Marcia Gay Harden
1.6Acting

Marcia Gay Harden

Aug 14, 1959 - La Jolla, California, USA

Marcia Gay Harden (born August 14, 1959) is an American film and stage actress. She is the recipient of many accolades including an Academy Award and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for a Critics' Choice Movie Award and three Primetime Emmy Awards.

She began her acting career appearing in television programs throughout the 1980s. In 1986, she appeared in her first film role, with her breakthrough coming in the 1990 Coen brothers-directed Miller's Crossing.

Her next notable film credits include The First Wives Club (1996), Flubber (1997), and Space Cowboys (2000). She received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Lee Krasner in Pollock (2000). She had a supporting role in Mona Lisa Smile (2003). She received a second Academy Award nomination for her performance as Celeste Boyle in the drama film Mystic River (2003).

She appeared in several 2007 films, including Sean Penn's Into the Wild and Frank Darabont's The Mist, based on the novella by Stephen King. Also in 2007, she shared top billing with Kevin Bacon in Rails & Ties, the directorial debut of Alison Eastwood. Harden played a woman who has a mastectomy in Home (2008). (Her character in Rails & Ties also had a mastectomy.) One scene required her to bare her breasts, with the missing breast removed using computer-generated imagery. In Home, her co-stars include her daughter, Eulala Scheel.

In 2009, she had quite a busy year. She appeared as a regular on the FX series Damages as a shrewd corporate attorney opposite Glenn Close and William Hurt. She co-starred in the films Whip It, and The Maiden Heist. She returned to Broadway in Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage, co-starring with James Gandolfini, Hope Davis and Jeff Daniels. All three actors were nominated for a Tony Award; Harden won Best Actress in a Play. She received her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her role as FBI Special Agent Dana Lewis in the crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and earned a second Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her performance as Janina Krzyżanowska in the television film The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (2009).

She reunited with her former Broadway co-star Jeff Daniels as a new cast member on HBO's series The Newsroom in 2013. In 2015, she had a starring role in the medical drama Code Black. Her other notable television credits include ABC's How to Get Away with Murder and the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show.

She played Christian Grey's mother, Grace Trevelyan Grey, in the Fifty Shades film series from 2015 to 2018. She stars in the 2022 CBS drama So Help Me Todd.

Credits

Cast

Media
Movie1998Meet Joe BlackAllison
Movie2003Mystic RiverCeleste Boyle
Movie1990Miller's CrossingVerna
Movie1996Spy HardMiss Cheevus
Movie2023Daughter of the BrideDiane
Movie1996The First Wives ClubDr. Leslie Rosen
Movie2000Space CowboysSara Holland
Movie2007The MistMrs. Carmody
Movie2007Into the WildBillie McCandless
Movie2009Whip ItBrooke Cavendar
Movie2006In from the NightVicki Miller
Movie2009The Courageous Heart of Irena SendlerJanina Krzyżanowska
Movie2003Mona Lisa SmileNancy Abbey
Movie2009The Maiden HeistRose Barlow
Movie1998Desperate MeasuresDr. Samantha Hawkins
Movie2005Felicity: An American Girl AdventureMrs. Martha Merriman
Movie2006American DreamzFirst Lady
Movie1997FlubberDr. Sara Jean Reynolds
Movie2007The InvisibleDiane Powell
Movie2000PollockLee Krasner
Movie2005Bad News BearsLiz Whitewood
Movie2006The HoaxEdith Irving
Movie2006The Dead GirlMelora
Movie2008Christmas CottageMaryanne Kinkade
Movie1988Superman's 50th Anniversary: A Celebration of the Man of SteelMarcia Connelly
Movie2007Rails & TiesMegan Stark
Movie2005American GunJanet Huttenson
Movie1992CrushLane
Movie2003Casa de los BabysNan
Movie1997Path to Paradise: The Untold Story of the World Trade Center BombingNancy Floyd
Movie2004Welcome to MooseportGrace Sutherland
Movie2002King of TexasMrs. Susannah Lear Tumlinson
Movie1996The Spitfire GrillShelby Goddard
Movie1998Curtain CallMichelle Tippet
Movie1994Safe PassageCynthia
Movie2009HomeInga
Movie2011InnocentBarbara Sabich
Movie2006CanvasMary Marino
Movie2011DetachmentPrincipal Carol Dearden
Movie1991Late for DinnerJoy Husband
Movie2012Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to YouMarjorie Dunfour
Movie2011Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in ItalyEdda Mellas
Movie1991In Broad DaylightAdina Rowan
Movie2013If I Were YouMadelyn
Movie1995Convict CowboyMaggie Sinclair
Movie2016Get a JobKatherine Dunn
Movie1999Small VicesSusan Silverman
Movie2013ParklandDoris Nelson
Movie2013Eastwood Directs: The Untold StorySelf
Movie2001Walking ShadowSusan Silverman
Movie2015Fifty Shades of GreyDr. Grey
Movie2000Thin AirSusan Silverman
Movie2014Magic in the MoonlightMrs. Baker
Movie2001Gaudi AfternoonFrankie
Movie2020Together in Pride: You Are Not AloneSelf
Movie2014Elsa & FredLydia
Movie1996Far HarborArabella
Movie2014You're Not YouElizabeth
Movie2022Confess, FletchCountess Sylvia de Grassi
Movie1991FeverLacy
Movie2004See You in My DreamsAngela Brown
Movie2006Wrestling with Angels: Playwright Tony KushnerSelf
Movie2015GrandmaJudy
Movie2004She's Too YoungTrish Vogul
Movie2005Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf CoastSelf - Presenter
Movie1992Used PeopleNorma
Movie2006Sweet Tornado: Margo Jones and the American TheaterNarrator
Movie2015UnityNarrator (voice)
Movie2024Knox Goes AwayRuby Knox
Movie2015After WordsJane Taylor
Movie2005Willa Cather: The Road Is AllVoice of Willa Cather
Movie2013The Wine of SummerShelley
Movie2019The Cold Open
Movie2017Fifty Shades DarkerGrace Trevelyan Grey
Movie1995Talking WithLaurie (segment "Clear Glass Marbles")
Movie2018Fifty Shades FreedGrace Grey
Movie1998Labor of LoveAnnie Pines
Movie1990Kojak: None So BlindAngelina
Movie2025RennerSalenus (voice)
Movie1979Not Only StrangersJennie
Movie2008Sex and Lies in Sin CityBecky Binion
Movie1993In the Wings: Angels in America On Broadway
Movie2002Guilty HeartsJenny Moran
Movie2019Point BlankLieutenant Lewis
Movie2004P.S.Missy Goldberg
Movie1993Geoffrey Beene 30
Movie2000From Where I SitSharon
Movie2019Love You to DeathCamile Stoller
Movie2021MoxiePrincipal Shelly
Movie2015Larry Gaye: Renegade Male Flight AttendantPresident of the FAFAFA
Movie2008When Darkness Came: The Making of 'The Mist'Self
Movie1997The DaytrippersLibby
Movie2020Pink Skies AheadPamela
Movie2022Tell It Like a WomanDr. Partovi
Movie2022Gigi & NateClaire Gibson
Movie2007Fog City MavericksSelf
Movie2008The TowerZoe Cafritz
MovieN/AThe DreadfulMorwen
MovieN/AStreet SmartDr. Partovi
Movie2018In the Night I Remember Your NamePastor Joyce Speegle (voice)
Movie2004Mystic River: Beneath the SurfaceSelf
Movie2003Mystic River: From Page to ScreenSelf
TV Show1981Simon & Simon1
TV Show1997The ViewSelf6
TV Show2019Tamron HallSelf - Guest1
TV Show1999Law & Order: Special Victims UnitDana Lewis4
TV Show1992The Tonight Show with Jay Leno1
TV Show1993Homicide: Life on the Street1
TV Show2007DamagesClaire Maddox13
TV Show1951Hallmark Hall of FameVicki Miller1
TV Show1994Chicago Hope1
TV Show2001The Education of Max BickfordAndrea Haskell22
TV Show1953The OscarsSelf4
TV ShowN/ADrift1
TV Show2013Trophy WifeDr. Diane Buckley22
TV Show2021Money, ExplainedSelf - Narrator1
TV Show2014How to Get Away with MurderHannah Keating3
TV Show2012BentVanessa Carter1
TV Show2015Code BlackDr. Leanne Rorish47
TV Show2011Body of ProofSheila Temple1
TV Show1989Gideon OliverLila1
TV Show1992SinatraAva Gardner2
TV Show2022So Help Me ToddMargaret31
TV Show2019The Kelly Clarkson Show1
TV Show2022SherriSelf - Guest1
TV Show2022UncoupledClaire Lewis6
TV Show2022The Cuphead Show!Sally Stageplay (voice)2
TV Show2015The Late Show with Stephen Colbert1
TV Show2009Watch What Happens Live with Andy CohenSelf - Guest1
TV Show1993Fallen AngelsMarie1
TV Show2019RuPaulSelf1
TV Show2019The Kelly Clarkson ShowSelf1
TV Show2018A Million Little ThingsAlice Mendez1
TV Show2014BoJack HorsemanDenise (voice)1
TV Show2019The Morning ShowMaggie Brener10
TV Show2019Reef BreakBetty Ann Miller1
TV Show2020BarkskinsMathilde Geffard8
TV Show2012The NewsroomRebecca Halliday10
TV Show1971Great PerformancesSelf1
TV Show2018The Oil FundUSA Ambassadør2
TV Show2014BoJack HorsemanDenise / McCaitlyn (voice)1
TV Show2009Royal PainsDr. Elizabeth Blair3
TV Show1997The View1
TV ShowN/ATrinityMargaret Vandenburg2

Crew

Media
Movie2008When Darkness Came: The Making of 'The Mist'ThanksCrew
TV Show2022So Help Me ToddProducerProduction