Mare Winningham

Guest-starred on an episode of NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"; received an Emmy nomination for Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Cast on the short-lived CBS' series "The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire"

Guest-starred on an episode of the HBO drama "Six Feet Under"

Co-starred with Felicity Huffman in the based-on-fact Lifetime TV-movie "Snap Decision", playing a mother whose children are taken from her after a photographer friend photographs them and is then charged with child pornography

Played the mother in the Pasadena Playhouse staging of "Side Man"

Had recurring role of a pathological liar on "ER" (NBC)

Co-starred as Lurleen Wallace in the TNT biopic "George Wallace"

Earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination as Jennifer Jason Leigh's sister in "Georgia"

Released first album, "What Might Be"

Returned to features after four years to join a group of young actors dubbed "the Brat Pack" for "St. Elmo's Fire"

Sang in the TV-movie, "Freedom", in which she also starred

Film acting debut in "One Trick Pony"

TV series debut as Nettie Peters on the short-lived ABC period drama, "The Young Pioneers"

TV-movie debut in "Special Olympics/A Special Kind of Love"

Played the leading role of Maria in her senior class production of "The Sound of Music"; was seen by agent Meyer Mishkin, who signed her as a client (date approximate)

First appeared on TV at age 16 singing on "The Gong Show" (date approximate)

Stage debut at age 12 in "Hansel and Gretel" with the Teenage Drama Workshop at California State University (date approximate)

Grew up in the San Fernando Valley in California

Landed episodic guest roles on shows like "Starsky and Hutch", "Family" and "James at 15"

Performed with Los Angeles Free Shakespeare Company for two seasons while in high school