Mary McDonnell

Mary McDonnell
McDonnell at the 2019 GalaxyCon Raleigh
Born
Mary Eileen McDonnell

(1952-04-28) April 28, 1952 (age 72)
EducationState University of New York at Fredonia
OccupationActress
Years active1977–present
Spouse
Randle Mell
(m. 1984; sep. 2021)
Children2

Mary Eileen McDonnell (born April 28, 1952) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She received Academy Award nominations for her roles as Stands With A Fist in Dances With Wolves and May-Alice Culhane in Passion Fish. McDonnell is well known for her performances as President Laura Roslin in Battlestar Galactica, First Lady Marilyn Whitmore in Independence Day, and Rose in Donnie Darko. She was featured as Captain Sharon Raydor during seasons 5–7 of the TNT series The Closer and starred as Commander Sharon Raydor in the spin-off series Major Crimes on the same network. In 2023, she played Madeleine Usher in the miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix.