Mary McCormack Biography

Mary Catherine McCormack (born February 8, 1969) is an American actress. Known for her work in television, she has had leading roles as Justine Appleton in the series Murder One (1995"97), as Deputy National Security Adviser Kate Harper in The West Wing (2004"06) and as Mary Shannon in In Plain Sight (2008"12).

Her film roles include Private Parts (1997); Deep Impact (1998); True Crime (1999); High Heels and Low Lifes (2001); K-PAX (2001); Right at Your Door (2006), and 1408 (2007).

Personal life

McCormack was born in Plainfield, New Jersey. She is the daughter of clinical therapist Norah and car dealership and ice cream parlor owner William McCormack. Her parents divorced in 1990. She has a sister Bridget, a former professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School and justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, and a brother William, an actor who has appeared in a recurring role as FBI agent Robert O'Connor on In Plain Sight.

In 1983, McCormack graduated from The Wardlaw-Hartridge School in Edison, New Jersey. In 1991, she received her BA in comparative arts, specifically painting and creative writing, from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

In July 2003, McCormack married Brothers & Sisters producer Michael Morris. They have three daughters, Margaret (born 2004), Rose (born 2007), and Lillian (born 2011). McCormack is the godmother of In Plain Sight co-star Fred Weller's daughter.

Career

McCormack began her acting career at age 12, performing in Gian Carlo Menotti's Christmas opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors. She continued her stage work in musicals and finished an acting program at the William Esper Studio. She has worked in New York theater productions, including The Atlantic Theater Company, Alice's 4th Floor, and Naked Angels, where she appeared in Jon Robin Baitz's A Fair Country.

McCormack portrayed Justine Appleton on Murder One (1995–1997) and also starred in the HBO series K Street, which aired for only ten episodes. She starred in Howard Stern's movie Private Parts in 1997. In 2004, McCormack joined the cast of The West Wing as Deputy National Security Advisor and ex-CIA officer Kate Harper. Her character soon became a recurring role and remained throughout the last three seasons until the series finale.

McCormack starred in USA Network series In Plain Sight. She portrayed Mary Shannon, a deputy United States marshal attached to the Albuquerque, New Mexico, office of the Federal Witness Security Program (WITSEC), more commonly known as the Federal Witness Protection Program. On July 28, 2010, the show was renewed for its fourth and fifth seasons, to run in 2011 and 2012. The show was cancelled in 2011, making the fifth season its last. After its end, McCormack was cast as the lead in Kari Lizer's untitled comedy pilot on ABC.

McCormack was nominated for the 2008 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for the role of Gretchen in the 2008 Broadway revival of Boeing Boeing.

In 2012 McCormack re-united with the cast of West Wing to film a video that served both as a reminder that US voters should vote for non-partisan candidates when they cast their ballots and as a video promoting McCormack's sister's ultimately successful judicial candidacy for the Michigan State Supreme Court.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1994	Miracle on 34th Street	Myrna Foy
1995	Backfire!	Sarah Jackson
1997	Colin Fitz Lives!	Moira
1997	Private Parts	Alison Stern
1997	Fathers' Day	Virginia Farrell (uncredited)
1997	'	Sally
1998	Deep Impact	Andrea Baker
1998	Harvest	Agent Becka Anslinger
1999	Getting to Know You	Leila Lee
1999	True Crime	Michelle Ziegler
1999	Mystery, Alaska	Donna Biebe
1999	'	Monique
2000	Other Voices	Anna
2000	'	Anne
2000	Gun Shy	Gloria Minetti Nesstra
2000	East of A	Daphne
2001	BigLove	Phoebe	Short film
2001	High Heels and Low Lifes	Frances
2001	World Traveler	Margaret
2001	K-PAX	Rachel Powell
2002	Full Frontal	Linda
2003	Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star	Grace Finney
2005	Madison	Bonnie McCormick
2006	Right at Your Door	Lexi
2006	For Your Consideration	Pilgrim Woman
2007	1408	Lily
2009	Streetcar	Casting Director	Short film
2012	Should've Been Romeo	Ellen

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1994	Law & Order	Rickie	Episode: "Doubles"
1995	'	Beth Eckhart	Episode: "Family Matters"
1995"1997	Murder One	Justine Appleton	41 episodes
1997	Murder One: Diary of a Serial Killer	Justine Appleton	TV miniseries
2001	More, Patience	Patience More	TV movie
2002	Julie Lydecker	Julie Lydecker	TV movie
2003	K Street	Maggie Morris	10 episodes
2003	ER	Debbie	Episode: "The Lost" Episode: "Makemba"
2004	Traffic	Carole McKay	TV miniseries
2004"2006	'	Kate Harper	48 episodes
2006	ER	Debbie	4 episodes
2008	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Mary Shannon	Episode: "Contract"
2008"2012	In Plain Sight	Mary Shannon	61 episodes, lead role
2012	'	Hilary Pfeiffer-Dunne	TV movie, pre-production
2013	Welcome to the Family	Caroline Yoder	5 episodes

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999	Cabaret	Sally Bowles	Replacement
2008	Boeing-Boeing	Gretchen

Producer

Year	Title	Notes
2010	In Plain Sight	Episode: "Father Goes West"