1. Early life
Mare Winningham was born on May 16, 1959, in Phoenix, Arizona, and was raised in Northridge, California. She is the daughter of Marilyn Jean (née Maloney) and Sam Neal Winningham. She has three brothers and one sister. Her father served as a football coach, athletic director, and later as the chairman of the Department of Physical Education at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). Her mother was an English teacher and college counselor at Monroe High School and Grant High School. Winningham credits her initial interest in acting to an interview she saw at the age of five or six with Kym Karath (who played Gretl in The Sound of Music) on Art Linkletter's television show House Party.
1.1. Childhood and Education
During her childhood, Winningham attended Andasol Avenue Elementary School, where her favorite activities included drama, playing the guitar, and drums. She pursued an extended drama option at Patrick Henry Junior High School and continued her studies during summer vacations at CSUN's Teenage Drama Workshop. It was during this period that she adopted the nickname "Mare". Her mother arranged for her to attend Chatsworth High School. In her senior year, Winningham starred as Maria in a high school production of The Sound of Music, performing alongside classmate Kevin Spacey, who played Captain Von Trapp. Her high school boyfriend was Val Kilmer. She graduated in 1977 as co-valedictorian with Spacey.
2. Career
Mare Winningham's career spans both acting and music, with significant contributions across various media.
2.1. Acting career
Winningham's acting career began in the mid-1970s and has since encompassed a wide range of roles in film, television, and theatre, earning her critical acclaim and numerous awards.
2.1.1. Film
Winningham made her feature film debut in 1980 with One Trick Pony, starring Paul Simon. She received a Canadian Genie Award nomination for her work in the 1981 futuristic drama Threshold. In 1985, she achieved greater fame co-starring in St. Elmo's Fire alongside other original "brat pack" alumni. Despite the film's success, she chose not to capitalize on her teen idol status, instead focusing on diverse roles.
In 1988, she starred in the nuclear disaster drama Miracle Mile, for which she received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. The following year, she appeared in the Tom Hanks vehicle Turner & Hooch. The early 1990s saw her return to film with 1994's all-star Wyatt Earp and the family drama The War, both starring Kevin Costner. Her performance in the 1995 film Georgia, a character study of two sisters (Winningham and Jennifer Jason Leigh), earned her Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award nominations.
Later film roles include the independent film Dandelion (2004), which was featured at film festivals worldwide, Swing Vote (2008), Brothers (2009), Mirror Mirror (2012), Philomena (2013), Geostorm (2017), O.G. Original Gangster (2018), The Seagull (2018), Dark Waters (2019), News of the World (2020), and All My Puny Sorrows (2021).
2.1.2. Television
Winningham's television career began with pilots for The Young Pioneers in 1978, followed by appearances in series like Police Woman (1978) and Starsky & Hutch (1979). She played a young prostitute in the 1980 TV film Off the Minnesota Strip. That same year, she won a Primetime Emmy Award for her role in the critically acclaimed Amber Waves, a television film about a farmer dying of cancer.
In 1983, she appeared in the epic miniseries The Thorn Birds as Justine O'Neill. She portrayed Helen Keller in the 1984 TV movie Helen Keller: The Miracle Continues. Her performance in the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie Love Is Never Silent earned her an Emmy nomination, and she delivered another well-received performance as a homeless young mother in the television movie God Bless the Child. In 1997, she starred opposite Gary Sinise in George Wallace, for which she received a Golden Globe Award nomination and won her second Emmy Award.
Winningham made acclaimed guest appearances on series such as ER (1998-1999) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2003). Other notable television projects include Sally Hemings (2001) opposite Sam Neill, the short-lived David E. Kelley series The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire, and Snap Decision (2001) with Felicity Huffman. From 2006 to 2007, she played Susan Grey, the stepmother of Dr. Meredith Grey, on the ABC drama Grey's Anatomy. In 2010, she appeared in an episode of Cold Case as Celeste Cooper, the stepmother of main character Lilly Rush. In 2011, she was featured in Torchwood: Miracle Day as Ellis Hartley Monroe. She also starred in the miniseries Mildred Pierce (2011) and Hatfields & McCoys (2012), garnering two more Emmy nominations for these roles.
From 2013 to 2017, Winningham appeared in four seasons of American Horror Story: Coven (2013), Freak Show (2014), Hotel (2015-16), and Cult (2017). She was also cast as Cherry Lockhart for Seasons 1, 2, and 4 of the television series The Affair. More recently, she appeared in Dopesick on Hulu with Michael Keaton in 2021 and The Outsider in 2020.
2.1.3. Theatre
Winningham has also had a significant presence in theatre. In 1988, she starred in the Los Angeles stage production of Hurlyburly alongside Sean Penn and Danny Aiello. She made her New York stage debut in 2007 in the Off-Broadway musical 10 Million Miles, for which she received a Drama Desk Award nomination. Her Broadway debut came in 2013 with the revival of Picnic. In 2014, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role in the original Broadway production of Casa Valentina. In 2012, she appeared Off-Broadway as Beth in the award-winning comic-drama Tribes by Nina Raine. In 2022, she received her second Tony Award nomination for her leading performance in Girl from the North Country.
2.2. Music career
Winningham has pursued a parallel career as a singer-songwriter, often incorporating her musical talents into her acting projects. She can be heard singing parts of "Me and Bobby McGee" in One Trick Pony. In the 1981 TV film Freedom, she played a teenage runaway aspiring to be a singer and performed six songs written by Janis Ian. She also sang three songs in the film Georgia and appeared as a club singer in Teresa's Tattoo.
Winningham has released four albums. Her debut album, What Might Be, was released in 1992 on the Bay Cities label. This was followed by Lonesomers in 1997, produced by Carla Olson on the Razor and Tie label, which features folksy songs exploring relationship themes. In 2007, she released Refuge Rock Sublime on the Craig & Co. label, an album featuring country, bluegrass, Jewish, and folk songs that largely reflect her conversion to Judaism. This album includes tracks such as "What Would David Do," "A Convert Jig," and the Israeli national anthem "Hatikva". Her fourth album, What's Left Behind, was independently released on digital outlets in March 2014.
3. Awards and nominations
Mare Winningham has received numerous accolades for her contributions to acting and music.
- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for Amber Waves (1980)
- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for George Wallace (1998)
- Nominated for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Georgia (1995)
- Nominated for Golden Globe Award for George Wallace (1997)
- Nominated for Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for Casa Valentina (2014)
- Nominated for Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for Girl from the North Country (2022)
- Nominated for Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for 10 Million Miles (2007)
- Nominated for Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female for Miracle Mile (1989)
- Nominated for Screen Actors Guild Award for Georgia (1995)
- Nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for Love Is Never Silent
- Nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for Mildred Pierce (2011)
- Nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for Hatfields & McCoys (2012)
4. Discography
- What Might Be (1992)
- Georgia: Original Soundtrack (1995)
- Lonesomers (1997)
- Refuge Rock Sublime (2007)
- What's Left Behind (2014)
5. Filmography
A comprehensive list of Mare Winningham's film and television acting credits can be found on the separate page, Mare Winningham filmography.
6. Personal life
Mare Winningham has been married four times and divorced three. In the early 1980s, she was briefly married to actor A Martinez; they had previously co-starred in the miniseries The Young Pioneers. Following their divorce, she married television technical advisor William Mapel. Together, they had five children: Riley Mapel (born 1981), who died by suicide in 2005; Patrick Mapel (born 1983); Jack Mapel (born 1985); their only daughter, Calla Louise Mapel (born 1987); and Happy Atticus Mapel (born 1988). This marriage concluded in 1994. Winningham later married and divorced artist Jason Trucco. In late 2021, she quietly eloped with long-time friend and fellow actor Anthony Edwards; the two had known each other for 35 years prior to their marriage.
Winningham was raised Roman Catholic. In her early 40s, she converted to Judaism. This decision was a personal one, unrelated to any marriage, and she is an observant Jew.
