Cynthia Geary (born March 21, 1965) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as

Shelly Tambo The following are fictional characters who appeared in ''Northern Exposure'', an American television series which originally aired on CBS from July 1990 to July 1995. Main characters ; Joel Fleischman : Joel ( Rob Morrow) is the central charact ...

on the television series ''

Northern Exposure ''Northern Exposure'' is an American Northern comedy-drama television series about the eccentric residents of a fictional small town in Alaska that ran on CBS from July 12, 1990, to July 26, 1995, with a total of 110 episodes. It received 57 ...

'' (1990–1995), which earned her two

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

nominations.

Early life

Encouraged at an early age by her mother (a voice and music teacher), Geary studied ballet, voice, and piano. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in vocal performance from the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment ...

, where she was a member of

Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta (), also known as Tri Delta, is an international women's fraternity founded on November 27, 1888 at Boston University by Sarah Ida Shaw, Eleanor Dorcas Pond, Isabel Morgan Breed, and Florence Isabelle Stewart. Tri Delta part ...

sorority.

Career

Her acting career began with a series of national commercials, including spots for

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance bar, temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pembe ...

and

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

. She soon had numerous guest starring roles on a variety of television programs, made-for-television movies and independent films, including a small part in '' Smoke Signals'', a film based on the short stories of Native American author

Sherman Alexie Sherman Joseph Alexie Jr. (born October 7, 1966) is a Spokane- Coeur d'Alene-Native American novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker. His writings draw on his experiences as an Indigenous American with ancestry from se ...

. Geary played the mother of the

Olsen twins Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Fuller Olsen (born June 13, 1986), also known as the Olsen twins as a duo, are American fashion designers and former actresses. The twins made their acting debut as infants playing Michelle Tanner on the television s ...

in their 1992 made-for-TV movie '' To Grandmother's House We Go'', appeared in the 1997 movie ''When Time Expires'', and is the female lead in ''

8 Seconds ''8 Seconds'' is a 1994 American contemporary Western biographical drama film directed by John G. Avildsen. Its title refers to the length of time a bull rider is required to stay on for a ride to be scored. It stars Luke Perry as American rodeo le ...

''. She received Primetime Emmy nominations—two years in a row (1992, 1993)--for Best Supporting Actress, based on her role in Northern Exposure (1990-1995), an ensemble comedy set in rural Alaska. She voiced the character of Katia Anderson in the second game of the Professor Layton video game series, '' Professor Layton and the Diabolical/Pandora's Box''.

Personal life

Geary married real estate broker Robert Coron in 1994. They divorced in 2018. They have two daughters.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* 1965 births Living people American film actresses American television actresses Actresses from Mississippi Actors from Jackson, Mississippi University of Mississippi alumni 21st-century American women {{US-tv-actor-1960s-stub