Maura Tierney
Maura Tierney is an acclaimed American actress, recognized for her notable performances in television, film, and theater. Born on February 3, 1965, in Boston, Massachusetts, she grew up in a politically active family and developed an interest in acting during her education at Notre Dame Academy and later at New York University. Tierney gained significant recognition for her roles in the sitcom "NewsRadio," where she portrayed the character Lisa Miller, and the medical drama "ER," where she played Abby Lockhart, a role that earned her an Emmy nomination.
Her career spans various genres, showcasing her versatility, including films like "Liar Liar" and "Insomnia," as well as a recent appearance in the "Twister" sequel, "Twisters." After facing a breast cancer diagnosis in 2009, Tierney made a successful return to acting, contributing to shows like "The Affair" and "The Good Wife." Beyond her acting career, she has also been an advocate for breast cancer awareness. Tierney's impact on the entertainment industry is marked by her ability to navigate diverse roles, making her a respected figure in both television and film.
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Subject Terms
Maura Tierney
Actor
- Born: February 3, 1965
- Place of Birth: Boston, Massachusetts
Contribution: Maura Tierney is an Emmy-nominated American actor best known for her roles on the sitcom NewsRadio, the medical drama series ER, and the dramatic series The Affair. Tierney starred in the film Twisters in 2024.
Background
Maura Tierney was born on February 3, 1965, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Joseph M. Tierney, a well-known lawyer and politician who served on the Boston City Council for eight terms, and Pat Tierney, née James, a real estate agent. They raised Tierney and her two younger siblings in the Hyde Park area of the city.
Tierney attended the private, girls-only Catholic Notre Dame Academy in Hingham, Massachusetts, until she was eighteen years old. While in school, she became interested in acting and started studying the performing arts. She landed a role onstage at the Boston Globe Drama Festival during this time.
After graduating, Tierney moved to New York City to study dance and theater at New York University (NYU). While there, she acted in a number of the school’s stage shows, including productions of Baby with the Bathwater, Talking With, and Food. Tierney did not complete her degree at NYU, instead deciding to further her theatrical training at New York’s Circle in the Square Theatre. She then moved to Los Angeles in the late 1980s to begin her professional career.
Career
Tierney’s first acting role in Los Angeles was in the 1987 Disney television film Student Exchange. The late 1980s saw her performing in various episodes of television shows, including all ten episodes of The Van Dyke Show (1988), a guest appearance on Family Ties (1989), and a guest appearance on Booker (1990). Tierney made her feature film debut in 1990 in the film Dead Women in Lingerie.
As the early years of the 1990s progressed, Tierney played supporting roles in more films, such as The Linguini Incident (1991) and White Sands (1992). She also appeared in an episode of Law & Order (1991) and starred in the short-lived 1994 Norman Lear sitcom 704 Hauser.
In 1995, Tierney broke into mainstream television when she was cast in a leading role on the sitcom NewsRadio. The show focuses on the team of reporters and producers at a fictional AM news radio station. Tierney’s character of Lisa Miller is an obsessively uptight and overachieving reporter and director. Though NewsRadio received critical acclaim for the entirety of its five seasons, its ratings were erratic, and NBC canceled the show in 1999.
During her time on the sitcom, Tierney also appeared in a number of prominent feature films, including the thriller Primal Fear (1996), the comedy Liar Liar (1997), and the political drama Primary Colors (1998).
In 1999, Tierney made another television breakthrough when she joined the main cast of the hit NBC medical drama ER. The show revolves around the lives of the emergency room staff of the fictional County General Hospital in Chicago. Tierney’s character of Abby Lockhart, first a nurse and later a doctor, must contend with being able to complete medical school while dealing with her bipolar mother and the various tribulations that her job brings with it.
Tierney’s performances on the show were widely hailed by critics, and in 2001 she was nominated for an Emmy Award for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series. Tierney portrayed Lockhart on ER until the show ended its fifteen-year run in 2009.
During her time on ER, Tierney continued to act in feature films. In 2001, she starred in the Macbeth-esque crime film Scotland, PA, and went on to play a supporting role alongside Al Pacino and Robin Williams in the 2002 thriller film Insomnia. Tierney then took on several comedy roles in the next few years, including in Melvin Goes to Dinner (2003) and Welcome to Mooseport (2004). In 2006 she appeared in the independent drama film Diggers, following this up with more independent fare with 2007’s The Go-Getter. Tierney spent 2008 playing supporting roles in three more comedy films: Semi-Pro, Baby Mama, and Finding Amanda.
After the end of ER in 2009, Tierney landed a recurring role on the FX comedy-drama series Rescue Me, playing Kelly McPhee, a woman who becomes the object of affection for Denis Leary’s firefighter character Tommy Gavin. She received critical praise for her part on the show and returned for a few episodes in the last season of the series in 2011.
Tierney was next set to star in the 2010 NBC sitcom Parenthood, but she was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2009 and left the show to focus on her treatment. Despite her diagnosis, she accepted an offer that summer to perform in a 2010 revival of the 1983 James Strah play North Atlantic. After several months of treatment, Tierney’s cancer was declared in remission, and she returned to television.
In September 2010, Tierney began starring in the legal drama The Whole Truth, but the show was canceled after four months. She then acted in an episode of the sitcom The Office (2011) before landing a recurring role in the CBS legal drama The Good Wife in 2012. In the summer of 2013, Tierney joined the main cast of a new Showtime drama called The Affair. She also starred with Tom Hanks in the 2013 Broadway debut of Nora Ephron's final play, Lucky Guy; this was the two actors’ Broadway debut.
Between being on the set of The Affair, which premiered in 2014, Tierney continued to take on a variety of film roles. After appearing in the 2017 film Anything, she costarred in the drama Beautiful Boy (2018) before being part of the cast of the dramatic thriller The Report (2019). Following a five-season run, The Affair came to an end in November 2019.
Tierney played the recurring role of prosecutor Fiona McKee on Your Honor in 2021 and later went on to play Grace Poe on the series American Rust (2021-2024). She subsquently joined the cast of Law & Order as a series regular, playing Lt. Jessica Brady in 2024. On the silver screen, Tierney played Doris Von Erich, matriarch of the Von Erich family professional wrestling dynasty, in The Iron Claw (2023) and appeared in the Twister (1996) sequel Twisters (2024).
Impact
Tierney has long won critical acclaim for her versatility as an actor. After finding great success on both a sitcom and a medical drama, Tierney has shown that she can excel in many genres, making her theatrical abilities valuable assets to any form of performance. After battling breast cancer, she used her star power to help others with the disease by becoming a spokesperson for Amgen’s Chemotherapy: Myths or Facts campaign, launched in 2012.
Personal Life
Throughout most of the 1990s, Tierney was married to writer-director Billy Morrissette. They divorced in 2006.
Bibliography
Abrams, Natalie. “Maura Tierney Joins Showtime Pilot The Affair.” TV Guide. CBS Interactive, 3 Aug. 2013. Web. 19 Aug. 2013.
"Maura Tierney." IMDb, 2024, www.imdb.com/name/nm0005491. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.
Tierney, Maura. “The Return of Maura Tierney.” Interview. Parade. Parade, 12 Sept. 2010. Web. 19 Aug. 2013.
Tierney, Maura. “The Good Wife’s Maura Tierney Talks Cancer, Chemo, and Her Fave Snacks.” Interview by Sarah Schmidt. Self. Condé Nast, 19 Oct. 2012. Web. 19 Aug. 2013.
Tierney, Maura. “Maura Tierney on Goofing Off with Tom Hanks and Braving the ‘Crazy’ Stage Door Crowds at Lucky Guy.” Interview by Marc Snetiker. Broadway.com. Broadway.com, 25 Mar. 2013. Web. 19 Aug. 2013.
Tierney, Maura. “Surrendering to the Role, Not the Illness.” Interview by Patrick Healy. New York Times. New York Times, 20 Apr. 2010. Web. 19 Aug. 2013.