Biography
An award-winning stage actress who grew up around New York theaters, Laura Linney's distinctive artistry immediately stood out from the Hollywood crowd when she began hitting film screens in the 1990s. Her multi-layered portrayal of hired actress-wife to unwitting husband Jim Carrey in "The Truman Show" (1998) was a breakout supporting role. Only two years later, she topped critics' year-end lists and earned an Academy Award nomination for her …
Laura Linney SlideShow
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Career Milestones
| Raised on the Upper East Side of NYC | ||
1976 | Worked as a summer apprentice at New London Barn Playhouse in New Hampshire | |
1990 | Off-Broadway debut as an understudy in "Six Degrees of Separation"; made Broadway debut when she assumed the role in the Broadway production | |
1992 | Breakthrough stage role in "Sight Unseen" | |
1992 | Feature acting debut, "Lorenzo's Oil" | |
1993 | Had small but memorable role as a secretary having an affair with the president in "Dave" | |
1993 | TV acting debut, "Class of '61" (ABC), directed by Gregory Hoblit | |
1994 | First TV lead, played Mary Ann Singleton in "Armistead Maupin's 'Tales of the City'" (PBS) | |
1995 | First feature starring role, "Congo" | |
1995 | Starred opposite Tony Goldwyn in the Broadway revival of Philip Barry's "Holiday" | |
1996 | Reunited with director Gregory Hoblit as the assistant district attorney prosecuting a murder case against her former lover (Richard Gere) in "Primal Fear" | |
1997 | Handpicked by Clint Eastwood for co-starring role in "Absolute Power" | |
1998 | Appeared as Jim Carrey's wife in the acclaimed feature "The Truman Show" | |
1998 | Reprised role of Mary Ann in the sequel "Armistead Maupin's 'More Tales of the City'" (Showtime) | |
1998 | Returned to Broadway opposite Robert Foxworth and Jane Alexander in "Honour" | |
1999 | Starred in the TV adaptation of A R Gurney's play "Love Letters" (ABC), directed by Stanley Donen | |
2000 | Delivered a scene-stealing turn as society matron Bertha Dorset in "The House of Mirth" | |
2000 | Garnered praise for her performance as a single mother coping with her n'er-do-well brother in the Sundance-screened "You Can Count on Me" | |
2000 | Portrayed the brilliant campaign manager of a politician seeking his party's presidential nomination in the TNT movie "Running Mates" | |
2000 | Returned to the Broadway stage in a revival of Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya" | |
2001 | Again reprised Mary Ann Singleton in "Armistead Maupin's 'Further Tales of the City'" (Showtime) | |
2002 | Received an Emmy nomination for her role in "Wild Iris" | |
2002 | Returned to the NYC stage starring opposite Liam Neeson in "The Crucible" | |
2002 | Was featured in the ensemble of "The Laramie Project", about the murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard; premiered at Sundance before airing on HBO | |
2003 | Had a supporting role as the wife of Sean Penn's character in the drama "Mystic River," directed by Clint Eastwood | |
2003 | Played an activist entangled with a man who is convicted of rape and murder in the drama "The Life of David Gale" | |
2004 | Cast opposite Liam Neeson, as Alfred Kinsey's wife in "Kinsey" | |
2004 | Earned a Tony nomination for her performance in the Broadway play "Sight Unseen" | |
2004 | Portrayed a love interest for Kelsey Grammer's character in the NBC sitcom "Frasier" | |
2005 | Co-starred with Jeff Daniels in Noah Baumbach's "The Squid and the Whale" | |
2005 | Portrayed the lawyer defending Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson), the priest who performed a controversial exorcism in "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" | |
2006 | Cast in Barry Levinson's "Man of the Year" opposite Robin Williams | |
2007 | Cast as Mrs. X, the head of a wealthy Manhattan household in "The Nanny Diaries" | |
2007 | Costarred with Philip Seymour Hoffman in "The Savages," as adult siblings who are forced to take care of their estranged father; premiered at Sundance | |
2008 | Portrayed Abigail Adams, wife of the second US president in the HBO mini-series "John Adams" | |
2010 | Returned to Broadway to star as a photojournalist sidelined by a war injury in Donald Margulies's "Time Stands Still"; earned a Tony Award nomination for Leading Actress in a Play | |
2010 | Starred in Showtime's "The Big C," about a suburban high school teacher who's diagnosed with a terminal case of skin cancer, and decides to turn her life around | |
2011 | Nominated for the 2011 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | |
2011 | Voiced the character of the North Pole Computer in the animated feature "Arthur Christmas" | |
2012 | Portrayed Margaret Suckley, the distant cousin and confidante of Franklin D. Roosevelt (Bill Murray) in "Hyde Park on Hudson" | |
Awards
2000 | Academy Award for Actress In a Leading Role in You Can Count on Me |
2000 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama in You Can Count on Me |
2000 | National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress in You Can Count on Me |
2000 | New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress in You Can Count on Me |
2000 | Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress in You Can Count on Me |
2001 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead in You Can Count on Me |
2001 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role in You Can Count on Me |
2002 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie in Wild Iris |
2003 | BAFTA Award for Actress In a Supporting Role in Mystic River |
2004 | Academy Award for Actress In a Supporting Role in Kinsey |
2004 | Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in Kinsey |
2004 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture in Kinsey |
2004 | National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress in Kinsey |
2004 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Comedy Series in Frasier |
2004 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in Mystic River |
2005 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical in The Squid and the Whale |
2005 | Palm Springs International Film Festival for Desert Palm Achievement Award |
2005 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Kinsey |
2005 | Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress in The Squid and the Whale |
2006 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead in The Squid and the Whale |
2007 | Academy Award for Actress In a Leading Role in The Savages |
2008 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television in John Adams |
2008 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie in John Adams |
2009 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries in John Adams |
2010 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy Or Musical in The Big C |
2011 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy Or Musical in The Big C |
2011 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in Season 1 |
2011 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in The Big C |