Amy Morton (born 1958 or 1959) is an American actress and director, best known for her work in theatre. Morton was nominated two times for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performances in '' August: Osage County'' and ''

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' is a play by Edward Albee first staged in October 1962. It examines the complexities of the marriage of middle-aged couple Martha and George. Late one evening, after a university faculty party, they rece ...

''. On screen, she is known for her performances in films '' Rookie of the Year'' (1993), '' Up in the Air'' (2009), ''

The Dilemma ''The Dilemma'' is a 2011 American comedy-drama film directed by Ron Howard, written by Allan Loeb and starring Vince Vaughn and Kevin James. The film follows savvy businessman Ronny (Vaughn) and genius engineer Nick (James), who are best frie ...

'' (2011) and '' Bluebird'' (2013). Since 2014, Morton began starring as Sergeant Trudy Platt in the NBC drama series '' Chicago P.D.''

Early life and education

Amy Morton was born in in

Oak Park, Illinois Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, adjacent to Chicago. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, 26th-most populous municipality in Illinois, with a population of 54,318 as of the 2020 census. Oak Park was first se ...

, and attended

Oak Park and River Forest High School Oak Park and River Forest High School (OPRF) is a public four-year high school located in Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. It is the only school in Oak Park and River Forest District 200. Founded in 1871, the current school building ope ...

in Oak Park. She attended both Triton College and

Clarke University Clarke University is a Private university, private Catholic university in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1843 as St. Mary's Female Academy by Mother Mary Frances Clarke, foundress of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin ...

, but did not graduate.

Career

Stage

A member of Steppenwolf Theater's core group of actors since 1997, Morton has spent most of her career working in the Chicago theater scene. She has appeared in many stage productions, include '' Clybourne Park'', '' American Buffalo'', '' Dublin Carol'', '' The Pillowman'', '' Love-Lies-Bleeding'' and '' Awake and Sing''. Morton made her Broadway debut as Nurse Ratched, starring opposite

Gary Sinise Gary Alan Sinise (; born March 17, 1955) is an American actor, director, producer, musician and humanitarian. Among other awards, he has won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has ...

in the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

winning 2001 revival of '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest''. She originated the role of Barbara in both the original Chicago production and the original Broadway production of Tracy Letts' '' August: Osage County''. For her portrayal she was nominated for both a

and a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

. Morton reprised the role in the fall 2008 London production at the National Theatre. She received her second Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play nomination for her leading performance in ''

'' (2012–13). In 2015, she made her Off-Broadway directing debut with play ''Guards at the Taj''.

Screen

Morton has appeared in a number of films. She made her feature film debut in a supporting role in 1992 comedy, ''

Straight Talk ''Straight Talk'' is a 1992 American romantic comedy film directed by Barnet Kellman, and starring Dolly Parton, James Woods, Griffin Dunne, and Michael Madsen. The film follows a woman who leaves her small-town life to move to Chicago, where ...

'' starring

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

. In 1993 she had main role as mother of the lead character in '' Rookie of the Year''. The film had a box office success, grossing more than $56 million worldwide. Her next screen role was in the 1999 crime thriller '' 8mm'' directed by

Joel Schumacher Joel T. Schumacher (; August 29, 1939 – June 22, 2020) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Raised in New York City by his mother, Schumacher graduated from Parsons School of Design and originally became a fashion designe ...

. Ten years later, Morton landed her breakthrough role as

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and philanthropist. Known for his leading man roles on screen in both blockbuster and independent films, Clooney has received numerous accolades, including two Ac ...

's character's sister in the critically acclaimed drama film '' Up in the Air'' directed by

Jason Reitman Jason R. Reitman (; born October 19, 1977) is a Canadian–American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the films ''Thank You for Smoking'' (2005), ''Juno (film), Juno'' (2007), ''Up in the Air (2009 film), Up in the Air'' (2009), ''Young ...

. In 2011 she appeared in the comedy-drama film ''

'', and in 2013, had the leading role in the critically acclaimed independent film, '' Bluebird''. On television, Morton guest starred on '' Crime Story'', '' The Equalizer'', '' ER'', '' Private Practice'', and ''

Homeland A homeland is a place where a national or ethnic identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethnic natio ...

''. From 2011 to 2012, she had the recurring role of Catherine Walsh, the Republican candidate for governor, in the

Starz Starz (stylized in all caps as STARZ; pronounced "stars") is an American pay television network owned by Starz Entertainment, and is the flagship property of Starz Inc. Launched in 1994 as a multiplex service of what is now Starz Encore, ...

political drama, '' Boss''. From 2013 to 2014, she had another recurring role as Erin Reagan's new boss, Amanda Harris, on the CBS drama, '' Blue Bloods''. In 2014, Morton was cast in the recurring role as Sergeant Trudy Platt in the NBC dramas '' Chicago Fire'' and '' Chicago P.D.'' Morton was promoted from recurring guest star to series regular from the second season on ''Chicago P.D.''

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cere ...

*Nominated – 2008 – Best Actress in a Play – '' August: Osage County'' *Nominated – 2013 – Best Actress in a Play – ''

'' Drama Desk Awards *Nominated – 2008 – Best Actress in a Play – '' August: Osage County'' *Nominated – 2013 – Best Actress in a Play – ''

Joseph Jefferson Awards The Joseph Jefferson Award, more commonly known informally as the Jeff Award, is given for Theater in Chicago, theatre arts produced in the Chicago area. Founded in 1968, the awards are named in tribute to actor Joseph Jefferson, a 19th-century ...

(Chicago, IL) *Nominated – 1984 – Actress in a Principal Role in a Play – ''Life and Limb'' (Wisdom Bridge Theatre) *Winner – 1986 – Actress in a Supporting Role in a Play – '' You Can't Take It with You'' (

Steppenwolf Theatre Company Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Chicago theater company founded in 1974 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry (American actor), Jeff Perry, and Gary Sinise in the Immaculate Conception grade school in Highland Park, Illinois and is now located in Chica ...

) *Nominated – 1986 – Actress in a Principal Role in a Play – ''Puntila and his Hired Man'' (Remains Theatre) *Nominated – 1987 – Actress in a Principal Role in a Play – ''Higher Standard of Living'' (Remains Theatre) *Nominated – 1988 – Actress in a Supporting Role in a Play – ''Big Time'' (Remains Theatre) *Nominated – 2002 – Director of a Play – '' Glengarry Glen Ross'' (Steppenwolf Theatre Company) *Nominated – 2002 – Actress in a Principal Role in a Play – '' The Royal Family'' (Steppenwolf Theatre Company) *Nominated – 2003 – Actress in a Principal Role in a Play – '' Homebody/Kabul'' (Steppenwolf Theatre Company) *Nominated – 2007 – Actress in a Principal Role in a Play – '' August: Osage County'' (Steppenwolf Theatre Company) Helen Hayes Awards (Washington DC) *Nominated - 2012 - Outstanding Lead Actress, Non-Resident Production - ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf''

References

External links

Amy Morton
a
Steppenwolf
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morton, Amy 1950s births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Oak Park, Illinois American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Steppenwolf Theatre Company players Year of birth missing (living people)