
Mary McDonnell
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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Gallery




Known For
Acting History
2025
Twelve Dates 'Til Christmas as Delilah
2025Broke as Kathy Brandywine
2023The Fall of the House of Usher as Madeline Usher
2021The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf as Lady Zerbst (voice)
2021Rebel as Helen Peterson
2021Rebel as Helen
2014Fargo as Ruby Goldfarb
2012Major Crimes as Captain Sharon Raydor
2011Margin Call as Mary Rogers
2011Scream 4 as Kate Roberts
2009Hostile Makeover as Rose Smithsonian
2007Battlestar Galactica: Razor as President Laura Roslin
2006Mrs. Harris as Vivian Schulte
2005The Closer as Sharon Raydor
2005The Closer as Captain Sharon Raydor
2005The Closer as Sharon Raydor (archive footage) (uncredited)
2005Grey's Anatomy as Virginia Dixon
2004Crazy Like a Fox as Amy Banks
2004Battlestar Galactica as Laura Roslin
2004Veronica Mars as Jane
2003Battlestar Galactica as President Laura Roslin
2003The Making of ‘Sneakers’ as Self
2003Dances with Wolves: The Creation of an Epic as Self
2003Nola as Margaret Langworthy
2002The Locket as Helen Staples
2001Donnie Darko as Rose Darko
2000For All Time as Laura Brown
2000A Father's Choice as Susan Shaw
1999Ryan Caulfield: Year One as Rachel Caulfield
1999Mumford as Althea Brockett
1999Replacing Dad as Linda Marsh
1999Behind the Mask as Mary Shushan
1998You Can Thank Me Later as Diane
1998Evidence of Blood as Dora Overton
199712 Angry Men as Judge
1997Two Voices as Sybil Goldrich
1996Mariette in Ecstasy as Prioress
1996Independence Day: The ID4 Invasion as Self
1996The Making of 'Independence Day' as Self
1996Independence Day as Marilyn Whitmore
1996Woman Undone as Teri Hansen
1995High Society as Dott Emerson
1994Touched by an Angel as Sister Theodore Claire
1994ER as Eleanor Carter
1994Blue Chips as Jenny
1993The American Clock as Rose Baumler
1992Passion Fish as May-Alice Culhane
1992Sneakers as Liz
1991Grand Canyon as Claire
1990The Making of 'Dances with Wolves' as Herself
1990Dances with Wolves as Stands With A Fist
1988American Experience as Narrator (voice)
1988Tiger Warsaw as Paula Warsaw
1987Matewan as Elma Radnor
1986Courage as Gabriella Estrada
1984Garbo Talks as Lady Capulet
1984E/R as Eve Sheridan
1982Money on the Side as Terri
1953The Oscars as Self
1951Hallmark Hall of Fame as Helen Staples
1944Golden Globe Awards as Self
—VisionQuest
—One Second After as Jen







