Geraldine Hughes

Geraldine Hughes (born 1970) is an actress from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Born in West Belfast, Hughes has appeared in films such as Duplex, Rocky Balboa, and Gran Torino.[1][2] She also played Mary Todd Lincoln in Killing Lincoln.[3] More recently, she performed a solo play written by herself, Belfast Blues.

Geraldine Hughes
Geraldine Hughes in New York City in March 2009
Born	1970 (age 49–50) Belfast, Northern Ireland
Education	University of California, Los Angeles[1]
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1984–present
Height	5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)

Early life

Hughes grew up in the Divis Flats in Belfast, Northern Ireland, during The Troubles. To get herself through the tough times, Hughes participated in her school's drama club. She loved school, saying it made her feel safe and she enjoyed the structure it provided. It was where she escaped from The Troubles.[4] After being chosen for her role in the film Children in the Crossfire, Hughes spent her first summer in the United States. She had no acting experience beyond her school's drama club before accepting her role as Mary in the movie.[5]

Education

In Belfast, Hughes attended St. Louise Comprehensive School in the '80s. Later, she attended the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) with a private scholarship from those she worked with in the film Children in the Crossfire. While they paid her tuition, she paid her living expenses.[5] Hughes graduated from the university with a BA from the School of Theater, Film and TV. And in 2009, Queens University in Belfast awarded Hughes an honorary doctorate for her contributions to the performing arts.[6]

Career

When Hughes was just 14, American TV producers auditioned hundreds of children in Ireland for their film and of the hundreds, three were chosen to participate in the film, Hughes being one of them. This first film debut of hers was in the movie, Children of the Crossfire in the year 1984. Later, during her first years in Los Angeles, Hughes became a part-time nanny to Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman's children.[5]

After a theater performance, Hughes was contacted by a casting director and asked to audition for the role of Marie in Rocky Balboa, a role she is arguably most known for.[7]

Hughes has been and continues to work in the field of performing arts.

Family and personal life

Hughes comes from a working-class family in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She grew up in a Catholic household. Because she lived during The Troubles, Hughes experienced life in a war zone. Belfast Blues is a play she wrote detailing her real life experiences from her life in Belfast. As a child, Hughes never spoke of the horrors she witnessed in Belfast.[5] Her performances of this play are dedicated “to all the children who live in places of conflict.”[8] Hughes left Belfast at the age of 18. She lived in Los Angeles for 16 years then moved to New York City.[9] Family comes first for Hughes as she regularly returns to Belfast for visits.[7]

Hughes was married to an American from Pennsylvania, Ian Harrington. He also "came from nothin'' as his family was very poor. He was the first to encourage Hughes to share her story.[5]

Filmography and theatrical appearances

[10]

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1984	Children in the Crossfire	Mary
1997	St. Patrick's Day	Maeve
1986	The End of the World Man	Barbara
2003	Duplex	Receptionist
2006	Rocky Balboa	Marie
2008	Gran Torino	Karen Kowalski
2009	Pumpgirl	Sinead
2012	Dead Souls	Mary Petrie
2013	Killing Lincoln	Mary Todd Lincoln
2014	Time Out of Mind	Marie
2017	The Book of Henry	Mrs. Evans
2020	Nine Days	Colleen

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	ER	Susan McFarlan
2003	Murder She Wrote	Fiona Byrne
2007–2017	Law & Order SVU	Tina Parven/Denise Drake	TV Series, 2 episodes
2008	Law & Order	Sandra Talbot
2010	Nurse Jackie	Molly Gaherty
2010	Mercy	Tammy Singer
2010	The Good Wife	Rachel Knox
2010	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Regina
2013	Blue Bloods	Meara McGuire
2013–2017	The Blacklist	Dr. Nina	TV Series, 3 episodes

Theater

[11]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
	Jerusalem		Westend and Broadway productions
	Particle of Dread
	Cyrano De Bergerac		Broadway
	Translations	Bridget	Broadway
	Molly Sweeney
	Orson's Shadow
	The Cripple Inishmaan
	The Architect
	Belfast Blues	24 characters	a solo play written by Hughes-based off real life events

Awards and nominations

Hughes received her first award in 2003, the Los Angeles Ovation Award.[12] Just a year later, in 2004 she received the Garland and Drama Critics Circle Awards.[13] Hughes also received a nomination for Distinguished Performance from the Drama League Award for her acting in her solo play, Belfast Blues, in 2004.[14]

References

1. "Geraldine Hughes and her rocky road to fame". Belfast Telegraph. 13 September 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
2. 'Geraldine Hughes talks Rocky Balboa' by Evan "Mushy" Jacobs (December 18th, 2006)
3. Geraldine Hughes Talks KILLING LINCOLN, How She Views Mary Todd Lincoln, and Period Costumes
4. Wimps Tv (22 October 2013), WIMPS.tv - Geraldine Hughes Interview, retrieved 6 December 2016
5. Haithman, Diane (16 February 2003). "Child's play in a war zone". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
6. "BBC NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | Queen's degree for Rocky actress". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
7. "Geraldine Hughes and her rocky road to fame - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
8. Rocco, Claudia La (29 September 2014). "Geraldine Hughes Returns to New York With 'Belfast Blues'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
9. Northern Irish Connections (15 October 2014), NI Connections Interview with Geraldine Hughes, retrieved 6 December 2016
10. "Geraldine Hughes". IMDb. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
11. Belfast Blues. By Geraldine Hughes. Dir. Carol Kane. Narr. Geraldine Hughes. New York, New Paltz. 15 Oct. 2016. Performance.
12. "L.A. Ovation Award Winners Announced". TheaterMania.com. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
13. "Awards Black Dahlia Theatre". thedahlia.com. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
14. Desk, BWW News. "2004-5 Drama League Award Winners Announced". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 6 December 2016.

External links

• Geraldine Hughes on IMDb
• NY Times article about Belfast Blues.