Deirdre O'Connell is an American
character actress who has worked extensively on stage, screen, and television. She has won a
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...
and been nominated for
Drama Desk Awards, among other awards and nominations.
Early life
O'Connell grew up in Massachusetts. She is the oldest of three children of Anne Ludlum, playwright and actress, and Thomas E. O'Connell, founding president of
Berkshire Community College
Berkshire Community College is a public community college in Berkshire County, Massachusetts with its primary campus in Pittsfield. It also has a satellite campus in Great Barrington and classroom spaces in the city of Pittsfield. Established i ...
. She attended
Taconic High School. O'Connell enrolled at
Antioch College in Ohio, but withdrew before graduating.
Career
O'Connell began her career at Stage One, an experimental theatre at the
Boston Center for the Arts.
[American Repertory Theatre listing]
/ref> She made her Broadway debut in the 1986 revival of '' The Front Page'', and was nominated for the 1991 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in the off-Broadway production ''Love and Anger''. She is the recipient of two Drama-Logue Awards and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for her stage work in 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 ...
.Fearless
Fearless or The Fearless may refer to:
Psychology
* Lack of fear
* Courage or bravery
Film, television and audio Film
* ''Fearless'' (1978 film), an Italian film directed by Stelvio Massi
* ''Fearless'' (1993 film), an American drama directed ...
'', '' City of Angels'', '' Hearts in Atlantis'', '' Imaginary Heroes'', '' Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'', '' Wendy and Lucy'', '' What Happens in Vegas'', ''Secondhand Lions
''Secondhand Lions'' is a 2003 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Tim McCanlies. It tells the story of an introverted young boy (Haley Joel Osment) who is sent to live with his eccentric great uncles (Robert Duvall and Michael Ca ...
'', and '' Synecdoche, New York''.
She was a regular on '' L.A. Doctors'' and has made numerous guest appearances on series such as '' Kate & Allie'', '' Chicago Hope'', ''The Practice
''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy ...
'', '' Six Feet Under'', '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', and '' Nurse Jackie''. From 1994 to 2010, O'Connell appeared on six episodes of '' Law & Order'', four of them as Dr. Valerie Knight, Anita Van Buren
Anita Van Buren was a fictional character on NBC's long-running police procedural and legal drama television series ''Law & Order'', portrayed by S. Epatha Merkerson. The character of Van Buren was an "authoritative lieutenant" in the New York ...
's oncologist in Season 20.
Awards and nominations
In 2020, O'Connell received a Special Citation from the New York Drama Critics' Circle for career excellence, including her performance in Lucas Hnath's '' Dana H.'' at the Vineyard Theatre. She also won the 2010 Ovation Award for Featured Actress in a Play for the role of Judy in the Center Theatre Group production of ''In the Wake''. She received 2020 Lucille Lortel Award
The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres ...
for Outstanding Solo Show performance in Lucas Hnath's ''Dana H.'' and Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.
O'Connell was given a special Obie Award in 2005 for sustained excellence of performance and was given a Best Actress award in 2020 for her performance in ''Dana H''.
In 2022, she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for ''Dana H''.Tony Awards 2022: See the full list of nominees
/ref>
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
Deirdre O'Connell at the Lortel Archives
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell, Deirdre
Living people
21st-century American actresses
20th-century American actresses
Actresses from Massachusetts
American film actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
People from Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Tony Award winners
Place of birth missing (living people)
Year of birth missing (living people)