Maura Tierney Biography

Maura Therese Tierney (born February 3, 1965) is an American film and television actress, who is best known for her roles as Lisa Miller on the sitcom NewsRadio and Abby Lockhart on the television medical drama ER.

Early life

Tierney, the eldest of three children, was born and raised in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts to an Irish Catholic family. Her mother, Pat (née James), is a real estate broker, and her late father, Joseph M. Tierney, was a prominent Boston politician who served on the Boston City Council for 15 years.

She attended Notre Dame Academy in Hingham, Massachusetts, where her studies included drama and led to her appearance at the Boston Globe Drama Festival. After graduation, she attended New York University where she majored first in dance, and later in drama.

Career

After appearing in several plays, she moved to Los Angeles, California, and in 1987 got her first break in a role in Disney's made-for-TV film Student Exchange. Tierney's first starring role in a film was in a low-budget, independently-produced film called Dead Women in Lingerie, shot in 24 days. The film never received a theatrical release, although it was released on DVD in 2005.

Tierney continued winning small roles in film and television, though she did not receive regular national exposure until her leading role in the sitcom NewsRadio from 1995 to 1999. While she was a NewsRadio cast member, she also appeared in several successful films, including Primal Fear, Primary Colors, Forces of Nature, and co-starred in Liar Liar, opposite Jim Carrey.

After NewsRadio was canceled, Tierney decided not to pursue a role in another sitcom:

Tierney played Nurse Abigail "Abby" Lockhart on ER, a character that began as a guest appearance as Julianna Margulies's character Carol Hathaway's OB nurse in November 1999, then expanded in February 2000 to a full-time regular part as an ER nurse (and later, after completion of medical school, a licensed ER doctor). Within a year, her work on ER had earned her an Emmy Award nomination, recognition she credits to a "juicy" story arc featuring Sally Field as Lockhart's mother Maggie Wyczenski, who suffers from bipolar disorder. She was initially reunited with her former NewsRadio co-star Khandi Alexander who at that time had a major recurring role on ER.

Tierney confirmed in April 2008 that she would be leaving ER shortly after the beginning of the show's fifteenth season. In October 2008, she made her final regular appearance on the series after nearly 10 seasons on the show. She did return to make a cameo appearance on one additional episode later in 2009 toward the end of the final season.

, Tierney's highest-profile film since joining the cast of ER has been the 2002 film Insomnia, directed by Christopher Nolan. That same year she also starred in Scotland, Pa., portraying a Lady Macbeth-like character written specifically for her by her husband at the time Billy Morrissette. She was praised by critics for her performance. She collaborated with NewsRadio writer Joe Furey for a special, "Working with Joe Furey" featurette for Furey's film Love and Support. In 2004, Tierney won the second season tournament of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown against Lauren Graham.

She returned to the stage in May 2006 in an appearance opposite Eric McCormack in the Off Broadway premiere of Some Girl(s). She also appeared in the 2008 films Semi-Pro, Baby Mama, The Go-Getter and Finding Amanda.

Tierney played the role of Laurel in the Off Broadway play Three Changes with Dylan McDermott from September 16 to October 4, 2008.

She later returned to television, playing the recurring character Kelly McPhee on the FX series Rescue Me in 2009 and 2011 during its final season.

Tierney replaced Joely Richardson as the female lead of the 2010 ABC television series The Whole Truth, after Richardson dropped out to spend more time with her family. Tierney's role in the show, a legal drama produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, marks her first return to television after recovering from breast surgery and cancer treatments. ABC canceled The Whole Truth after just four episodes due to low ratings.

In February 2011, Tierney made her debut at the Gate Theatre in the Dublin premiere of Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage (translation by Christopher Hampton) alongside Ardal O'Hanlon.

In September 2012, Tierney began a recurring role on the CBS legal drama The Good Wife, playing Maddie Hayward.

Personal life

Tierney married actor-director Billy Morrissette on February 1, 1993, two days before her 28th birthday, after the two met on the set of a never-aired television series. After being married for 13 years, she filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. They had no children.

On February 1, 2009, the recently ordained Tierney officiated at the wedding of ER castmate and friend Parminder Nagra and photographer James Stenson.

Tierney had surgery to remove a tumor from her breast in 2009. Schedule conflicts with her cancer treatments led her to leave the cast of Parenthood, where she had been cast as an original cast member. She was replaced by Lauren Graham. She finished treatment and returned to work in a stage play in 2010.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987	Student Exchange	Kathy Maltby	TV movie
1988	Crossing the Mob	Michelle
	The Van Dyke Show	Jillian Ryan	10 episodes
1989	Family Ties	Darlene	Ep: "My Best Friend's Girl"
1990	Booker	Donna Cofax	Ep: "Reunion"
	Flying Blind	Donna	TV movie
1991	Dead Women in Lingerie	Molly Field
	The Linguini Incident	Cecelia
	Law & Order	Patricia 'Patti' Blaine	Ep: "Aria"
1992	White Sands	Noreen
1993	Fly by Night	Denise
	The Temp	Sharon Derns
1994	Lifestories: Families in Crisis		Ep: "A Body to Die For: The Aaron Henry Story"
	Out of Darkness	Meg	TV movie
	704 Hauser	Cherlyn	5 episodes
1995	Mercy	Simonet
	NewsRadio	Lisa Miller	97 episodes 1995"1999
1996	Primal Fear	Naomi Chance
1997	Liar Liar	Audrey Reede
1998	Primary Colors	Daisy Green
	The Thin Pink Line	Suzanne
1999	Forces of Nature	Bridget Cahill
	Oxygen	Det. Madeline Foster
	Instinct	Lynn Powell
	ER	Dr. Abby Lockhart	189 episodes 1999"2009 Nominated"?Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, 2001 Nominated"?Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, 2001 Nominated"?Satellite Award for Best Actress " Television Series Drama, 2003
2000	Mexico City	Pam on Phone (voice)
	King of the Hill	Tanya (voice)	Ep: "Movin' On Up"
2001	Scotland, PA	Pat McBeth
2002	Insomnia	Rachel Clement
	Rooftop Kisses	Denise
	The Nazi	Helen
2003	Melvin Goes to Dinner	Leslie
2004	Welcome to Mooseport	Sally Mannis
2006	Danny Roane: First Time Director	Maura Tierney
	Diggers	Gina
2007	The Go-Getter	Hal's Pets
2008	Semi-Pro	Lynn
	Baby Mama	Caroline
	Finding Amanda	Lorraine Mendon
2009	Rescue Me	Kelly McPhee	9 episodes 2009, 2011
2010	The Whole Truth	Kathryn Peale	10 episodes
2011	The Office	Susan California	Ep: "Mrs. California"
2012	The Good Wife	Maddie Hayward	3 episodes

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Type
2001	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series