Debra Mooney (born August 28, 1947) is an American character actress, best known for her role as Edna Harper on

The WB The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture between the Warner Bros. ...

drama series ''

Everwood ''Everwood'' (known as ''Our New Life in Everwood'' in the United Kingdom) is an American drama television series created by Greg Berlanti. Berlanti, Mickey Liddell, Rina Mimoun, Andrew A. Ackerman and Michael Green served as executive produce ...

'' (2002–06). Mooney is also known for her recurring roles in ''

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...

'', ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into s ...

'' and '' The Originals''.

Life and career

Mooney was born Debra Vick in

Aberdeen, South Dakota Aberdeen ( Lakota: ''Ablíla'') is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, United States, located approximately northeast of Pierre. The city population was 28,495 at the 2020 census, making it the third most populous ci ...

, and grew up in

Ellendale, North Dakota Ellendale is a city in Dickey County, North Dakota, United States. It is the capital city of Dickey County. The population was 1,125 at the 2020 census. Ellendale was founded in 1882. Ellendale is the home of Trinity Bible College, located on t ...

, the daughter of Isabel (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Smith) and Henry M. Vick. She was married to stage manager, producer, and director Porter Van Zandt until his death in 2012. Mooney is best known for her role as Edna Harper on

drama series ''

''. The series aired from 2002 to 2006. She has appeared in many stage productions and played roles of over 80 films and TV shows. Her notable film credits include '' Chapter Two'' opposite

Marsha Mason Marsha Mason (born April 3, 1942) is an American actress and director. She has been nominated four times for the Academy Award for Best Actress: for her performances in '' Cinderella Liberty'' (1973), '' The Goodbye Girl'' (1977), '' Chapter Two ...

, and ''

Tootsie ''Tootsie'' is a 1982 American satirical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Dustin Hoffman. Its supporting cast includes Pollack, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Bill Murray, Charles Durning, Geo ...

'', ''

Dead Poets Society ''Dead Poets Society'' is a 1989 American drama film directed by Peter Weir, written by Tom Schulman, and starring Robin Williams. Set in 1959 at the fictional elite conservative boarding school Welton Academy, it tells the story of an English ...

'' and ''

Domestic Disturbance ''Domestic Disturbance'' is a 2001 American psychological thriller film directed by Harold Becker and starring John Travolta, Vince Vaughn, Teri Polo, Steve Buscemi, and Matt O'Leary. Plot In Southport, Maryland, Susan Morrison, recently divorce ...

''. On television she also starred of short-lived series ''

Dream Street Dream Street were an American pop music, pop boy band that was formed in 1999 by Louis Baldonieri and Brian Lukow. The band disbanded in 2002 following a legal dispute between parents of the band members and the band's managers. History The ...

'', '' Davis Rules'' and ''

Kirk Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it. Basic meaning and etymology As a common noun, ''kirk' ...

''. Mooney guest-starred as the oblivious plutocrat Meg Wellman on ''

Roseanne ''Roseanne'' is an American sitcom television series created by Matt Williams and Roseanne Barr which aired on ABC from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997, and briefly revived from March 27, 2018, to May 22, 2018. The show stars Barr as Rosea ...

''. She also appeared in ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself and ...

'', '' ER'', ''

Everybody Loves Raymond ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' is an American sitcom television series created by Philip Rosenthal that aired on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005, with a total of 210 episodes spanning nine seasons. It was produced by Where's Lunch an ...

'', ''

'', '' Bones'' and '' Weeds''. From 2012 to 2013, she played the role of Supreme Court Justice Verna Thornton in the second season of ABC drama series ''

'' created by Shonda Rhimes. In 2014, she had a recurring role 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 ...

comedy series, '' Arrested Development''. That same year, she joined the cast of

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

series, '' The Originals'' in a recurring role as Werewolf Matriarch. In 2016, she starred in the ABC drama pilot ''The Death of Eva Sofia Valdez'', starring

Gina Torres Gina Torres (born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles as Zoe Washburne in the science fiction series ''Firefly'' (2002–2003) and its feature film sequel '' Serenity'' (2005), and as Jessica Pearson in th ...

in a title role, with Eric Close,

Melora Hardin Melora Hardin (born June 29, 1967) is an American actress, known for her roles as Jan Levinson on NBC's ''The Office'' and Trudy Monk on USA Network's ''Monk'', and Tammy Cashman on Amazon Prime Video's '' Transparent'', for which she received ...

, and Christina Pickles.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theater

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mooney, Debra 1947 births Actresses from South Dakota American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American voice actresses Living people People from Aberdeen, South Dakota People from Ellendale, North Dakota 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses