howard’s Parenthood (1989), Back to the Future Part III (1990), What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Philadelphia (1993), and Oliver Stone’s Nixon (1995). She starred with Ted Danson (her husband from 1995) in the acclaimed two-part TV miniseries Gulliver’s Travels (1996). Steenburgen and Danson also starred in the short-lived TV comedy Ink (1996–97). She later appeared in Life as a House (2001), John Sayles’s Sunshine State (2002), the romance Hope Springs (2003), and the Will Ferrell vehicle Elf (2003). During this time Steenburgen began making guest appearances on the cult favourite television show Curb Your Enthusiasm. She starred with Amber Tamblyn and Joe Mantegna in the 2003–05 TV series Joan of Arcadia. In addition, Steenburgen performed in David Lynch’s dramatic film Inland Empire (2006) and the romantic comedy The Proposal (2009).

In the 2010s Steenburgen appeared in the movies The Help (2011) and Book Club (2018). She played recurring characters in numerous TV shows, including 30 Rock, Justified, Orange Is the New Black, On Becoming a God in Central Florida, and Grace and Frankie. Steenburgen also was a cast member on the series Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (2020–21), and she appeared in the companion movie Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas (2021). Her other film credits included the holiday comedy Happiest Season (2020) and Guillermo del Toro’s film noir Nightmare Alley (2021).

Pat Bauer The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Mary Steenburgen | Biography, Movies, TV Shows, & Facts | Britannica (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Melvina Ondricka

Last Updated:

Views: 5281

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (68 voted)

Reviews: 91% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Melvina Ondricka

Birthday: 2000-12-23

Address: Suite 382 139 Shaniqua Locks, Paulaborough, UT 90498

Phone: +636383657021

Job: Dynamic Government Specialist

Hobby: Kite flying, Watching movies, Knitting, Model building, Reading, Wood carving, Paintball

Introduction: My name is Melvina Ondricka, I am a helpful, fancy, friendly, innocent, outstanding, courageous, thoughtful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.