Former rock musician and performer turned lead and supporting player of stage, film and TV. Madigan married actor Ed Harris in 1983 and has since appeared with him in Robert Benton's "Places in the Heart" (1984) and Louis Malle's "Alamo Bay" (1985). Rather gruff-voiced and often unglamorous in manner, this attractive tomboy is not the standard Hollywood leading lady. Madigan brings a refreshing strength and earthiness to her roles. She was memorable in Walter Hill's violent rock'n'roll fantasy, "Streets of Fire" (1984), as the tough lesbian soldier who befriends Michael Pare. As the angry daughter of the philandering Gene Hackman in "Twice Upon A Time" (1985), Madigan earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination.
In recent years, Madigan's most high profile credits featured her as somewhat disgruntled but basically tolerant and supportive wives and girlfriends in "Field of Dreams", "Uncle Buck" (both 1989), and "The Dark Half" (1993). Meatier parts were to be found on stage (e.g. "A Streetcar Named Desire" on Broadway with Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange; Sam Shepard's "A Lie of the Mind"; and David Rabe's "In the Boom Boom Room") and in high-minded TV movies including "Victims" (1982), Nicholas Meyer's "The Day After" (1983) and "Roe vs. Wade" (1989).
- Born:
September 11, 1950 in Chicago, Illinois, United States
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Job Titles:
Actor, Singer, Art gallery worker, Waitress
Family
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Daughter: Lily Dolores Harris. born May 3, 1993; father Ed Harris
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Father: John Madigan. newspaper journalist for 51 years before retirement; worked for CBS in Chicago and Washington; former news director for CBS currently spokesperson for Illinois Supreme Court
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Mother: Dolores Madigan.
Education
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Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, philosophy
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Chicago Conservatory, piano
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The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, Los Angeles, California
Milestones
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1970 Settled in Los Angeles
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1982 Feature acting debut as star of Love Child opposite Beau Bridges
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1983 Married co-star Ed Harris during the Texas shoot of Places in the Heart
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1986 Credited as a song performer in Walter Hill s Crossroads
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1989 Played Kevin Costner s wife in Field of Dreams
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1998 Co-starred in the ensemble With Friends Like These... a comedy helmed by Philip Frank Messina
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2000 Portrayed Peggy Guggenheim in Pollock, directed by and starring Ed Harris
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2002 Cast in the HBO film, The Laramie Project based on the true story of an American town in the wake of the murder of Matthew Shepard
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2003 Cast as Iris Crowe in the HBO drama series Carnivàle
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2006 Co-starred in the indie film Winter Passing, helmed by Adam Rapp
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First acting job, TV guest shot on Hart to Hart
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Performed in school plays and talent shows as a child
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Studied classical piano for nine years at the Chicago Conservatory
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Toured the country for 10 years with rock bands performing in bars and clubs