Mary Nell Steenburgen (born February 8, 1953) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and songwriter. After studying at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse in the 1970s, she made her professional acting debut in the Western comedy film Goin' South (1978). Steenburgen went on to earn critical acclaim for her role in Time After Time (1979) and Jonathan Demme's comedy-drama film Melvin and Howard (1980), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Filmography

• 2026A Dog’s Perfect Christmas — Claire
• 2026Last Train to Fortune — Miss Maybelle
• 2026Let's Have Kids! — Sue
• 2026The Dink — Candace
• BULLDOZER — Kathy
• 2025Easy's Waltz
• A Man on the Inside — Mona Margadoff
• 2023Book Club: The Next Chapter — Carol
• Mr. Mayor — Adriana
• 2021Nightmare Alley — Mrs. Kimball
• 2021Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas — Maggie Clarke
• 202030 Rock: A One-Time Special — Mary Steenburgen
• 2020Best Summer Ever — Executive Producer
• 2020Happiest Season — Tipper
• Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist — Maggie Clarke
• 2019Antiquities — Dr. Margot
• Bless the Harts — Crystalynn (voice)
• 2019Flannery — Flannery O'Connor (voice)
• On Becoming a God in Central Florida — Ellen Joy Bonar
• 2018Book Club — Carol
• 2018Katie Says Goodbye — Maybelle
• The Conners — Marcy Bellinger
• 2017I Do... Until I Don't — Cybil Burger
• 2017The Book of Love — Julia Mureaux
• 2017The Discovery — Interviewer
• 2016Dean — Carol
• The Good Place — Teacher
• 20157 Days in Hell — Louisa Poole
• 2015A Walk in the Woods — Jeannie
• Grace and Frankie — Miriam
• 2015Jim Henson's Turkey Hollow — Aunt Cly
• The Last Man on Earth — Gail Klosterman
• Togetherness — Linda
• 2014Song One — Karen Ellis
• 2014The One I Love — Mom (voice), Thanks
• 2013Brahmin Bulls — Helen West
• 2013Last Vegas — Diana Boyle
• Orange Is the New Black — Delia Powell
• 2012Outlaw Country — Anastasia Lee
• 2011Fight for Your Right Revisited — Café Patron
• 2011The Help — Elaine Stein
• Wilfred — Catherine Newman
• 2010Dirty Girl — Peggy
• Justified — Katherine Hale
• 2010Weird: The Al Yankovic Story — Mrs. Yankovic
• Bored to Death — Josephine
• 2009Did You Hear About the Morgans? — Emma Wheeler
• 2009In the Electric Mist — Bootsie Robicheaux
• 2009The Open Road — Katherine
• 2009The Proposal — Grace Paxton
• 2008Four Christmases — Marilyn
• 2008Step Brothers — Nancy Huff
• 2007Elvis & Anabelle — Geneva Leigh
• 2007Honeydripper — Amanda Winship
• 2007Nobel Son — Sarah Michaelson
• 2007Numb — Dr. Blaine
• 2007The Brave One — Carol
• 30 Rock — Diana Jessup
• 2006Bye Bye Benjamin — Executive Producer
• 2006Inland Empire — Visitor #2
• 2006Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School — Marienne Hotchkiss
• 2006The Dead Girl — Leah's Mother
• American Dad! — (voice), Dr. Fay Petit (voice)
• 2004It Must Be Love — Clem Gazelle
• 2004Remembering Ragtime — Mother (archive footage)
• 2003Casa de los Babys — Gayle
• 2003Elf — Emily
• 2003Hope Springs — Joanie Fisher
• Joan of Arcadia — Helen Girardi
• 2003Mrs. Pilgrim Goes to Hollywood — Mary
• 2002Living with the Dead — Detective Karen Condrin
• Living with the Dead — Detective Karen Condrin
• 2002Sunshine State — Francine Pinkney
• 2002Wish You Were Dead — Sally Rider
• Dinner for Five
• 2001I Am Sam — Dr. Blake
• 2001Life as a House — Colleen Beck
• 2001Nobody's Baby — Estelle
• 2001The Trumpet of the Swan — Mother (voice)
• Curb Your Enthusiasm — Mary Steenburgen
• 2000Picnic — Rosemary Sydney
• 2000The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Grace Rinato
• Noah's Ark — Naamah
• 1998About Sarah — Sarah Elizabeth McCaffrey
• Becker — Patient (uncredited)
• Gulliver's Travels — Mary Gulliver
• Ink — Kate Montgomery, Producer
• 1996The Grass Harp — Sister Ida
• 1995My Family — Gloria
• 1995Nixon — Hannah Nixon
• 1995Powder — Jessie Caldwell
• 1994Clifford — Sarah Davis
• 1994It Runs in the Family — Mrs. Parker (Mother)
• 1994Pontiac Moon — Katherine Bellamy
• Frasier — Marjorie (voice)
• 1993Philadelphia — Belinda Conine
• 1993What's Eating Gilbert Grape — Betty Carver
• 1992Earth and the American Dream — Reader (voice)
• Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories — Narrator (voice)
• Back to the Future — Clara Clayton (voice)
• 1991Back to the Future: Dickens of a Christmas — Clara Clayton Brown (voice)
• 1991The Butcher's Wife — Stella Keefover
• 1990Back to the Future Part III — Clara Clayton
• 1990The Long Walk Home — Narrator (voice)
• 1989Miss Firecracker — Elaine Rutledge
• 1989Parenthood — Karen Buckman
• 1988The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank — Miep Gies
• 1987Dead of Winter — Julie Rose / Katie McGovern / Evelyn
• 1987End of the Line — Rose Pickett, Executive Producer
• 1987The Whales of August — Young Sarah
• 1985One Magic Christmas — Ginny Grainger
• Tender Is the Night — Nicole Diver (née Warren)
• 1983Cross Creek — Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
• 1983Little Red Riding Hood — Little Red Riding Hood a.k.a. Mary
• 1983Romantic Comedy — Phoebe Craddock
• 1982A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy — Adrian
• Faerie Tale Theatre — Mary / Little Red Riding Hood
• 1981Ragtime — Mother
• 1980Melvin and Howard — Lynda Dummar
• 1979Time After Time — Amy Robbins
• 1978Goin' South — Julia Tate
• Happiness Isn't Everything — Audrey Veill
• Southern Discomfort — Mary Lou Dobson

Appearances as themselves (28)

• In the Kitchen with Harry Hamlin — Self
• 2023Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic — Self
• 2022Celebrating Betty White: America's Golden Girl — Self
• The Jennifer Hudson Show — Self - Guest
• Reunited Apart — Self
• Stars in the House — Self
• The Kelly Clarkson Show — Self - Guest
• Late Night with Seth Meyers — Self - Guest
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — Self - Guest
• Finding Your Roots — Self
• 2010Tales from the Future — Self
• The Talk — Self
• 2009Clarkworld — Self
• Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen — Self - Guest
• 2006O Lucky Malcolm! — Self
• The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson — Self
• 2004Elf: That's a Wrap — Self
• The Tony Danza Show — Self - Guest
• E!'s 101 — Self
• 2002Character Building: Inside 'Life As a House' — Self
• Good Day Live — Self
• The View — Self
• Ellen — Self (uncredited)
• 1990Sanford Meisner: The American Theatre's Best Kept Secret — Self
• 1990The Secrets of the 'Back to the Future' Trilogy — Self
• 1989Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre — Self (voice)
• LIVE with Kelly and Mark — Self - Guest
• The Oscars — Self