Mary Steenburgen
Biography
Mary Nell Steenburgen (born February 8, 1953) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and songwriter. After studying at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse in the 1970s, she made her professional acting debut in the Western comedy film Goin' South (1978). Steenburgen went on to earn critical acclaim for her role in Time After Time (1979) and Jonathan Demme's comedy-drama film Melvin and Howard (1980), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Gallery
Known For
Acting History
2025
Easy's Waltz
2025BULLDOZER as Kathy
2024A Man on the Inside as Mona Margadoff
2024In the Kitchen with Harry Hamlin as Self
2023Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic as Self
2023Book Club: The Next Chapter as Carol
2022Celebrating Betty White: America's Golden Girl as Self
2021Nightmare Alley as Mrs. Kimball
2021Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas as Maggie Clarke
2021Mr. Mayor as Adriana
2020Happiest Season as Tipper
202030 Rock: A One-Time Special as Mary Steenburgen
2020Reunited Apart as Self
2020Stars in the House as Self
2020Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist as Maggie Clarke
2019Flannery as Flannery O'Connor (voice)
2019Bless the Harts as Crystalynn (voice)
2019The Kelly Clarkson Show as Self
2019On Becoming a God in Central Florida as Ellen Joy Bonar
2019Antiquities as Dr. Margot
2018The Conners as Marcy Bellinger
2018Book Club as Carol
2018Katie Says Goodbye as Maybelle
2017I Do... Until I Don't as Cybil Burger
2017The Discovery as Interviewer
2017The Book of Love as Julia Mureaux
2016The Good Place as Teacher
2016Dean as Carol
2015Jim Henson's Turkey Hollow as Aunt Cly
2015A Walk in the Woods as Jeannie
20157 Days in Hell as Louisa Poole
2015Grace and Frankie as Miriam
2015The Last Man on Earth as Gail Klosterman
2015Togetherness as Linda
2014The One I Love as Mom (voice)
2014Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self
2014Song One as Karen Ellis
2013Last Vegas as Diana Boyle
2013Brahmin Bulls as Helen West
2013Orange Is the New Black as Delia Powell
2012Outlaw Country as Anastasia Lee
2012Finding Your Roots as Self
2011Clinton Foundation: Celebrity Division as Self
2011The Help as Elaine Stein
2011Wilfred as Catherine Newman
2011Fight for Your Right Revisited as Café Patron
2010Tales from the Future as Self
2010Dirty Girl as Peggy
2010Weird: The Al Yankovic Story as Mrs. Yankovic
2010Justified as Katherine Hale
2009Did You Hear About the Morgans? as Emma Wheeler
2009Clarkworld as Self
2009Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen as Self - Guest
2009The Proposal as Grace Paxton
2009In the Electric Mist as Bootsie Robicheaux
2009The Open Road as Katherine
2008Four Christmases as Marilyn
2008Step Brothers as Nancy Huff
2007The Brave One as Carol
2007Honeydripper as Amanda Winship
2007Numb as Dr. Blaine
2007Nobel Son as Sarah Michaelson
2007Elvis & Anabelle as Geneva Leigh
2006Inland Empire as Visitor #2
2006The Dead Girl as Leah's Mother
200630 Rock as Diana Jessup
2006O Lucky Malcolm! as Self
2006Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School as Marienne Hotchkiss
2005The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson as Self
2004Remembering Ragtime as Mother (archive footage)
2004The Tony Danza Show as Self - Guest
2004It Must Be Love as Clem Gazelle
2003Elf as Emily
2003Joan of Arcadia as Helen Girardi
2003Casa de los Babys as Gayle
2003E!'s 101 as Self
2003Hope Springs as Joanie Fisher
2003Mrs. Pilgrim Goes to Hollywood as Mary
2002Sunshine State as Francine Pinkney
2002Wish You Were Dead as Sally Rider
2002Living with the Dead as Detective Karen Condrin
2002Living with the Dead as Detective Karen Condrin
2001I Am Sam as Dr. Blake
2001Life as a House as Colleen Beck
2001Good Day Live as Self
2001Dinner for Five
2001The Trumpet of the Swan as Mother (voice)
2001Nobody's Baby as Estelle
2000Curb Your Enthusiasm as Mary Steenburgen
2000The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story
2000Picnic as Rosemary Sydney
1999Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Grace Rinato
1999Noah's Ark as Naamah
1998Becker as Patient (uncredited)
1998About Sarah as Sarah Elizabeth McCaffrey
1997The View as Self
1996Ink as Kate Montgomery
1996The Grass Harp as Sister Ida
1996Gulliver's Travels as Mary Gulliver
1995Nixon as Hannah Nixon
1995Powder as Jessie Caldwell
1995My Family as Gloria
1994Pontiac Moon as Katherine Bellamy
1994It Runs in the Family as Mrs. Parker (Mother)
1994Clifford as Sarah Davis
1994Ellen as Self (uncredited)
1993Philadelphia as Belinda Conine
1993What's Eating Gilbert Grape as Betty Carver
1993Frasier as Marjorie (voice)
1992Earth and the American Dream as Reader (voice)
1992Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories as Narrator (voice)
1991Back to the Future: Dickens of a Christmas as Clara Clayton Brown (voice)
1991The Butcher's Wife as Stella Keefover
1991Back to the Future as Clara Clayton (voice)
1990The Long Walk Home as Narrator (voice)
1990Sanford Meisner: The American Theatre's Best Kept Secret as Self
1990The Secrets of the 'Back to the Future' Trilogy as Self
1990Back to the Future Part III as Clara Clayton
1989Parenthood as Karen Buckman
1989Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre as Self (voice)
1989Miss Firecracker as Elaine Rutledge
1988LIVE with Kelly and Mark as Self - Guest
1988The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank as Miep Gies
1987The Whales of August as Young Sarah
1987End of the Line as Rose Pickett
1987Dead of Winter as Julie Rose / Katie McGovern / Evelyn
1985One Magic Christmas as Ginny Grainger
1985Tender Is the Night as Nicole Diver (née Warren)
1983Little Red Riding Hood as Little Red Riding Hood a.k.a. Mary
1983Romantic Comedy as Phoebe Craddock
1983Cross Creek as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
1982Faerie Tale Theatre as Mary / Little Red Riding Hood
1982A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy as Adrian
1981Ragtime as Mother
1980Melvin and Howard as Lynda Dummar
1979Time After Time as Amy Robbins
1978Goin' South as Julia Tate
1953The Oscars as Self
—Last Train to Fortune
—Let's Have Kids! as Sue
—Happiness Isn't Everything as Audrey Veill
—A Dog’s Perfect Christmas
—The Dink