Amy Madigan

Amy Marie Madigan (born September 11, 1950) is an American actress and singer. Known for her work on stage and screen, her accolades include an Academy Award, an Actor Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Critics' Choice Award, in addition to a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.

Madigan started her career as a traveling musician, later deciding to pursue an acting career. Her band Jelly released their debut album in 1977. She made her film debut in the drama Love Child (1982), for which she received her first Golden Globe Award nomination. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as a woman in a difficult marriage in Twice in a Lifetime (1985), and won 40 years later for her performance as the villainous Aunt Gladys in Weapons (2025)—the longest gap between two nominations for an actress. Her other film credits include Love Letters (1984), Alamo Bay (1985), Nowhere to Hide (1987), Uncle Buck (1989), Field of Dreams (1989), Female Perversions (1996), Pollock (2000), Gone Baby Gone (2007), and (2020).

On television, Madigan portrayed Sarah Weddington in the television film Roe vs. Wade (1989), for which she won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. She took on roles in the HBO series Carnivàle (2003–2005), Grey's Anatomy (2008–2009), and Fringe (2009). On stage, she has acted in the Off-Broadway production of The Lucky Spot (1987), for which she was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play, and a 1992 Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire in the role of Stella Kowalski.

Early life and education Amy Marie Madigan was born September 11, 1950, in Chicago to Dolores , an administrative assistant and amateur actress who performed in community theatre, and John J. Madigan, a journalist who worked for Newsweek and provided political commentary on programs including Meet the Press and Face the Nation. Her father interviewed a range of political figures from Richard Nixon to Martin Luther King Jr., and hosted his own show with WBBM (AM). She is Catholic and third-generation Irish American. She has two brothers, Jack and Jim. She moved to Los Angeles in 1974,

Career 1972-1979: Music career Madigan toured the United States performing as a vocalist in several rock bands through the 1970s before moving to Los Angeles. She also performed as a solo singer and pianist in Dallas in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Recounting her career as a singer in the 2015 interview with Susan King, Madigan said: "I had been working in [music] for a very long time. I am not a writer, so I wasn't generating my own personal material. I just felt myself kind of hitting the same brick wall... I miss music every day. It's very visceral and emotional. You can pack something into three minutes, and you can't do that in any other medium."

1980–1989: Film debut and other roles

In the 1980s, Madigan transitioned from a singing career to acting, and studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.

In 1984, she portrayed McCoy in the film Streets of Fire, and had a supporting role as Viola Kelsey in Places in the Heart. In 1985, she starred in the television film The Laundromat, written by Marsha Norman, opposite Carol Burnett. She won a CableACE Award for her performance as Deedee Johnson. She then co-starred as Glory Scheer, with her husband Ed Harris, in Alamo Bay, directed by Louis Malle. Also in 1985, she played Sunny Mackenzie-Sobel, a woman in a difficult marriage, in Twice in a Lifetime. She received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations.

Madigan made her Off-Broadway debut in 1987, portraying Sue Jack Tiller in The Lucky Spot by Beth Henley, for which she won a Theatre World Award and was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play. In 1988, she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female for her performance in The Prince of Pennsylvania. That year, she performed in A Lie of the Mind at the Mark Taper Forum. In 1989 she played the wife of Kevin Costner's lead character in Field of Dreams, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture; and played Chanice Kobolowski, the girlfriend of John Candy's character, in the John Hughes film Uncle Buck. Also in 1989, she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for her performance as Sarah Weddington in the television film Roe vs. Wade.

1990–2009: Career fluctuations In 1990, Madigan starred opposite Paula Kelly in Stevie Wants to Play the Blues by Eduardo Machado, for which she won a Drama-Logue Award. In 1991, she starred opposite Olympia Dukakis in the Emmy-nominated television film Lucky Day. She made her Broadway debut in the role of Stella Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire in 1992, opposite Jessica Lange and Alec Baldwin, and was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Debut Performance. Madigan next appeared opposite Timothy Hutton in The Dark Half (1993), a film adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name, directed by George A. Romero.

In 1996, she and Harris produced and starred in the television film Riders of the Purple Sage. She then starred with Tilda Swinton in Female Perversions. In 1997, she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female for her performance as Brett Armerson in the film Loved. In 2000, she portrayed Peggy Guggenheim in the film Pollock, starring her husband, which he also directed and produced. In 2002 she had a supporting role as Reggie Fluty, the officer who responded to aid the dying Matthew Shepard in the television film The Laramie Project. In 2003–2005, Madigan had the supporting role of Iris Crowe/Irina, sister of villain Justin Crowe, in HBO's series Carnivále. In 2005, she starred as Lori Lansky in Winter Passing, directed by Adam Rapp. In 2006, she had a supporting role as Patricia Carver, a CIA headquarters analyst, in the Emmy-winning television film The Path to 9/11. In 2007, she played the sister-in-law of Helene (Amy Ryan), Beatrice "Bea" McCready, in the film Gone Baby Gone, directed by Ben Affleck. In 2008, Madigan played Dr. Katharine Wyatt on several episodes of ABC's medical drama series Grey's Anatomy. She then guest-starred on TNT's crime drama series Saving Grace as Gretchen Lagardi.

In a 2015 interview with Madigan for The Los Angeles Times, journalist Susan King said, "Madigan, like so many actresses older than 50, has had difficulties finding meaningful roles." Madigan opined about her career and the lack of roles for actresses her age, saying, "My husband works a lot more than I do... You know what the situation is. The reality is you have to make your peace with it sometimes even when you have a depressive day, which I still have."

2010–present: Later projects and Weapons In 2011, she guest-starred in the final episode of TNT's drama series Memphis Beat. Madigan returned to theater in 2015, directing a stage production of Off the King's Road at the Odyssey Theater in Los Angeles.

In 2018, she had a supporting role in the independent drama American Woman opposite Sienna Miller, followed by a supporting role in Scott Cooper's horror film Antlers (2021), playing a school principal in a small Oregon town plagued by a supernatural entity. In 2024, Madigan starred as Judge Motley in the independent drama Bull Street, which premiered as the opening night film at the Sarasota Film Festival in Sarasota, Florida. In a 2025 interview with The New York Times, Madigan told Kyle Buchanan, "Opportunities [as an older actress] are less and you just hope that something finds you so you can find it... I don't take it for granted, because you can go up and then you can go all the way down, as we know."

In 2025, she had a pivotal role in Zach Cregger's horror mystery film Weapons, playing the eccentric and mysterious Gladys, the great-aunt of a young boy whose classmates go missing in his small community. Madigan's performance in Weapons earned her great critical acclaim and awards recognition, including the Actor Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress and New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. On March 15, 2026, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress; the 40-year gap between this nomination and her previous nomination for Twice in a Lifetime set the record for longest gap between Oscar nominations for an actress.

Madigan will appear in the upcoming Netflix limited series adaptation All the Sinners Bleed, based on the S. A. Cosby novel of the same name, and James Ponsoldt's upcoming psychological thriller film Sponsor.

Personal life Madigan married actor Ed Harris on November 21, 1983. They have a daughter.

Since 2016, Madigan has served on the board of trustees at Reed College in Portland, Oregon.

Madigan and Harris lost their Malibu home in the Palisades Fire of January 2025.

Acting credits +Key Denotes works that have not yet been released Film Year Title Role Notes 1982 Love Child Terry Jean Moore 1983 Love Letters Wendy 2016 Sensitivity Training Nancy Wolfe Rules Don't Apply Mrs. Bransford 2017 Stuck Sue Joyce Vaughn 2018 American Woman Margaret "Peggy" Callahan Post-production Donna Terry Post-production

Television Year Title Role Notes 1981 Hart to Hart Adele Episode: "Slow Boat to Murder" 1992 Stella Kowalski Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway 2013 Susan Perch Theatre Row, Off-Broadway 2015 Off the King's Road Odyssey Theater, Los Angeles Director

Discography

Albums 1977, Jelly: A True Story, Asylum Records

Singles 1977, "No One Like My Baby" 1977, "I Want You To Dance"

Awards and nominations Institution Year Award Nominated work Result AACTA International Awards 2026 Best Supporting Actress Weapons AARP Movies for Grownups Awards 2026 Best Supporting Actress Academy Awards 1986 Best Supporting Actress Twice in a Lifetime 2026 Weapons Actor Awards 2026 Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Alliance of Women Film Journalists 2025 Best Supporting Actress Astra Film Awards 2026 Best Supporting Actress - Drama Atlanta Film Critics Circle 2025 Best Supporting Actress Austin Film Critics Association 2025 Best Supporting Actress Boston Society of Film Critics 2025 Best Supporting Actress Boston Online Film Critics Association 2025 Best Supporting Actress CableACE Awards 1985Best Actress in a Theatrical or Dramatic Special The Laundromat 1995Best Actress in a Movie or Miniseries And Then There Was One Chicago Film Critics Association 1989 Best Supporting Actress Field of Dreams 2025 Weapons Chicago Indie Critics 2026 Best Supporting Actress CinEuphoria Awards 2026 Best Supporting Actress - International Competition Columbus Film Critics Association 2026 Best Supporting Performance Critics Association Of Central Florida 2026 Best Supporting Actress Critics' Choice Awards 2008 Best Acting Ensemble Gone Baby Gone 2026 Best Supporting Actress Weapons Critics' Choice Super Awards2026Best Actress in a Horror Movie Best Villain in a Movie Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association 2025 Best Supporting Actress Denver Film Critics Society 2026 Best Supporting Actress DiscussingFilm Creative Association's Global Film Critics Awards 2026 Best Supporting Actress Dorian Awards 2026 Supporting Film Performance of the Year Drama Desk Awards 1987 Outstanding Actress in a Play The Lucky Spot Drama-Logue Awards 1990 Best Actress Stevie Wants to Play the Blues Fangoria Chainsaw Awards 1994 Best Actress The Dark Half Film Critics Association UK 2025 Best Supporting Actress Weapons Florida Film Critics Circle 2025 Best Supporting Actress Georgia Film Critics Association 2025 Best Supporting Actress Gold Derby Awards 2026 Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe Awards 1983 New Star of the Year – Actress Love Child 1985 Best Supporting Actress – Motion PictureTwice in a Lifetime 1990 Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Roe vs. Wade 2026 Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Weapons Greater Western New York Film Critics Association 2026 Best Supporting Actress Hawaii Film Critics Society 2026 Best Supporting Actress Houston Film Critics Society 2026 Best Supporting Actress Independent Spirit Awards 1989 Best Supporting Female The Prince of Pennsylvania International Cinephile Society 2026 Best Supporting Actress Kansas City Film Critics Circle 2025 Best Supporting Actress Las Vegas Film Critics Society 2025 Best Supporting Actress Latino Entertainment Journalists Association 2026 Best Supporting Actress London Film Critics' Circle 2026 Supporting Actress of the Year Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild 2026 Distinguished Artisan Award Minnesota Film Critics Association 2026 Best Supporting Actress Weapons Music City Film Critics' Association 2026 Best Supporting Actress New Jersey Film Critics Circle 2025 Best Supporting Actress New Mexico Film Critics 2026 Best Supporting Actress New York Film Critics Circle 2025 Best Supporting Actress New York Film Critics Online 2025 Best Supporting Actress North Carolina Film Critics Association 2026 Best Supporting Actress North Dakota Film Society 2026 Best Supporting Actress North Texas Film Critics Association 2025 Best Supporting Actress Oklahoma Film Critics Circle 2026 Best Supporting Actress Online Association of Female Film Critics 2025 Best Supporting Female Online Film Critics Society 2026 Best Supporting Actress Online Film & Television Association 2002 Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries The Laramie Project 2026 Best Supporting Actress Weapons Outer Critics Circle Awards 1992 Outstanding Debut Performance A Streetcar Named Desire Pittsburgh Film Critics Association 2026 Best Supporting Actor Portland Critics Association 2025 Best Supporting Performance Primetime Emmy Awards 1989 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Roe vs. Wade Puerto Rico Critics Association 2026 Best Supporting Actress Weapons San Diego Film Critics Society 2025 Best Supporting Actress Best Ensemble San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle 2025 Best Supporting Actress Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2026 Virtuosos Award Satellite Awards 1999 Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film A Bright Shining Lie 2003 Just a Dream 2004 Best Actress – Television Series Drama Carnivàle 2026 Best Actress in a Supporting Role Weapons Saturn Awards 2026 Best Supporting Actress in Film Screen Awards 2025 Best Supporting Performance by an Actress – Film Seattle Film Critics Society 2025 Best Actress in a Supporting Role Villain of the Year Sitges Film Festival 1984 Best Actress Streets of Fire Southeastern Film Critics Association 2025 Best Supporting Actress Weapons St. Louis Film Critics Association 2025 Best Supporting Actress Theatre World Award 1987 Outstanding Debut PerformanceThe Lucky Spot Toronto Film Critics Association 2025 Outstanding Supporting Performance Weapons Utah Film Critics Association 2026 Best Supporting Performance – Female Vice/Martin Award for Performance in a Science-Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror Film Vancouver Film Critics Circle 2026 Best Supporting Actress Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association 2025 Best Supporting Actress