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Mary-Louise Parker

Mary-Louise Parker

Actor · Born August 2, 1964 (62) · Fort Jackson, South Carolina, USA

Primetime Emmy winner · 2 Golden Globes · Screen Actors Guild Award nominee

Mary-Louise Parker (born August 2, 1964) is an American actress and writer. She is the recipient of two Tony Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. THEATRE includes The Sound Inside at Studio 54 (Tony Award); How I Learned to Drive (Obie and Lucille Lortel Awards and an Outer Critics Circle nomination), Heisenberg and The Snow Geese at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre; Proof at the Booth Theatre (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, Lucille Lortel, Obie, and New York Magazine Awards), Prelude to a Kiss at the Helen Hayes Theatre (Tony and Drama Desk nominations, Theatre World and The Clarence Derwent Award); Four Dogs and a Bone at the New York City Centre; Babylon Gardens at the Circle Repertory Theatre; The Art of Success at the Manhattan Theatre Club; Communicating Doors at the Variety Arts Theatre, Reckless at the Biltmore Theatre (Tony nomination); Hedda Gabler at the American Airlines Theatre; Bus Stop at the Circle in the Square theatre; The Importance of Being Earnest at Hartford Stage; Up in Saratoga at the Old Globe Theatre; and Hay Fever at the Studio Arena Theatre. TELEVISION includes The Institute, Weeds (Golden Globe award, four additional nominations, three Emmy nominations, six SAG nominations), Angels in America (Emmy, Golden Globe, and Satellite Awards), The West Wing (Emmy nomination), The Robber Bride (Emmy nomination), Mr. Mercedes, When We Rise, Billions, Sugar Time, Saint Maybe, and A Place for Annie. FILM includes Omni Loop, Red Sparrow, Golden Exits, R.I.P.D, Red and Red 2, Behaving Badly, Pipe Dream, Chronically Metropolitan, Longtime Companion, Grand Canyon, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, Naked in New York, The Client, Bullets over Broadway, Boys on the Side, Reckless, The Five Senses, Saved!, Romance & Cigarettes, Red Dragon, Solitary Man, and Howl.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 2, 1964 (62)
From
Fort Jackson, South Carolina, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
60 on MovieCove · 78 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 21% in 30 days

What are Mary-Louise Parker's films like?

Across their 52 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy14 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 46th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama12 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Biography7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Animation2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 18th percentile
: browse their Animation movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
25%
Bonds
24%
Morality
20%
Society
10%
Survival
10%
Power
6%
Ideas
4%
Identity13 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds12 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love10 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal7 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 46 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 13 · Serious 16 · Dark 17

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 25 · Stylized 14 · Heightened 7

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 11 · Charged 28 · Intense 7

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 20 · Shifting 24 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 25 · Some laughs 16 · Funny 5

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 25 · Even-paced 18 · Relentless 3

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 20 · Engaged 19 · Full focus 7

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 14 · Affecting 18 · Heavy 14

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 27 · Open-ended 15 · Ambiguous 4

Roles they play

26 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 9 of 26 analyzed roles.

Ally
9 of 26
Hero
7 of 26
Shapeshifter
2 of 26
Herald
2 of 26
Mentor
2 of 26
Threshold guardian
2 of 26
Trickster
1 of 26
Shadow
1 of 26
Show the 26 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
28
Melancholic
25
Contemplative
16
Hopeful
19
Warm
13
Other
44

How their films linger

Thought-provoking24 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful26 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 7 with a twist

  • Happy15
  • Bittersweet26
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous7
  • Other1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Mary-Louise Parker's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 39 of their 60 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (13).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Mary-Louise Parker's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

78 credits, 60 with a MovieCove page; 10 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Auction (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    as Paula Kletter

  • The Oresteia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    as Montie Middleton

  • Young Washington(2026)

    as Mary Washington

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Happy Hours(2026)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Gray House(2024)

    Show 8 episodes · as Eliza Van Lew

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows

  • El Dorado (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    as Phillipa Rios

  • The Institute(2025)

    Show 8 episodes · as Ms. Sigsby

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • Omni Loop(2024)

    as Zoya Lowe

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp(2024)

    as Angie

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Elsbeth(2024)

    Show 2 episodes · as Freya Frostad

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • Seneca(2023)

    as Agrippina

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • The Same Storm(2021)

    as Roxy

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Adieu Aurora(2022)

    as Wilma Munro

  • Colin in Black & White(2021)

    Show 6 episodes · as Teresa Kaepernick

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows

  • Here After(2020)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • The Baltimore Waltz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as Anna

  • Hemingway(2021)

    Show 1 episode · as Marcelline Hemingway (voice) · as Mary Hemingway (voice)

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Red Sparrow(2018)

    as Stephanie Boucher

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Golden Exits(2017)

    as Gwendolyn

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Mercedes(2017)

    Show 10 episodes · as Janey Patterson

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • When We Rise(2017)

    Show 4 episodes · as Roma Guy

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • Rachel Carson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Rachel Carson (voice)

  • Chronically Metropolitan(2016)

    as Annabel

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Billions(2016)

    Show 2 episodes · as George Minchak

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Behaving Badly(2014)

    as Lucy Stevens / Saint Lola

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Jamesy Boy(2014)

    as Tracy

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Christmas in Conway(2013)

    as Suzy

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Blacklist(2013)

    Show 4 episodes · as Naomi Hyland

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • R.I.P.D.(2013)

    as Proctor

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • RED 2(2013)

    as Sarah Ross

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • RED(2010)

    as Sarah Ross

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Howl(2010)

    as Gail Potter

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Solitary Man(2009)

    as Jordon Karsch

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Spiderwick Chronicles(2008)

    as Helen Grace

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford(2007)

    as Zee James

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Robber Bride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Zenia Arden

  • Romance & Cigarettes(2005)

    as Constance

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Wrestling with Angels: Playwright Tony Kushner(2006)

    as Harper Pitt

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Weeds(2005)

    Show 102 episodes · as Nancy Botwin

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Vinegar Hill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Ellen Grier

  • Miracle Run(2004)

    as Corrine Morgan-Thomas

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Saved!(2004)

    as Lillian

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Best Thief in the World(2004)

    as Sue Zaidman

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Angels in America(2003)

    Show 6 episodes · as Harper Pitt

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story(2002)

    as Bonnie Hanssen

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 2 episodes · as Bonnie Hanssen

  • Pipe Dream(2001)

    as Toni Edelman

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Red Dragon(2002)

    as Molly Graham

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Quality Of Mercy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Sarah Richardson

  • Cupid & Cate(2000)

    as Cate DeAngelo

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The West Wing(1999)

    Show 23 episodes · as Amy Gardner

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • The Five Senses(1999)

    as Rona

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn(1999)

    as Dr. Valerie Crane

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Goodbye Lover(1998)

    as Peggy Blane

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Let the Devil Wear Black(1999)

    as Julia Hirsch

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Saint Maybe(1998)

    as Lucy Dean Bedloe

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Legalese(1998)

    as Rica Martin

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Murder in Mind(1997)

    as Caroline Walker

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • The Maker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Officer Emily Peck

  • The Portrait of a Lady(1996)

    as Henrietta Stackpole

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Sugartime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Phyllis McGuire

  • Reckless (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Pooty

  • Boys on the Side(1995)

    as Robin

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Bullets Over Broadway(1994)

    as Ellen

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Client(1994)

    as Dianne Sway

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • A Place for Annie(1994)

    as Linda

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Naked in New York(1993)

    as Joanne White

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Wonderful(1993)

    as Rita

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Fried Green Tomatoes(1991)

    as Ruth Jamison

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Grand Canyon(1991)

    as Dee

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Longtime Companion(1989)

    as Lisa

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Signs of Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    as Charlotte

  • Too Young the Hero(1988)

    as Pearl Spencer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 1 episode · as Charlotte · as Lisa

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · as Cate · as Linda · as Lucy Dean Bedloe

  • Face (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Tanya

  • Kissinger Takes Paris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • The Best Is Yet to Come (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 77 titles, 73 of them dated from 1951 to 2026; peak year 2013.

Biggest box office

Red Dragon (2002)

$209M worldwide

Highest rated

Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)

Midcredits 96th

Most popular right now

Weeds (2005)

Film career

MilestoneAward winNomination
19512026

Peak 2013 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 12 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1989Screen debut· Longtime Companion
  • 1999First top-billed film· The Five Senses
  • 1999Primetime Emmy nomination· The West Wing
  • 2004Career best· Miracle Run
  • 2005Career best· Weeds
  • 2005Golden Globe win· Weeds

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting76 of 77: 76 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score62ndOther crew1 of 77: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1950s1 · acting1980s4 · acting1990s20 · acting2000s17 · acting2010s15 · acting2020s16 · 15 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 10% of 31 roles
89990914

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

a Primetime Emmy and 2 Golden Globes from 19 major nominations, 2002–2009.

WinNomination
  1. 2009
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
  2. 2008
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
  3. 2007
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
  4. 2006
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
  5. 2004
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
  6. 2003
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
  7. 2002
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Mary-Louise Parker's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of the 47 of 48 with a score; across their 46 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 53rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 46

Approval · how many liked their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 46

Reach · how many have seen their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 46

Midcredits score across 59 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up18
  • 50th to 74th17
  • 25th to 49th16
  • Below 25th8

Shape of the crowd

22 of their 59 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Divisive2
  • Cult Classic3
  • Crowd Pleaser22
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed19

Most divisive · actor

The Same Storm (2021)

96th percentile spread · 46% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The West Wing (1999)

Midcredits 98th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the acting 72/100 in their films, across 43 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 44. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Mary-Louise Parker's work okay for kids?

Across up to 22 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore15 titles35–85 · median 60 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity22 titles19–75 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity16 titles34–86 · median 62 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs14 titles29–71 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense14 titles21–82 · median 55 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Mary-Louise Parker work with?

People who share at least 2 of Mary-Louise Parker's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Malkovich shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers