Mary Steenburgen

**Mary Nell Steenburgen** (/ˈstiːnˌbɜːrdʒən/; born February 8, 1953) is a decorated American actress, comedian, singer, and songwriter. Her career took off in the 1970s after training at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse, where she first demonstrated her natural flair for performance. Steenburgen's professional acting debut came in 1978 with the Western comedy film, *Goin' South.* Her portrayal in *Melvin and Howard* in 1980 not only earned her critical acclaim but also the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Steenburgen's filmography is impressive and wide-ranging, from dramatic roles in *Ragtime* and *Cross Creek* to the sci-fi adventure *Back to the Future Part III*, and comedies like *Step Brothers* and *Four Christmases.* She is also credited for her roles in television production, with her BAFTA TV Award nomination for the miniseries *Tender Is the Night* and a Primetime Emmy Award for the television film *The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank*. Beyond her talents in acting, Steenburgen has made her mark as a singer-songwriter, penning music for a number of films. Her dedication to music and songwriting saw her win the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Song for her composition, *'Glasgow (No Place Like Home)*, written for the 2018 musical film, *Wild Rose*.\ In 2007, Steenburgen developed a unique ability to perceive music constantly, following minor surgery. This unexpected phenomenon led her to take music lessons to translate her inner musical perceptions into songwriting. Today, she boasts nearly 50 songwriting credits and collaborates with musicians from Nashville. Her personal life is not short of interest; she married Malcolm McDowell in 1980, with whom she had two children before divorcing in 1990. She then married Ted Danson in 1995. An alumnus of Hendrix College, the institution awarded her an honorary doctorate in 1989. Steenburgen also received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas, in 2006. Alongside her entertainment career, she supports various human rights and environmental causes, demonstrating her diverse passions and capabilities.