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

Shelly Tambo The following are recurring 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 characte ...

on the television series ''

Northern Exposure ''Northern Exposure'' is an American comedy-drama television series about the eccentric residents in the fictitious town of Cicely, Alaska, that originally aired on CBS from July 12, 1990, to July 26, 1995, with a total of 110 episodes. It rec ...

'' (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. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

nominations.

Early life and career

Cynthia Geary Rob Morrow and Janine Turner at the 45th Emmy Awards

Cynthia Geary was born and raised in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

, one of four children born to John Hart Geary and Shirley Hester (the latter a voice and music teacher who encouraged her daughter to study voice, piano and ballet),Tribune Media Services (April 19, 1998)
"What happens when opposites attract"
'' The Reporter Dispatch TV Book''. p. 55. retrieved July 29, 2024. Geary attended Jackson Preparatory School and the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in vocal performance. Her acting career began with a series of national commercials, including spots for

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

and

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

. 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 The smoke signal is one of the oldest forms of long-distance communication. It is a form of visual communication used over a long distance. In general smoke signals are used to transmit news, signal danger, or to gather people to a common area. ...

'', a film based on the short stories of Native American author

Sherman Alexie Sherman Joseph Alexie Jr. (born October 7, 1966) is a Native American novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker. His writings draw on his experiences as an Indigenous American with ancestry from several tribes. He grew up ...

. 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, are American fashion designers and former actresses. Mary-Kate Olsen, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Ashley made their acting debut as infants playing Mi ...

in their 1992 made-for-TV movie ''

To Grandmother's House We Go ''To Grandmother's House We Go'' is a 1992 made-for-television Christmas film directed by Jeff Franklin and starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. The film's title comes from a part of one of the first lines of Lydia Maria Child's Thanksgiving s ...

'', 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. The film stars Luke Perry as Americ ...

''. 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''. Beginning in 2022, she starred for 2 seasons in the American Pureflix television series ''Going Home''. In 2024, she recurs in the Netflix series ''

Penelope Penelope ( ; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, ''Pēnelópeia'', or , ''Pēnelópē'') is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey.'' She was the queen of Homer's Ithaca, Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius (Spartan), Icarius and ...

'' as the title character's mother. She also filmed the independent movie ''Inheritance''.

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 Jackson, Mississippi University of Mississippi alumni 21st-century American women {{US-tv-actor-stub