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. Description above from the Wikipedia article Mary McDonnell, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Filmography

• The Boroughs — The Duchess
• 2025Broke — Kathy Brandywine
• Twelve Dates 'Til Christmas — Delilah
• The Fall of the House of Usher — Madeline Usher
• Rebel — Helen, Helen Peterson
• 2021The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf — Lady Zerbst (voice)
• Fargo — Ruby Goldfarb
• Major Crimes — Captain Sharon Raydor
• 2011Margin Call — Mary Rogers
• 2011Scream 4 — Kate Roberts
• 2009Hostile Makeover — Rose Smithsonian
• 2007Battlestar Galactica: Razor — President Laura Roslin
• Grey's Anatomy — Virginia Dixon
• 2005Mrs. Harris — Vivian Schulte
• The Closer — Sharon Raydor, Captain Sharon Raydor, Sharon Raydor (archive footage) (uncredited)
• Battlestar Galactica — Laura Roslin
• 2004Crazy Like a Fox — Amy Banks
• Veronica Mars — Jane
• Battlestar Galactica — President Laura Roslin
• 2003Nola — Margaret Langworthy
• 2002The Locket — Helen Staples
• 2001Donnie Darko — Rose Darko
• 2000A Father's Choice — Susan Shaw
• 2000For All Time — Laura Brown
• 1999Behind the Mask — Mary Shushan
• 1999Mumford — Althea Brockett
• 1999Replacing Dad — Linda Marsh
• Ryan Caulfield: Year One — Rachel Caulfield
• 1998Evidence of Blood — Dora Overton
• 1998You Can Thank Me Later — Diane
• 199712 Angry Men — Judge
• 1997Two Voices — Sybil Goldrich
• 1996Independence Day — Marilyn Whitmore
• 1996Mariette in Ecstasy — Prioress
• 1996Woman Undone — Teri Hansen
• High Society — Dott Emerson
• 1994Blue Chips — Jenny
• ER — Eleanor Carter
• Touched by an Angel — Sister Theodore Claire
• 1993The American Clock — Rose Baumler
• 1992Passion Fish — May-Alice Culhane
• 1992Sneakers — Liz
• 1991Grand Canyon — Claire
• 1990Dances with Wolves — Stands With A Fist
• American Experience — Narrator (voice)
• 1988Tiger Warsaw — Paula Warsaw
• 1987Matewan — Elma Radnor
• 1986Courage — Gabriella Estrada
• E/R — Eve Sheridan
• 1984Garbo Talks — Lady Capulet
• 1982Money on the Side — Terri
• Hallmark Hall of Fame — Helen Staples
• One Second After — Jen

Appearances as themselves (7)

• 2003Dances with Wolves: The Creation of an Epic — Self
• 2003The Making of ‘Sneakers’ — Self
• 1996Independence Day: The ID4 Invasion — Self
• 1996The Making of 'Independence Day' — Self
• 1990The Making of 'Dances with Wolves' — Herself
• The Oscars — Self
• Golden Globe Awards — Self