Maryann Plunkett

Maryann Plunkett is an American actress and singer.

Plunkett made her Broadway debut playing Sister Agnes in Agnes of God. In 1987, she won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance as Sally Smith in Me and My Girl. In 2024, she received her second Tony Award nomination for her leading role in the musical adaptation of The Notebook. In addition, she has made appearances in various films and series such as Little Women, Manifest, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and Dr. Death.

Career Plunkett graduated from the University of New Hampshire, and was a founding member of Portland Stage repertory company in Maine. She appeared on Broadway as Bernadette Peters's replacement in the role of Dot in Sunday in the Park with George in 1985. In 1987, she won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance as Sally Smith in Me and My Girl. She was part of the Tony Randall's National Actors Theatre company, and performed in their production of Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw in 1993 on Broadway. She performed in the National Actors Theatre productions of A Little Hotel on the Side by Georges Feydeau and Maurice Desvallières on Broadway in 1992, and in The Seagull by Anton Chekov in 1992.

Plunkett appeared in the television movies The Littlest Victims and Breaking the Silence, and in feature films including Claire Dolan and The Company Men. She guest-starred on episodes of Matlock, L.A. Law, Murder She Wrote, Miami Vice, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Law & Order.

She and her husband, actor Jay O. Sanders, appeared together in all four of Richard Nelson's The Apple Family Plays: That Hopey Changey Thing, Sweet and Sad, Sorry, and Regular Singing. They premiered at the Off-Broadway The Public Theater in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 respectively.

Plunkett was nominated for the 2013 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play for her performance as Barbara Apple in Sorry. Sweet and Sad won the 2012 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance and the 2012 Obie Award for Ensemble Performance. The Apple Family Plays played in repertory at The Public Theater from October 22, 2013, to December 15, 2013.

Plunkett and Sanders appeared in all three productions of Richard Nelson's second play cycle, The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family, which premiered at The Public Theater. Plunkett portrayed Mary Gabriel and Sanders portrayed George Gabriel, her brother-in-law. The first play, Hungry, premiered in March 2016. The second play, What Did You Expect?, ran from September 10, 2016, to October 9, 2016. The third and final play, Women of a Certain Age, opened on election night, November 8, 2016, and ran through December 4, 2016.

In 2024, she won an Obie Award for her performance as Ella in the Off-Broadway play Deep Blue Sound by Abe Koogler.

Personal life She and Jay O. Sanders were married in 1991.

Work Stage productions

Filmography

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 1987 Tony Awards Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical Me and My Girl Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Musical 1993 Outer Critics Circle Awards Outstanding Actress in a Play Saint Joan 2012 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Ensemble Sweet and Sad Obie Awards Ensemble Performance 2013 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Sorry 2014New York Drama Critics' Circle AwardsSpecial Citation 2017 Lucille Lortel Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play Women of a Certain Age 2018 Lucille Lortel Awards Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical The Lucky Ones 2024 Obie Awards Outstanding PerformanceDeep Blue Sound Tony Awards Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical The Notebook Dorian Awards Outstanding Lead Performance in a Broadway Musical Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical Drama League Awards Distinguished Performance Award Outer Critics Circle Awards Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical New York Drama Critics' Circle AwardsSpecial Citation 2025 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Featured Performance in a PlayDeep Blue Sound Source: