Bio
Mary-Louise Parker is an American actress whose best known works include Fried Green Tomatoes, Boys on the Side, Proof, The West Wing, Angels in America, and her starring role on Showtime's Weeds.
Her work in Weeds garnered five Golden Globe nominations, including the win; four SAG nominations; three Emmy nominations; as well as one Satellite win and four nominations.
In addition to her awards for Weeds, Parker is also the winner of another Golden Globe, a Tony, an Emmy, two Obies, as well as numerous other nominations for her other works seen throughout her career.
Parker appeared in Brian Koppelman and David Levien's film Solitary Man. She stars opposite Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito and Jenna Fischer. The romance centers on an ex-auto dealership owner (Douglas) whose career and marriage have collapsed because of his less-than-ethical behaviour.
Parker plays Jordan, Ben's (Douglas') girlfriend, a beautiful Upper East Side businesswoman whose teenage daughter also happens to catch Ben's eye.
On the small screen, Parker's portrayal in Mike Nichols' highly acclaimed Angels In America garnered her Emmy and Golden Globe wins and a SAG nomination.
She received Emmy nominations for her performance on The West Wing and for her starring role in Robber Bride, for which she won the Gemini Award.
Parker also starred in Sugartime, A Place For Annie, Saint Maybe, Cupid & Cate, The Simple Truth Of Noah Dearborn, Miracle Run and Vinegar Hill.
Parker's film resume includes the dark Christian comedy Saved!, opposite Mandy Moore, and Romance & Cigarettes, written and directed by John Turturro and produced by the Coen Brothers.
Parker is known widely for her starring roles in Fried Green Tomatoes, Grand Canyon, Reckless, Boys On The Side, The Client, Naked In New York, Bullets Over Broadway, The Best Thief In The World, Longtime Companion, Pipe Dream, Red Dragon, The Spiderwick Chronicles and The Five Senses, for which she was nominated for a Genie Award for Best Actress.
Parker also starred in Red, opposite Bruce Willis and also starring Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich.
Parker also boasts a highly acclaimed and extensive stage career. She made her Broadway debut to rave reviews in Prelude To A Kiss, garnering a Tony nomination, a Theatre World Award, The Clarence Derwent Award and a Drama Desk nomination.
She originated the role of Li'l Bit in the critically lauded How I Learned To Drive, which earned her an Obie Award, a Lucille Lortel Award and an Outer Critics Circle nomination. She also starred in Reckless, for which she received Tony and Drama League nominations.
Her performance in Proof earned her the 2001 Tonyv Award, as well as the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, Lucille Lortel, Obie and New York Magazine Awards. She also earned the 2001 T. Schreiber Award for Outstanding Achievement in Theatre.
In 2008, Parker starred in the Playwrights Horizons production of Sarah Ruhl's Dead Man's Cell Phone, for which she received a Drama League nomination.
She was also seen in the Broadway revival of Hedda Gabler, directed by Ian Rickson, for which she also received a Drama League nomination.
Additional theatre credits include Communicating Doors, Bus Stop, Four Dogs And A Bone, The Art Of Success, Throwing Your Voice, Babylon Gardens, The Importance Of Being Earnest, Up In Saratoga, The Miser and Hayfever.
She co-founded the Edge Theater, where she performed in The Age Of Pie and The Girl In Pink, among other productions.
Parker is a contributing writer for Esquire magazine. She won the Robert Brustein Award for Excellence in Theater and the Philadelphia Film Festival Award for Career Achievement.
Her personal and professional belongings, along with career memorabilia, are archived at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University, where she was the youngest person ever inducted.