
Mary McDonnell
Known for Acting · 60 credits
- Born
- 1952-04-28 (age 74)
- Place of birth
- Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA
- Also known as
- Mary Eileen 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.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Mary McDonnell, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
TV Shows (20)

Grey's Anatomy
2005
as Virginia Dixon

ER
1994
as Eleanor Carter

Fargo
2014
as Ruby Goldfarb

The Closer
2005
as Captain Sharon Raydor / Sharon Raydor (archive footage) (uncredited)

Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self

Veronica Mars
2004
as Jane

Battlestar Galactica
2004
as Laura Roslin

American Experience
1988
as Narrator (voice)

Touched by an Angel
1994
as Sister Theodore Claire

Major Crimes
2012
as Captain Sharon Raydor

The Oscars
1953
as Self

Battlestar Galactica
2003
as President Laura Roslin

The Fall of the House of Usher
2023
as Madeline Usher

Rebel
2021
as Helen Peterson

VisionQuest
2026

E/R
1984
as Eve Sheridan

Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Helen Staples

High Society
1995
as Dott Emerson

Twelve Dates 'Til Christmas
2025
as Delilah

Ryan Caulfield: Year One
1999
as Rachel Caulfield
Movies (40)

Independence Day
1996
as Marilyn Whitmore

Dances with Wolves
1990
as Stands With A Fist

Donnie Darko
2001
as Rose Darko

Scream 4
2011
as Kate Roberts

Sneakers
1992
as Liz

Margin Call
2011
as Mary Rogers

12 Angry Men
1997
as Judge

Broke
2025
as Kathy Brandywine

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf
2021
as Lady Zerbst (voice)

Grand Canyon
1991
as Claire

Matewan
1987
as Elma Radnor

Battlestar Galactica: Razor
2007
as President Laura Roslin

Mumford
1999
as Althea Brockett

Passion Fish
1992
as May-Alice Culhane

Blue Chips
1994
as Jenny

Independence Day: The ID4 Invasion
1996
as Self

Mrs. Harris
2006
as Vivian Schulte

The Making of 'Independence Day'
1996
as Self

Courage
1986
as Gabriella Estrada

Nola
2003
as Margaret Langworthy

The American Clock
1993
as Rose Baumler

Garbo Talks
1984
as Lady Capulet

The Making of ‘Sneakers’
2003
as Self

Tiger Warsaw
1988
as Paula Warsaw

Evidence of Blood
1998
as Dora Overton

Dances with Wolves: The Creation of an Epic
2003
as Self
One Second After
as Jen

The Locket
2002
as Helen Staples

Two Voices
1997
as Sybil Goldrich

You Can Thank Me Later
1998
as Diane

Woman Undone
1996
as Teri Hansen

Money on the Side
1982
as Terri

Behind the Mask
1999
as Mary Shushan

For All Time
2000
as Laura Brown

Hostile Makeover
2009
as Rose Smithsonian
Mariette in Ecstasy
1996
as Prioress

The Making of 'Dances with Wolves'
1990
as Herself

Replacing Dad
1999
as Linda Marsh

A Father's Choice
2000
as Susan Shaw

Crazy Like a Fox
2004
as Amy Banks
About Mary McDonnell
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 s… With 60 credits spanning from 1944 to 2026, Mary McDonnell has appeared in 40 films and 20 TV shows.
Fans searching for Mary McDonnell movies, Mary McDonnell filmography, or the latest projects starring Mary McDonnell can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Mary McDonnell Movies
- Independence Day (1996) — as Marilyn Whitmore
- Dances with Wolves (1990) — as Stands With A Fist
- Donnie Darko (2001) — as Rose Darko
- Scream 4 (2011) — as Kate Roberts
- Sneakers (1992) — as Liz
Where to Watch Mary McDonnell Films
Most Mary McDonnell movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Mary McDonnell, check our movies catalogue and browse page.