Spotlight: Mary-Louise Parker
By Corey Podell
Mary-Louise Parker is the indie version of the girl next door, complete with critical acclaim and personal life dramas. But this virtually ageless actress and mother of two has chosen quality over quantity in her career roles, and doesn’t have one wrinkle to show for it. The 45-year-old beauty either has great genes or a fabulous plastic surgeon, but our instincts tell us Parker is all natural. Check out some of her best roles, among other reasons to adore her.
Mary-Louise Parker became a household name in 1991 when she starred in the award-winning, critically acclaimed and star-heavy "Fried Green Tomatoes." Playing the abused but not broken Ruth Jamison, Parker got to show off her acting chops next to Mary Stuart Masterson and Chris O’Donnell (who played her son Buddy, even though he is only six years her junior).
In 1995's "Boys on the Side," Mary-Louise Parker played an AIDS patient, Robin, who is struggling to face a premature death while forging strong friendships with Drew Barrymore and Whoopi Goldberg’s characters. Mary-Louise has never shied away from these heavy-hitting roles. "Boys" was the second of three films Parker starred in that took a serious look at the AIDS epidemic in America ("Longtime Companion" and "Angels in America" are the others), and the second film where her character dies as a young woman.
Mary-Louise took a stab at the small screen from 2001 to 2006, playing a women’s rights activist and the love interest of Bradley Whitford’s beloved character Josh Lyman on "The West Wing." Parker proved she was just as captivating on the small screen as she was on the big screen: She was nominated for an Emmy in 2002 and a SAG award in 2003 for the role of Amy Gardner.
As valium-addicted wife Harper Pitt in "Angels in America," Parker continued to reign supreme on the awards circuit by taking home the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie and the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Movie, as well as a SAG nomination in 2004. Perfect timing for good news, as the actress was getting over the end of her eight-year relationship with Billy Crudup and was about to give birth to their first child, William Atticus.
Parker returned to her Broadway roots in 2001 and was nominated for a Tony award for the acclaimed play "Proof." Four years later, in 2005, after numerous Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG nominations, the versatile actress was up for yet another Tony award, this time for Lead Actress in a Play, for her role in "Reckless." She didn’t win the statue, but she did gain even more artistic and critical praise.
Getting dumped for Claire Danes while seven months pregnant with then-boyfriend Billy Crudup's baby couldn't have been an easy experience, but Mary-Louise didn’t let anyone see her sweat. Not only did she hit the awards-show circuit with a baby bump on display, she won! Ah, sweet revenge. William Atticus Crudup was born Jan. 7, 2004. In 2007, at age 43, the single mom added to her family by adopting a daughter, Caroline, from Ethiopia.
Mary-Louise has treated her love life as delicately as her career, choosing quality over quantity. Parker seems to prefer meeting her men on set: She met both Timothy Hutton and Billy Crudup on the Broadway stage, and hit it off with former fiancé Jeffrey Dean Morgan on the set of "Weeds." But Adam Duritz? That was out of left field. She brought the oddball Counting Crows singer as her date to the 2008 Tony Awards. How does this guy land all the hottest TV actresses (Courteney Cox, Jen Aniston, etc.)? Adam and Mary-Louise remain close friends to this day.
Mary-Louise was considered for the lead role of Susan Mayer on "Desperate Housewives," but we're SO relieved she passed it up for "Weeds," where she now plays a pot-dealing, currently pregnant, widowed suburban mother trying to make ends meet in her affluent California suburb. Parker has been nominated for three Emmy awards and won two Golden Globes in 2006, as the relatable mama/marijuana-pusher Nancy Botwin.
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