Maura Tierney

Maura Lynn Tierney (born February 3, 1965) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her roles as Lisa Miller on the sitcom NewsRadio (1995–1999), Abby Lockhart on the medical drama ER (1999–2009), and Helen Solloway on the mystery drama The Affair (2014–2019), the last of which won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.

Maura Tierney
Tierney in 2018
Born	Maura Lynn Tierney (1965-02-03) February 3, 1965 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1987–present
Spouse(s)	Billy Morrissette ​ ( m. 1993; div. 2006)

Tierney appeared in numerous films, including Primal Fear (1996), Liar Liar (1997), Primary Colors (1998), Forces of Nature (1999), Insomnia (2002), Semi-Pro (2008), Baby Mama (2008), Beautiful Boy (2018), and The Report (2019).

Early life

The eldest of three children, Tierney was born and raised in the Hyde Park neighborhood[1] of Boston, Massachusetts, to an Irish Catholic family.[2] Her mother, Pat (née James), is a real estate broker and her late father, Joseph M. Tierney, was a prominent Boston politician who served on the Boston City Council for 15 years.[3]

Tierney attended Mount Alvernia Academy Elementary School and Notre Dame Academy in Hingham, Massachusetts where her studies included drama, which led to her appearance at the Boston Globe Drama Festival.[1] After graduation, she attended New York University, where she majored first in dance and then in drama.[4]

Career

After appearing in several plays, Tierney moved to Los Angeles, California in 1987 where her big break was a role in Disney's made-for-TV film Student Exchange.[5] Tierney's first starring role in a film was in a low-budget independent film called Dead Women in Lingerie, which was shot in 24 days.[6] Despite receiving a DVD release in 2005, the film has yet to also receive a theatrical release.

Tierney had a number of small roles in film and television (including a role in 704 Hauser, a short-lived 1994 spin-off of All in the Family), but first received regular national exposure with her leading role in the sitcom NewsRadio from 1995 to 1999. While part of the NewsRadio cast, she also starred in several successful films of the late 1990s and early 2000s such as Primal Fear, Liar Liar, Primary Colors, Forces of Nature and Welcome to Mooseport.

After NewsRadio was canceled, Tierney decided not to star in another sitcom:

[W]hen NewsRadio got canceled, ... I thought, there's probably not gonna be something like [that show] again for me... So then, when ER called ... that was a way to stay in [television] that would remain interesting for me.[7]

From 1999 to 2008, Tierney played Nurse Abigail "Abby" Lockhart on ER, a character that began as a guest appearance in November 1999 and then expanded in February 2000 to a full-time regular role as an ER nurse and later after completion of medical school, a doctor. She was reunited with her NewsRadio co-star Khandi Alexander, who at that time also had a recurring role on ER. Within a year, Tierney's work on ER earned her an Emmy Award nomination, a recognition she credits to a "juicy" story arc featuring Sally Field as Lockhart's mother Maggie Wyczenski, who has bipolar disorder.[5]

Tierney confirmed in April 2008 that she would be leaving ER shortly after the beginning of the show's fifteenth season. In October 2008, she made her final regular appearance on the series after nearly 10 seasons on the show. She returned to make a cameo appearance in one additional episode later in 2009 toward the end of the final season.

Tierney in 2015.

Tierney's highest-profile film while being part of the ER cast was the 2002 film Insomnia, which was directed by Christopher Nolan. That same year, she also starred in Scotland, Pa. where she portrayed a Lady Macbeth-like character written specifically for her by Billy Morrissette, her husband at the time. She was praised by critics for her performance. She also collaborated with NewsRadio writer Joe Furey for a special "Working with Joe Furey" featurette for Furey's film Love and Support.

In 2004, Tierney won the second-season tournament of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown against Lauren Graham, who had a guest role in the fourth season of NewsRadio. Tierney returned to the stage in May 2006 in an appearance opposite Eric McCormack in the Off Broadway premiere of Some Girl(s).[8] She also appeared in the 2008 films Semi-Pro, Baby Mama, The Go-Getter and Finding Amanda. Tierney also played the role of Laurel in the Off Broadway play Three Changes with Dylan McDermott[9] from September 16 to October 4, 2008.

Tierney returned to television, playing the recurring character Kelly McPhee on the FX series Rescue Me in 2009 and 2011 during its final season. She replaced Joely Richardson as the female lead of the 2010 ABC television series The Whole Truth after Richardson left to spend more time with her family.[10] Tierney's role in the show, a legal drama produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, marked her return to television after recovering from breast surgery and cancer treatments.[11] ABC canceled The Whole Truth after four episodes owing to low ratings.[12]

In 2010, Tierney became a member of the New York City-based experimental theatre company The Wooster Group.[13] She performed along with Frances McDormand in the Wooster Group's 2010 remounting of North Atlantic, directed by Elizabeth LeCompte. From 2016-2019, she played the feminist Germaine Greere in The Town Hall Affair, also directed by LeCompte. Tierney herself conceived the idea for this play, which recreates a raucous debate on Women's Liberation that Norman Mailer organized with prominent feminists in 1971.[14]

In February 2011, Tierney made her debut at the Gate Theatre in the Dublin premiere of Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage (translation by Christopher Hampton) alongside Ardal O'Hanlon.[15] Also in 2011, Tierney appeared in one episode of The Office (S8E9: Mrs. California) as Robert California's wife.

In September 2012, Tierney began a recurring role on the CBS legal drama The Good Wife, playing Maddie Hayward.[16] In 2013, Tierney joined the cast of Showtime's The Affair,[17] playing Helen Solloway, for which she won the Golden Globe Award in 2016.[18]

In 2018, Tierney co-starred with Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet in the dark family drama film Beautiful Boy, based on the memoir of the same name by David Sheff.[19] In 2019, Tierney appears in The Report as "an intense, driven, somewhat vengeful Counterterrorism expert determined to get behind any program that promises to get the intel that will stop another attack from happening."[20]

In 2019, Tierney originated the lead role of Elizabeth in the West Coast premiere of Jen Silverman's play Witch at the Geffen Playhouse, directed by Marti Lyons.[21]

Personal life

Tierney married actor/director Billy Morrissette on February 1, 1993, two days before her 28th birthday after the two met on the set of an unaired television series.[22] She filed for divorce in 2006 due to irreconcilable differences. They did not have any children.

On February 1, 2009, the recently ordained Tierney officiated at the wedding of her friend and former ER co-star Parminder Nagra to photographer James Stenson.[23]

Tierney had surgery to remove a tumor from her breast in 2009.[24] She had been cast in Parenthood but schedule conflicts with her cancer treatments led her to leave and she was replaced by Lauren Graham.[25] Tierney finished treatment and returned to work in a stage play in 2010.[26]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1991	Dead Women in Lingerie	Molly Field
1991	The Linguini Incident	Cecelia
1992	White Sands	Noreen
1992	Fly by Night	Denise
1993	The Temp	Sharon Derns
1995	Mercy	Simonet
1996	Primal Fear	Naomi Chance
1997	Liar Liar	Audrey Reede
1998	Primary Colors	Daisy Green
1998	The Thin Pink Line	Suzanne
1999	Forces of Nature	Bridget Cahill
1999	Oxygen	Det. Madeline Foster
1999	Instinct	Lynn Powell
2000	Mexico City	Pam on Phone (voice)
2001	Scotland, PA	Pat McBeth
2002	Insomnia	Rachel Clement
2002	Rooftop Kisses	Denise
2002	The Nazi	Helen
2003	Melvin Goes to Dinner	Leslie
2004	Welcome to Mooseport	Sally Mannis
2006	Danny Roane: First Time Director	Maura Tierney
2006	Diggers	Gina
2007	The Go-Getter	Hal's Pets
2008	Semi-Pro	Lynn
2008	Baby Mama	Caroline
2008	Finding Amanda	Lorraine Mendon
2012	Nature Calls	Janine
2017	Anything	Laurette Sachman
2018	Beautiful Boy	Karen
2019	The Report	Bernadette

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987	Student Exchange	Kathy Maltby	Television film
1988	Crossing the Mob	Michelle	Television film
1988	The Van Dyke Show	Jillian Ryan	10 episodes
1989	Family Ties	Darlene	Episode: "My Best Friend's Girl"
1990	Booker	Donna Cofax	Episode: "Reunion"
1990	Flying Blind	Donna	Television film
1991	Law & Order	Patricia 'Patti' Blaine	Episode: "Aria"
1994	Lifestories: Families in Crisis	N/A	Episode: "A Body to Die For: The Aaron Henry Story"
1994	704 Hauser	Cherlyn Markowitz	5 episodes
1994	Out of Darkness	Meg	Television film
1995–1999	NewsRadio	Lisa Miller	96 episodes
1999–2009	ER	Dr. Abby Lockhart	183 episodes
2000	King of the Hill	Tanya (voice)	Episode: "Movin' On Up"
2009	Parenthood	Sarah Braverman	Episode: Unaired Pilot; replaced by Lauren Graham
2009–2011	Rescue Me	Kelly McPhee	9 episodes
2010–2011	The Whole Truth	Kathryn Peale	13 episodes
2011	The Office	Susan California	Episode: "Mrs. California"
2012–2013	The Good Wife	Maddie Hayward	7 episodes
2012	Ruth & Erica	Erica	10 episodes
2014–2019	The Affair	Helen Solloway	45 episodes
2018	Electric Dreams	Irene Lee	Episode: "Safe & Sound"
2020	Rust	Grace Poe	N/A

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominated work	Result
2000	Blockbuster Entertainment Awards	Favorite Supporting Actress – Comedy/Romance	Forces of Nature	Nominated
2001	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	ER	Nominated
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series		Nominated
2003	Prism Awards	Best Performance in a Drama Series		Nominated
	Satellite Awards	Best Actress – Television Series Drama		Nominated
2007	Prism Awards	Best Performance in a Drama Series		Nominated
2008	Prism Awards	Best Performance in a Drama Series		Nominated
2016	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	The Affair	Nominated
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film		Won
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series		Nominated
2017	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series		Nominated
	Satellite Awards	Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film		Nominated
2018	FilmOut's San Diego LGBT Film Festival	Best Actress in Supporting Role	Anything	Won
2020	Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards	Lead Performance	Witch at Geffen Playhouse	Won

References

1. Wieder, Tamara (February 14, 2002). "Prescription for success". ThePhoenix.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
2. "The Return of Maura Tierney". Parade. September 12, 2010. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
3. "Joseph Tierney Obituary". hydepark.thomasfuneralhomes.com. Hyde Park, Massachusetts: Carroll-Thomas Funeral Home. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
4. Tierney, Maura (September 9, 2008). "Trying to quit smoking is the hardest thing I've ever done". Glamour. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
5. "Dream Life". brntwd magazine. September 2001.
6. "Interview with Erica Fox". Exclusive magazine. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
7. Maura Tierney, original air date November 14, 2006, interviewed on The Tavis Smiley Show
8. ...Tierney Becomes One of LaBute's Some Girl(s) for US Debut Archived March 22, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, Playbill (March 2006 article)
9. Cox, Gordon (June 5, 2008). "Playwrights Horizons signs stars". Variety.
10. Reiher, Andrea (June 11, 2010). "Maura Tierney to tell "The Whole Truth: with Rob Morrow at ABC". Zap2it. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
11. "Maura Tierney New Role: Legal Drama 'The Whole Truth". National Ledger. June 16, 2010. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
12. "ABC cancels 'The Whole Truth'". EW.com. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
13. "Magazine — The Wooster Group: Getting Down to the Confrontation - Hauser & Wirth". www.hauserwirth.com. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
14. Teeman, Tim (February 2, 2017). "How Elizabeth LeCompte and the Wooster Group Changed Theater". The Daily Beast. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
15. "Gate Theatre, Dublin, Ireland". Gate-theatre.ie. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
16. Hibberd, James (June 25, 2012). "Maura Tierney joins 'The Good Wife'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
17. "The Return Of Maura Tierney". The Huffington Post. August 4, 2013.
18. Mitovich, Matt Webb (January 10, 2016). "Golden Globes: Mr. Robot and Mozart Win Big; Taraji P. Henson, Lady Gaga, Jon Hamm, Rachel Bloom Grab Gold". TVLine. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
19. Fleming Jr, Mike (March 16, 2017). "'The Affair's Maura Tierney Joins Amazon's 'Beautiful Boy'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
20. Maura Tierney Joins CIA Drama ‘The Torture Report’
21. Meyer, Dan. "Witch, Starring Maura Tierney, Begins at Geffen Playhouse". Playbill. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
22. Finn, Natalie (July 27, 2006). "Maura Tierney's Marriage Flatlines". E!. Retrieved October 9, 2007.
23. OK! Staff (January 23, 2009). "OK! Exclusive: Parminder Nagra's Wedding Album". OK! Magazine. Archived from the original on October 3, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
24. "Maura Tierney To Undergo Surgery For Breast Tumor". Access Online. July 13, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
25. Abrams, Natalie. "Gilmore Girls' Lauren Graham Takes Starring Role in Parenthood", TVGuide.com, October 9, 2009.
26. Armstrong, Jennifer (January 27, 2010). "Maura Tierney goes back to work after battling cancer". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 3, 2010.

External links

• Maura Tierney on IMDb