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Mary Megan Winningham, known professionally as Mare Winningham ( ; born May 16, 1959), is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is the recipient of 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 ...
s and has been nominated for an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
, two
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
s, and two
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 ...
s. An eight-time
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
nominee, she won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for ''Amber Waves'' in 1980 and ''
George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was the 45th and longest-serving governor of Alabama (1963–1967; 1971–1979; 1983–1987), and the List of longest-serving governors of U.S. s ...
'' in 1998. She was also nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performanc ...
for the 1995 film ''
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
''. Winningham's other film and TV roles include '' The Thorn Birds'' (1983), '' St. Elmo's Fire'' (1985), '' Miracle Mile'' (1988), '' Turner & Hooch'' (1989), '' The War'' (1994), ''
Dandelion ''Taraxacum'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. The genus has a near-cosmopolitan distribu ...
'' (2004), ''
Swing Vote A swing vote is a vote that is seen as potentially going to any one of a number of candidates in an election, or, in a two-party system, may go to either of the two dominant political parties. It usually comes from voters who are 'undecided' or ...
'' (2008), ''
Brothers A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingl ...
'' (2009), '' Mildred Pierce'' (2011), '' Hatfields & McCoys'' (2012), and appeared in ''
American Horror Story ''American Horror Story'' (''AHS'') is an American horror film, horror anthology series, anthology television series created by Ryan Murphy (producer), Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the Cable television, cable network FX (TV channel), FX. Th ...
'' for four seasons: ''
Coven A coven () is a group or gathering of Witchcraft, witches. The word "coven" (from Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman ''covent, cuvent'', from Old French ''covent'', from Latin ''conventum'' = convention) remained largely unused in English lan ...
'' (2013), ''
Freak Show A freak show is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to in popular culture as "Freak, freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual Human#Anatomy and physiology, humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, t ...
'' (2014), ''
Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
'' (2015–16), and ''
Cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...
'' (2017). She was cast as Cherry Lockhart for Seasons 1–2 and 4 as Cole's mother in the TV series '' The Affair''. Winningham made her New York stage debut in the 2007
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 tha ...
musical ''10 Million Miles'', for which she received 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 ...
nomination. She made her Broadway debut in the 2013 revival of ''
Picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors (Al fresco dining, ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event su ...
''. In 2014, she was nominated for the
Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play The Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actresses for quality supporting roles in a Broadway theatre, ...
for the original Broadway production of '' Casa Valentina''.


Early life

Winningham was born in
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
, and raised in
Northridge, California Northridge is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles. The community is home to California State University, Northridge, and the Northridge Fashion Center. Originally named List of minor biblica ...
. She is the daughter of Marilyn Jean (née Maloney) and Sam Neal Winningham. She has three brothers and one sister. Her father was football coach, athletic director and later the chairman of the Department of Physical Education at
California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge), is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. With a total enrollment of 36,848 students (as of Fall 2024), it has the ...
(CSUN), and her mother was an English teacher and college counselor at Monroe High School and Grant High School. She credits her first interest in acting to seeing an interview with Kym Karath (who played Gretl in ''
The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...
'') on Art Linkletter's television show '' House Party'' when she was five or six years old. Winningham attended Andasol Avenue Elementary School, where her favorite activities included drama and playing the guitar and drums. She took the extended drama option at Patrick Henry Junior High School and continued to study over her summer vacations at CSUN's Teenage Drama Workshop. It was at this time that she adopted the nickname "Mare". Her mother arranged for her to go to Chatsworth High School. In grade 12, Winningham starred in a production of ''The Sound of Music'', playing the part of Maria, opposite classmate
Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. Known for Kevin Spacey on screen and stage, his work on stage and screen, he List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Spacey, has received numerous accolades, including two ...
as Captain Von Trapp. Her high school boyfriend was
Val Kilmer Val Edward Kilmer (December 31, 1959 – April 1, 2025) was an American actor. Initially a stage actor, he later found fame as a Leading actor, leading man in films in a wide variety of genres, including Comedy film, comedies, dramas, action fi ...
. She graduated co-valedictorian (with Spacey) of her high school class in 1977.


Career


Acting

Winningham began her career as a singer-songwriter. In 1976 and 1977, she got her break singing
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
song " Here, There and Everywhere" on '' The Gong Show''. Although Winningham received no record contracts as result of the appearance, she was signed to an acting contract by Hollywood agent Meyer Mishkin, and received her Screen Actor's Guild card for doing three lines in an episode of '' James at 15''. That year she was offered a role on '' Young Pioneers'' and ''Young Pioneers Christmas'', pilots for the short-lived 1978 drama '' The Young Pioneers''. Though the series ended with just three episodes being broadcast, a number of television projects followed, including parts on '' Police Woman'' in 1978 and '' Starsky and Hutch'' in 1979. Later that same year, she played the role of teenage outcast Jenny Flowers in the made-for-TV film ''The Death of Ocean View Park''. In 1980, Winningham starred in ''Off the Minnesota Strip'' playing a young prostitute. She then won an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
for ''Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie'' for her role in the critically acclaimed ''Amber Waves'', a television film about a rough farmer (
Dennis Weaver Billy Dennis Weaver (June 4, 1924 – February 24, 2006) was an American actor and president of the Screen Actors Guild, best known for his work in television and films from the early 1950s until just before his death in 2006. Weaver's two most ...
) who finds he is dying of cancer. In that year, she also broke into feature films with '' One Trick Pony'', starring
Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...
. In 1983, Winningham was nominated for a Canadian
Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978), known as the "Etrog Awards" for sculptor ...
for her work in the futuristic 1981 drama '' Threshold'', and appeared in the 1983 epic miniseries '' The Thorn Birds'', in which she played Justine O'Neill. In 1984, she starred as
Helen Keller Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer. Born in West Tuscumbia, Alabama, she lost her sight and her hearing after a bout of illness when ...
in ''Helen Keller: The Miracle Continues''. Winningham achieved greater fame co-starring in '' St. Elmo's Fire'' (1985), alongside the other original " brat pack" alumni. Despite the film's success, she chose not to cash in on her teen idol status, and soon returned to television in the
Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas Citybased greeting card company. It is the longest-ru ...
movie, '' Love Is Never Silent'', for which she received an Emmy nomination. Another well-known and well-received performance was as a homeless young mother in the television movie '' God Bless the Child''. Winningham finished the 1980s with two Hollywood films: the nuclear disaster drama, '' Miracle Mile'' (1988), for which she received an Independent Spirit Award nomination in 1989, and the
Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
vehicle '' Turner & Hooch'' in 1989. In 1988, Winningham also starred in the Los Angeles stage production of '' Hurlyburly'' with
Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is known for his intense leading man roles in film. List of awards and nominations received by Sean Penn, His accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Gl ...
and
Danny Aiello Daniel Louis Aiello Jr. () (June 20, 1933 – December 12, 2019) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous motion pictures, including ''The Godfather Part II'' (1974), ''The Front'' (1976), ''Once Upon a Time in America'' (1984), ''Hide in ...
. In the early 1990s, she returned to film for 1994's all-star ''
Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman in the American West, including Dodge City, Kansas, Dodge City, Wichita, Kansas, Wichita, and Tombstone, Arizona, Tombstone. Earp was involved in the gunfight ...
'' and the family drama '' The War'', both starring
Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Costner, various accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Primeti ...
. 1995 brought ''
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
'', a thoughtful character study of two sisters (Winningham and
Jennifer Jason Leigh Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow; February 5, 1962) is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough in the teen film ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982). She re ...
), which earned Winningham
Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...
and
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
nominations. Two years later, she starred 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 ''George Wallace'', for which she garnered her
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
nomination and won an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
. She made acclaimed appearances on the series '' ER'' and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', as well as appearances in the 2001 television project ''Sally Hemings'' opposite
Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. His career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he is regarded as one of the most versatile acto ...
and the short-lived David E. Kelley series '' The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire''. Also in 2001, she appeared in the made-for-TV movie ''Snap Decision'' with Felicity Huffman. She also appeared in the independent film ''Dandelion'', which was a staple of film festivals worldwide between 2003 and 2004 and had a limited American release in October 2005. In 2006, she landed the role of Susan Grey on the ABC drama ''
Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...
'' where she played the stepmother of one of the main characters, Dr. Meredith Grey. Her character was killed off in May 2007. In 2006, Winningham voiced the audio version of
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
's '' Lisey's Story''. In 2007, she voiced Alice Hoffman's ''Skylight Confessions''. In 2010, Winningham starred in an episode of ''
Cold Case ''Cold Case'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series. It ran on CBS from September 28, 2003, to May 2, 2010. The series revolved around a fictionalized Philadelphia Police Department division that specializes in invest ...
'' as main character Lilly Rush's stepmother, Celeste Cooper. In 2011 she appeared in the fourth episode of '' Torchwood: Miracle Day'' as character Ellis Hartley Monroe. She also starred in miniseries '' Mildred Pierce'' and '' Hatfields & McCoys'' and garnered another two Emmy nominations. In 2012, she appeared
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 tha ...
as Beth, the mother in an intellectual, though dysfunctional, British family, in the award-winning comic-drama ''
Tribes The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...
'' by Nina Raine. In 2021 she appeared in '' Dopesick'' on Hulu with Michael Keaton. In 2022, she was nominated for a second Tony for her leading performance in ''Girl from the North Country''.


Music

Winningham has alternated her film career with a music career, and has used some of her films as a way to showcase her singing. She can be heard singing a few bars of " Me and Bobby McGee" in '' One Trick Pony''. In 1981, she played a teenage runaway with an aspiration to become a singer in the TV film ''
Freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...
'', and sang six songs in the film, all written by
Janis Ian Janis Ian (born Janis Eddy Fink; April 7, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter who was most commercially successful in the 1960s and 1970s. Her signature songs are the 1966/67 hit "Society's Child, Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)" an ...
. She appeared as a club singer in the film '' Teresa's Tattoo'', and sang three songs in the film ''
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
''. Winningham has recorded four albums: ''What Might Be'' (1992) on the Bay Cities label, '' Lonesomers'' (1997) produced by Carla Olson on the Razor and Tie label, and ''Refuge Rock Sublime'' (2007) on the Craig & Co. label. ''Lonesomers'' is a folksy album dealing with relationship issues. The country/bluegrass/Jewish/folk songs on ''Refuge Rock Sublime'' deal mostly with her recent conversion to Judaism, and include the tracks, "What Would David Do," "A Convert Jig" and the Israeli
national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...
" Hatikva". Winningham released her fourth album ''What's Left Behind'' independently on digital outlets in March 2014.


Personal life

Winningham has been married four times and divorced three. In the early 1980s, she was briefly married to actor A Martinez. They both starred in the miniseries '' The Young Pioneers''. After their divorce, she married television technical advisor William Mapel, with whom she had five children: Riley Mapel was the oldest son (b. 1981) and died by suicide in 2005; Patrick Mapel (b. 1983); Jack Mapel (b. 1985); the only daughter Calla Louise Mapel (b. 1987) and Happy Atticus Mapel (b. 1988). The marriage ended in 1994. Winningham later married and divorced artist Jason Trucco. At the end of 2021, she and long-time friend and fellow actor Anthony Edwards eloped. The two have known each other for 35 years. Winningham was raised a Roman Catholic. She converted to Judaism in her early 40s as a personal decision having nothing to do with a marriage, and is an observant Jew.


Filmography


Discography

* ''What Might Be'' (1992) * ''Georgia: Original Soundtrack'' (1995) * '' Lonesomers'' (1997) * ''Refuge Rock Sublime'' (2007) * ''What's Left Behind'' (2014)


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Winningham, Mare 1959 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles Actresses from Greater Los Angeles Actresses from Phoenix, Arizona American women singer-songwriters American film actresses American television actresses Converts to Judaism from Roman Catholicism Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female winners Jewish American actresses Jewish American musicians Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners People from Northridge, Los Angeles 21st-century American Jews American stage actresses American musical theatre actresses 20th-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from California