Mary McDonnell

Known for

Acting

Born

April 28, 1952 (age 74)

Birthplace

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA

Biography

Mary Eileen McDonnell (born April 28, 1952) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She received Academy Award nominations for her roles as Stands With A Fist in Dances With Wolves and May-Alice Culhane in Passion Fish. McDonnell is well known for her performances as President Laura Roslin in Battlestar Galactica, First Lady Marilyn Whitmore in Independence Day, and Rose in Donnie Darko. She was featured as Captain Sharon Raydor during seasons 5–7 of the TNT series The Closer and starred as Commander Sharon Raydor in the spin-off series Major Crimes on the same network. In 2023, she played Madeleine Usher in the miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix.

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Best known work

Donnie Darko

2001

Grey's Anatomy

2005

Independence Day

1996

Dances with Wolves

1990

Scream 4

2011

Fargo

2014

Margin Call

2011

Battlestar Galactica

2004

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf

2021

Sneakers

1992

Filmography

TBA
One Second After
as Jen
2026
The BoroughsTV
as The Duchess (1 episode)
2025
Twelve Dates 'Til ChristmasTV
as Delilah (6 episodes)
2025
Broke
as Kathy Brandywine
2023
The Fall of the House of UsherTV
as Madeline Usher (8 episodes)
2021
The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf
as Lady Zerbst (voice)
2021
RebelTV
as Helen Peterson (6 episodes), as Helen (1 episode)
2014
FargoTV
as Ruby Goldfarb (4 episodes)
2012
Major CrimesTV
as Captain Sharon Raydor (105 episodes)
2011
Margin Call
as Mary Rogers
2011
Scream 4
as Kate Roberts
2009
Hostile Makeover
as Rose Smithsonian
2007
Battlestar Galactica: Razor
as President Laura Roslin
2005
Mrs. Harris
as Vivian Schulte
2005
The CloserTV
as Captain Sharon Raydor (21 episodes), as Sharon Raydor (25 episodes), as Sharon Raydor (archive footage) (uncredited) (1 episode)
2005
Grey's AnatomyTV
as Virginia Dixon (3 episodes)
2004
Crazy Like a Fox
as Amy Banks
2004
Battlestar GalacticaTV
as Laura Roslin (73 episodes)
2004
Veronica MarsTV
as Jane (1 episode)
2003
Battlestar GalacticaTV
as President Laura Roslin (2 episodes)
2003
The Making of ‘Sneakers’
as Self
2003
Dances with Wolves: The Creation of an Epic
as Self
2003
Nola
as Margaret Langworthy
2002
The Locket
as Helen Staples
2001
Donnie Darko
as Rose Darko