Elizabeth Lee McGovern (born July 18, 1961) is an American actress and musician. She has received many awards, including a

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

, three

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

nominations, and one

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination. Born in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, ...

, McGovern spent most of her early life 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 ...

. After attending the

American Conservatory Theater The American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) is a nonprofit theater company in San Francisco, California, United States, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. It also has an attached acting school. History The Americ ...

and the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely ...

, she made her feature film debut in ''

Ordinary People ''Ordinary People'' is a 1980 American drama film directed by Robert Redford in his directorial debut. The screenplay by Alvin Sargent is based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Judith Guest. The film follows the disintegration of an uppe ...

'' (1980). For her role as

Evelyn Nesbit Evelyn Nesbit (born Florence Evelyn Nesbit; December 25, 1884 or 1885 – January 17, 1967) was an American artists' model, chorus girl, and actress. She is best known for her years as a young woman in New York City, particularly her inv ...

in the musical film ''

Ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott J ...

'' (1981), she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She subsequently had lead roles in a number of major studio films, including ''

Once Upon a Time in America ''Once Upon a Time in America'' ( it, C'era una volta in America) is a 1984 epic crime film co-written and directed by Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone and starring Robert De Niro and James Woods. The film is an Italian–American venture produ ...

'' (1984), ''

She's Having a Baby ''She's Having a Baby'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy film directed and written by John Hughes and starring Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern. It tells the story of a young newlywed couple who try to cope with married life and their parent ...

'' (1987), '' The Bedroom Window'' (1987), ''

The Handmaid's Tale ''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a futuristic dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England in a patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state known as the Republic of Gilead, which ...

'' (1990), and '' The Wings of the Dove'' (1997). In 2007, McGovern, after years of studying guitar, formed the musical group

Sadie and the Hotheads Sadie and the Hotheads are a UK-based European Americana band formed in 2007 when American actress Elizabeth McGovern was encouraged by her guitar teacher, Steve Nelson of The Nelson Brothers. to write songs. Nelson then introduced McGovern to ...

, with whom she has released four studio albums since 2016. She gained further international attention for her portrayal of Cora, Countess of Grantham, in the British drama series ''

Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States o ...

'' (2010–2015), for which she was nominated for an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

and

. She reprised her role as Cora in the subsequent films ''

'' (2019) and '' Downton Abbey: A New Era'' (2022).

Early life

McGovern was born in

, the daughter of Katharine Wolcott (née Watts), a high school teacher, and William Montgomery McGovern, Jr., a university professor. She is of Irish, English, and Scottish descent. Her younger sister is novelist Cammie McGovern. Her paternal grandfather was adventurer

William Montgomery McGovern William Montgomery McGovern (September 28, 1897 – December 12, 1964) was an American adventurer, political scientist, Northwestern University professor, anthropologist and journalist. He was a possible inspiration for the character of Indiana Jon ...

, her maternal great-grandfathers were U.S. diplomat

Ethelbert Watts Ethelbert Watts (February 25, 1846 – July 13, 1919) a United States diplomat for over twenty-four years, played important roles in the Spanish–American War, Russo-Japanese War, and World War I. Early life Watts was born in Philadelphia on Fe ...

and Admiral Charles P. Snyder, and her maternal great-great-grandfather was Congressman Charles P. Snyder. When McGovern was 10 years old, she relocated with her family from Illinois to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, where her father accepted a teaching position at

UCLA School of Law The UCLA School of Law is one of 12 professional schools at the University of California, Los Angeles. UCLA Law has been consistently ranked by '' U.S. News & World Report'' as one of the top 20 law schools in the United States since the inception ...

. She attended

North Hollywood High School North Hollywood High School (NHHS) is a public high school in the North Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is located in the San Fernando Valley and enrolls approximately 2,500 students. Several neighborhoods, in ...

, where she began performing in school plays. After high school, she attended the

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

, and studied toward a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachel ...

in Drama at the

in New York City as a member of Group 12 from 1979 to 1981.

Career

In 1980, while studying at Juilliard, McGovern was offered a part in what became her first film, ''

'', in which she played the girlfriend of troubled teenager Conrad Jarrett (

Timothy Hutton Timothy Tarquin Hutton (born August 16, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is the youngest recipient of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which he won at age 20 for his performance as Conrad Jarrett in ''Ordinary People ...

). The following year she completed her acting education at the American Conservatory Theatre and Juilliard, and began to appear in plays, first

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

and later in famous theaters. In 1981 she earned an

nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as

in the film ''

''. She then appeared in ''Beginners'' (1982). In 1984, she starred in

Sergio Leone Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cin ...

's gangster epic ''

'' as

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...

's romantic interest Deborah Gelly. She had leading roles in two other films that year, ''

Racing with the Moon ''Racing with the Moon'' is a 1984 American drama film starring Sean Penn, Elizabeth McGovern, and Nicolas Cage. It was directed by Richard Benjamin and written by Steve Kloves. The original music score was composed by Dave Grusin. The film's ti ...

'', a coming-of-age story also starring

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama ''Mystic River'' (2003) and the biopic ''Milk'' (2008). Penn began his acting career in televisi ...

and

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. Born into the Coppola family, he is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Gui ...

, and the comedy '' Lovesick'', as a patient whose psychiatrist (

Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. Moore first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writ ...

) falls in love with her, risking his practice. In 1989, she played

Mickey Rourke Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke Jr. (; born September 16, 1952) is an American actor and former boxer who has appeared primarily as a leading man in drama, action, and thriller films. During the star of the 1980s, Rourke played supporting roles i ...

's girlfriend in '' Johnny Handsome'', directed by

Walter Hill Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 1 ...

, and the same year she appeared as a rebellious

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

Volker Schlöndorff Volker Schlöndorff (; born 31 March 1939 Friday) is a German film director, screenwriter and producer who has worked in Germany, France and the United States. He was a prominent member of the New German Cinema of the late 1960s and early 1970s ...

's film ''

''. McGovern co-starred with

Kevin Bacon Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. His films include the musical-drama film '' Footloose'' (1984), the controversial historical conspiracy legal thriller '' JFK'' (1991), the legal drama '' A Few Good Men'' (1992), t ...

in a romantic comedy, ''

'', directed by John Hughes, and starred in the thriller '' The Bedroom Window'', directed by Curtis Hanson. She teamed with

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

in 1990's '' A Shock to the System'', a comic mystery about a man who plots the murder of his wife. In a 1994 comedy, '' The Favor'', McGovern played a woman who cheats on her boyfriend (played by

Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Awar ...

) by becoming her married best friend's proxy in a tryst with a man the friend has fantasized about. McGovern appeared in a number of films in the 21st century, including '' Woman in Gold'', a drama starring

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom ...

and directed by her husband Simon Curtis. In 2018, McGovern starred in '' The Chaperone'', directed by

Michael Engler Michael Engler is an American theater director, and a Directors Guild of America and Emmy nominated television director and producer. Theater His Broadway credits include '' Eastern Standard'', starring Dylan Baker, Patricia Clarkson, Kevin Con ...

and written by Julian Fellowes, whom she also worked with on the British drama series

. Based on the novel by Laura Moriarty, McGovern played Norma Carlisle, a middle-aged wife and mother who volunteers to chaperone the young

Louise Brooks Mary Louise Brooks (November 14, 1906 – August 8, 1985) was an American film actress and dancer during the 1920s and 1930s. She is regarded today as an icon of the Jazz Age and flapper culture, in part due to the bob hairstyle that she helpe ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to study dance at the

Denishawn School The Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts, founded in 1915 by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn in Los Angeles, California, helped many perfect their dancing talents and became the first dance academy in the United States to produce a professional ...

. ''The Chaperone'' is the first film that McGovern has also produced. Her husband, Simon Curtis, was an executive producer for the film. McGovern reprised her role as Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham for the ''

'' film in 2019 and its 2022

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

. The films continue the storyline of the TV series.

Television

McGovern has appeared in several television productions, mostly in the UK. In 1999 and 2000 McGovern played Marguerite St. Just in a BBC television series loosely based on the novel ''

The Scarlet Pimpernel ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...

''. She also starred in the four-part television crime drama series '' Thursday the 12th'' that same year. On American TV, she appeared in a 2006 episode of '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' titled "Harm", in which her character of Dr. Faith Sutton was a psychiatrist accused of complicity in

detainee abuse Detention is the process whereby a state or private citizen lawfully holds a person by removing their freedom or liberty at that time. This can be due to (pending) criminal charges preferred against the individual pursuant to a prosecution or to ...

. Her other television work includes ''Broken Glass'' (

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

, 1996); ''

Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

''; '' The Changeling''; ''Tales from Hollywood''; the HBO series ''Men and Women'';'' The Man in the Brooks Brothers Shirt''; ''

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre Faerie Tale Theatre (also known as Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre) is an American live-action fairytale fantasy drama anthology television series of 27 episodes, that originally aired on Showtime from September 11, 1982 until November 14, 1 ...

'' ("Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"); and ''

If Not for You "If Not for You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his October 1970 album '' New Morning''. It was also issued as the A-side of a single in Europe in early 1971. The song is a love song to Dylan's first wife, Sara Dylan. H ...

'' (CBS 1995, own series). In May 2007, she played Ellen Doubleday,

Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geo ...

's paramour, in '' Daphne'', a

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

television drama by

Amy Jenkins Amy Jenkins (born 1966, in London) is an English novelist and screenwriter. She is the daughter of political journalist Peter Jenkins and the stepdaughter of ''The Guardian'' columnist and author Polly Toynbee. In 2004 she married Jonathan Heaw ...

based on Margaret Forster's biography of the author. In December 2008, McGovern appeared as Dame Celia Westholme in "Appointment with Death", an episode of ''

Agatha Christie's Poirot ''Poirot'' (also known as ''Agatha Christie's Poirot'') is a British mystery drama television programme that aired on ITV from 8 January 1989 to 13 November 2013. David Suchet starred as the eponymous detective, Agatha Christie's fictional Her ...

''. In the same year, she appeared in the three-part BBC comedy series ''

Freezing Freezing is a phase transition where a liquid turns into a solid when its temperature is lowered below its freezing point. In accordance with the internationally established definition, freezing means the solidification phase change of a liquid ...

'', written by James Wood and directed and co-produced by her husband Simon Curtis. First broadcast on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

, it was also shown on BBC2 in February 2008. McGovern played an American expatriate actress named Elizabeth, living in

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and F ...

with her publisher husband, played by Hugh Bonneville, and co-starring

Tom Hollander Thomas Anthony Hollander (; born 25 August 1967) is an English actor. As a child Hollander trained with the National Youth Theatre and was later involved in stage productions as a member of the Footlights and was president of the Marlowe Soc ...

as her theatrical agent. From 2010 to 2015, she portrayed Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham, wife of Robert Crawley, 7th Earl of Grantham (played by Hugh Bonneville) in the British TV series ''

'', and also in the 2019 and 2022 film adaptations. ''Downton Abbey'' was the third time McGovern and Bonneville have been cast as a married couple on screen, having previously co-starred in ''Freezing'' and ''Thursday the 12th'' together.

Music

McGovern is also a singer-songwriter and plays the guitar. In 2008 she began fronting the band

at The Castle pub venue in

Portobello Road Portobello Road is a street in the Notting Hill district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in west London. It runs almost the length of Notting Hill from south to north, roughly parallel with Ladbroke Grove. On Saturdays it is ...

, London. The band released an album of songs she developed with The Nelson Brothers, who are now part of the band. The album, ''I Can Wait'', also includes Ron Knights on bass and Rowan Oliver, borrowed from

Goldfrapp Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, their ...

, as drummer for the recording sessions.

Michelle Dockery Michelle Suzanne Dockery (born 15 December 1981) is an English television and film actress. She is best known for her leading performance as Lady Mary Crawley in the ITV television period drama series ''Downton Abbey'' (2010–2015), for which ...

, who plays McGovern's eldest daughter in ''Downton Abbey'', has occasionally sung with the band. Dockery was also a guest backing vocalist on the bands second album ''How Not To Lose Things'', released in 2012. Terl Bryant also joined the band, taking over from Rowan Oliver as

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer's ...

and

percussionist A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

. Throughout 2013, Sadie and the Hotheads toured the UK and Europe and performed in festivals including the

Isle of Wight Festival The Isle of Wight Festival is a British music festival which takes place annually in Newport on the Isle of Wight, England. It was originally a counterculture event held from 1968 to 1970. The 1970 event was by far the largest of these early ...

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...

and

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

. At the end of the year they announced that they were working on their third album with support from former direct-to-fan crowdfunding company

PledgeMusic PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...

. ''Still Waiting'' was released in early 2014 prior to their next UK tour as the support act for Mike and the Mechanics. McGovern recorded three

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

tracks in 2014. Her rendition of ''It Came Upon a Midnight Clear'' and duet with

Julian Ovenden Julian Mark Ovenden (born 29 November 1976) is an English actor and singer. He has starred on Broadway and West End stages, in television series in both the United Kingdom and United States, in films, and performed internationally as a concert ...

performing ''The First Noel'' appear on the double-disc album ''Christmas At Downton Abbey'', produced by

Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and th ...

. Sadie and the Hotheads also released their cover version of the Christmas song

The Little Drummer Boy "The Little Drummer Boy" (originally known as "Carol of the Drum") is a popular Christmas song written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. First recorded in 1951 by the Trapp Family, the song was further popularized by a 19 ...

. Following the conclusion of TV series ''Downton Abbey'' in late 2015, McGovern and her band Sadie and the Hotheads began work on a fourth album and embarked on a mini tour of the UK. While they continued to record their new album, the band released a compilation album of songs from their first three albums entitled ''The Collection (Everybody's Got A Song)'' in early 2016. In 2017, McGovern and "Hothead" Simon Nelson collaborated with American singer and musician

Duke Robillard Michael John "Duke" Robillard (born October 4, 1948) is an American guitarist and singer. He founded the band Roomful of Blues and was a member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Although Robillard is known as a rock and blues guitarist, he also pla ...

on a track for his album ''Duke Robillard & His Dames of Rhythm''. McGovern sings vocals for "Me, Myself and I" while Nelson is a guest musician on electric guitar for the track. McGovern's fifth album, ''The Truth'', was released in early 2019. Unlike her previous albums with her band, ''The Truth'' was released under her name, though it features all of the musicians from Sadie and the Hotheads. The album includes a track which Samuel L. Jackson appears on as a guest vocalist.

Theatre

Roles in New York include: *Melissa Gardner in ''

Love Letters A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings. History One of the oldest references to a l ...

'' ( A R Gurney) at the

Edison Theatre The Edison Theatre was a Broadway theatre located in the Hotel Edison at 240 West 47th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Originally opening in 1931 as the hotel's ballroom, it became the Arena Theatre on May 31, 1950, with a revival of George Kelly ...

, October 1989 *

Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama '' Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet, who, due to Hamlet's actions, ends u ...

in ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' with the Roundabout Theater Company at the Criterion Center Stage Right, April 1992. *Mrs. Conway in '' Time and the Conways'' at the

American Airlines Theatre The American Airlines Theatre, originally the Selwyn Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 227 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Built in 1918, it was designed by George Keister and developed by br ...

, October 2017 In her theatre programme CVs (below), McGovern lists her other theatre work in the U.S. as including: *''My Sister in This House'' (Wendy Kesselman) *'' Painting Churches'' (

Tina Howe Tina Howe (born November 21, 1937) is an American playwright. In a career that spans more than four decades, Howe's best-known works include ''Museum'', '' The Art of Dining'', '' Painting Churches'', ''Coastal Disturbances'', and ''Pride's Crossi ...

) *''The Hitch-Hiker'' *

Viola ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

in ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

'' *''A Map of the World'' ( David Hare) *'' Aunt Dan and Lemon'' ( Wallace Shawn) *''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict a ...

'' at the

New York Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare in the Park (or Free Shakespeare in the Park) is a theatrical program that stages productions of Shakespearean plays at the Delacorte Theater, an open-air theater in New York City's Central Park. The theater and the productions ar ...

, Winter 1987 *''When I Was a Girl I Used to Scream and Shout'' (Sharman Macdonald) *''Maids of Honour'' *''Three Sisters (play), Three Sisters'' (Anton Chekhov, Chekhov) *''As You Like It'' Since moving to London, McGovern's stage work has included: *Jenny in ''The Misanthrope'' (Molière freely adapted by Martin Crimp) at the Young Vic Theatre, February 1996 *Darlene in ''Hurlyburly'' (David Rabe) at the Old Vic Theatre, March 1997 *Nan and Lina in ''Three Days of Rain'' (Richard Greenberg) at the Donmar Warehouse, March and November 1999 *Beth in ''Dinner With Friends'' (Donald Margulies) at the Hampstead Theatre, June 2001 *Hester Prynne in ''The Scarlet Letter'' (Nathaniel Hawthorne adapted by Phyllis Nagy) at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, Minerva Theatre, August 2005 *Jackie Kennedy in Aristo (play), Aristo at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, Minerva Theatre, September – October 2008 *Judith Brown in ''Complicit (play), Complicit'' by Joe Sutton in The Old Vic, January 2009 *Miss A in ''The Shawl'' by David Mamet in the Arcola Theatre, September 2009 *June in ''Sunset at the Villa Thalia'' by Alexi Kaye Campbell at the Royal National Theatre, May - August 2016 *Veronica in ''God of Carnage'' by Yasmina Reza at the Theatre Royal, Bath, August – September 2018 *Anne in ''The Starry Messenger'' by Kenneth Lonergan at Wyndham's Theatre, May - August 2019 *Veronica in ''God of Carnage'' by Yasmina Reza, on tour in the UK, January - February 2020 *Ava Gardner in ''Ava: The Secret Conversations'' at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, London, January - April 2022. McGovern was awarded the 2013 Will Award by the Shakespeare Theatre Company. In early 2020, McGovern was in rehearsal to star in a revival of The Little Foxes by American playwright Lillian Hellman at the Gate Theatre in Dublin. However, due to the Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performing arts, the show has been postponed indefinitely.

Personal life

In 1992, McGovern married British film director and producer Simon Curtis (filmmaker), Simon Curtis; the couple have two daughters and live in Chiswick, London.

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography

Sadie and the Hotheads

Solo

Album guest appearances

References

*Theatre Record and its annual Indexes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McGovern, Elizabeth 1961 births Actresses from Evanston, Illinois Actresses from Los Angeles American Conservatory Theater alumni American expatriates in England American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American women singer-songwriters American people of English descent American people of Irish descent American people of Scottish descent American women guitarists Audiobook narrators Juilliard School alumni Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Musicians from Evanston, Illinois Musicians from Los Angeles North Hollywood High School alumni Singer-songwriters from California Singer-songwriters from Illinois