Known for her ability to play a broad array of characters -- from tender, soft-spoken women to passionate ladies with invincible spirit -- Mary Steenburgen was born Feb. 8, 1953, in Newport, Ark. She pursued drama in college but at 19 left for the Big Apple, where she spent several years with an improvisational theatrical company at the Neighborhood Playhouse.Thanks to actor Jack Nicholson, Steenburgen was cast in her first film, Goin' South, in 1978. Her role in Melvin and Howard launched her to stardom two years later, and she took home a Best Supporting Actress Oscar and a Golden Globe for her beguiling performance. Among Steenburgen's other noteworthy movies are Cross Creek (1983), Back to the Future III (1990), Philadelphia (1996), Nixon (1995) and the 2003 comedy hit Elf.
Despite her busy work schedule, Steenburgen devotes time to ecological and human rights issues.
AddParenthoodDirector Ron Howard teams with Steve Martin for a heartwarming comedy about life's most rewarding occupation: parenthood. Gil (Martin) and Karen Buckman (Mary Steenburgen) are facing the age-old dilemma of trying to raise their children the "right" way. But as Gil and the rest of his clan (including... Read More
Add AllJoan of Arcadia: Season 1Detective Will Girardi's (Joe Mantegna) daughter, Joan (Amber Tamblyn), is deeply troubled, but not by the typical angst and rebellion that plagues kids her age. In fact, she's very much unlike her peers in one regard: Unbeknownst to her parents and siblings, she's the modern-day incarnation of the... Read More
AddGoin' SouthAntic Western that sees Jack Nicholson as a n'er-do-well drifter caught by a posse while trying to escape to Mexico and forced to marry a widow (Mary Steenburgen) to save himself from the hangman's noose. It's the odd couple in pantaloons when Nicholson and Steenburgen try to find some common ground... Read More
AddCross CreekFrustrated newspaper reporter Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (Mary Steenburgen) abandons her career and moves to a Florida bayou to concentrate on writing fiction. Here, Marjorie's life is changed by a devoted servant (Alfre Woodard) who befriends her, a local businessman (Peter Coyote) who becomes her... Read More
AddTalking to HeavenFollow medium James Van Praagh (Ted Danson) as he aids in a 30-year-old murder investigation in this crime thriller based on Van Praagh's autobiography. Plagued by ghostly voices and gruesome images, James must unearth the truth to release the tortured souls of the deceased. This two-part TV movie... Read More
