Rosalie Anderson MacDowell (born April 21, 1958) is an American actress and former fashion model. MacDowell's known for her starring film roles in romantic comedies and dramas. MacDowell has modeled for

Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, an ...

and has been a spokeswoman for

L'Oréal L'Oréal S.A. () is a French personal care company headquartered in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine with a registered office in Paris. It is the world's largest cosmetics company and has developed activities in the field concentrating on hair color, ...

since 1986. Her early films include '' Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes'' (1984) and the

Brat Pack The ''Brat Pack'' is a nickname given to a group of young actors who frequently appeared together in teen-oriented coming-of-age films in the 1980s. First mentioned in a 1985 ''New York'' magazine article, it is now usually defined as the cast ...

vehicle film ''St. Elmo's Fire'' (1985). Her breakout role was in '' Sex, Lies, and Videotape'' (1989) which earned her the

Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead The Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead wass one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards to honor an actress who has delivered an outstanding lead performance in an independent film. It was first presented in 1985 with Geraldine Page bein ...

and a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama. She then starred in a series of films including ''

Green Card A green card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document which shows that a person has permanent residency in the United States. ("The term 'lawfully admitted for permanent residence' means the status of having been ...

'' (1990), ''

Groundhog Day Groundhog Day ( pdc, Grund'sau dåk, , , ; Nova Scotia: Daks Day) is a popular North American tradition observed in the United States and Canada on February 2. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerges fr ...

'' (1993), '' Short Cuts'' (1993), '' Four Weddings and a Funeral'' (1994), ''

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

'' (1996), '' Multiplicity'' (1996), and '' The Muse'' (1999). She's also known for her supporting film roles in '' Beauty Shop'' (2005), '' Footloose'' (2011), '' Magic Mike XXL'' (2015), '' Love After Love'' (2017), and '' Ready or Not'' (2019). She co-starred and opposite her daughter

Margaret Qualley Sarah Margaret Qualley (born October 23, 1994) is an American actress and model. A daughter of actress Andie MacDowell, she trained as a ballerina in her youth. She made her acting debut with a minor role in the 2013 drama film ''Palo Alto'', a ...

in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

miniseries ''

Maid A maid, or housemaid or maidservant, is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era domestic service was the second largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. In developed Western nations, full-time maids ...

'' (2021) for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.

Early life

MacDowell was born on April 21, 1958, in Gaffney, South Carolina, to Pauline "Paula" Johnston (née Oswald), a music teacher, and Marion St. Pierre MacDowell, a

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

executive. Her ancestry includes English, French, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh. Her mother was an alcoholic, and her parents divorced when she was six. MacDowell's mother died of a heart attack at age 53 after living sober for a year. When MacDowell was eight, her father remarried, this time to the former Mary Frances Stone; this union lasted until his death. MacDowell graduated from Gaffney High School in 1976, then went on to attend

Winthrop University Winthrop University is a public university in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was founded in 1886 by David Bancroft Johnson, who served as the superintendent of Columbia, South Carolina, schools. He received a grant from Robert Charles Winthrop, ...

for two years before moving briefly to

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the cit ...

. After having been spotted by a representative from Wilhelmina Models while she was on a trip to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, MacDowell signed a modeling contract with Elite Model Management in New York City in 1978.

Career

In the early 1980s, MacDowell modeled for ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' magazine and appeared in ad campaigns for Yves Saint Laurent, Vassarette,

Armani Giorgio Armani S.p.A. (), commonly known as Armani, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in Milan by Giorgio Armani which designs, manufactures, distributes and retails haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, accessories, ...

perfume, Sabeth-Row, Mink International, Anne Klein, and

Bill Blass William Ralph Blass (June 22, 1922 – June 12, 2002) was an American fashion designer. He was the recipient of many fashion awards, including seven Coty Awards and the Fashion Institute of Technology's Lifetime Achievement Award (1999). Early ...

. A series of billboards in

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

and national television commercials for

won attention and led to her 1984 film debut in '' Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes''. In this role, MacDowell's lines were dubbed by Glenn Close because her Southern accent was considered too pronounced for her role as Jane. In 1985, MacDowell filled a supporting role as a doctor in ''

St. Elmo's Fire St. Elmo's fire — also called Witchfire or Witch's Fire — is a weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created by a corona discharge from a rod-like object such as a mast, spire, chimney, or animal hornHeidorn, K., Weather Element ...

''.

MacDowell studied method acting with teachers from the

Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founde ...

in addition to working privately with the renowned coaches Harold Guskin and Warren Robertson. Four years later, director

Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh (; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh is an acclaimed and prolific filmmaker. Soderbergh's direct ...

cast her in the

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

'' Sex, Lies, and Videotape'' (1989). Her performance earned her an

Independent Spirit Award The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glas ...

, a Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, and a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, among others award nominations, which led to a series of starring roles in films such as ''

'', '' The Object of Beauty'', and '' Short Cuts''. In the 1990s, MacDowell achieved stardom due to the box office success of director Harold Ramis's 1993 comedy, ''

'', and '' Four Weddings and a Funeral'' (1994), opposite

Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as both a charming, and vulnerable romantic lead and has since transitioned into a dramatic character actor. Among his numerous a ...

. Since 1986, MacDowell has appeared in print and television advertisements for cosmetic and haircare company

. In 2000 she starred in ''

Harrison's Flowers ''Harrison's Flowers'' is a 2000 film by Elie Chouraqui. It stars, among others, Andie MacDowell, Elias Koteas, Brendan Gleeson, Adrien Brody, Marie Trintignant, Gerard Butler, and David Strathairn. The film is also Quinn Shephard's big screen ...

''. In later years, she has acted primarily on television and in independent films. In 2012, she co-starred in the short-lived

ABC Family The American cable and satellite television network that is now known as Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through several different owners (and six different name changes) during its h ...

series ''

Jane by Design ''Jane by Design'' is an American comedy-drama television series on ABC Family. The series follows the life of Jane Quimby ( Erica Dasher), a teenager who is mistaken for an adult, as she finally gets her fashion dream job working with a world-fa ...

''. From 2013 to 2015, she starred in the

Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies a ...

family series '' Cedar Cove''. In 2018 MacDowell starred in and produced the Hallmark Hall of Fame film directed by

Roger Spottiswoode John Roger Spottiswoode (born 5 January 1945) is a Canadian-British director, editor and writer of film and television. Early life He was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and was raised in Britain. His father Raymond Spottiswoode was a British ...

based on the novel by

Mary Alice Monroe Mary Alice Monroe is a best-selling author known for fiction that explore the compelling parallels between nature and human nature. Many of her novels deal with environmental issues. For example, ''The Beach House'' and ''Swimming Lessons'' refer ...

, '' The Beach House''. Also in 2018, she was cast in the horror comedy film ''Ready or Not'', which was shot over 26 days. The film was released in 2019, and was a critical and commercial success. In 2019, she starred in the BBC sitcom ''

Cuckoo Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separ ...

''. In an episode of NBC's ''

Mr. Mayor ''Mr. Mayor'' is an American sitcom television series created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock for NBC. The series stars Ted Danson, Bobby Moynihan, Holly Hunter, Vella Lovell, Mike Cabellon, and Kyla Kenedy and premiered on January 7, 2021. I ...

'' that aired January 2021, MacDowell plays a fictionalized version of herself. In the same year MacDowell stars alongside her daughter,

, in the Netflix show ''

''.

Personal life

In 1986, MacDowell married Paul Qualley, a rancher and fellow former model. The two met while posing for Gap ads. They had a son, Justin, and two daughters,

Rainey Rainey is a name of British-Irish origin. People with the surname * Bobby Rainey (born 1987), American National Football League player * Chuck Rainey (born 1940), American bassist * David "Puck" Rainey (born 1968), American reality TV personalit ...

, named Miss Golden Globe 2012, and

Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular through ...

, an actress. MacDowell and Qualley divorced in 1999. Following her divorce from Qualley, MacDowell entered a year-long relationship with actor Dennis Quaid. In 1999, through her sister Julia, MacDowell reconnected with her former high school classmate, Rhett Hartzog, a businessman whom she married on November 10, 2001. The couple subsequently divorced in October 2004. As of 2013, she has resided in

Marina del Rey, California Marina del Rey ( Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, with an eponymous harbor that is a major boating and water recreation destination of the greater Los Angeles area. The ...

Awards

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Macdowell, Andie 1958 births Living people Actresses from South Carolina Female models from South Carolina American film actresses American people of English descent American people of French descent American people of Irish descent American people of Scottish descent American people of Welsh descent American television actresses César Honorary Award recipients Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead winners Independent Spirit Award winners People from Gaffney, South Carolina Winthrop University alumni 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses L'Oréal people People from Arden, North Carolina Volpi Cup winners