Mary Stuart Masterson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mary Stuart Masterson
Masterson in 2007
Born	(1966-06-28) June 28, 1966 (age 59) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	New York University
Occupation	Actress, director
Years active	1974–present
Spouse(s)	George Carl Francisco ​ ​ (m. 1990; div. 1992)​ Damon Santostefano ​ ​ (m. 2000; div. 2004)​ Jeremy Davidson ​ ​ (m. 2006)​
Children	4
Parents	Peter Masterson (father) Carlin Glynn (mother)
Relatives	Horton Foote (first cousin once removed)

Mary Stuart Masterson (born June 28, 1966) is an American actress and director. She started acting as a child in the movie The Stepford Wives (1975). After that, she took a break for ten years to focus on her schooling.

Mary Stuart Masterson has been in many movies, including Heaven Help Us (1985), At Close Range (1986), Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), and Chances Are (1989). She won an award for her role in Immediate Family (1989). People also praised her acting in Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) and Benny & Joon (1993).

Later, Masterson worked more on television shows. She appeared in Kate Brasher (2001), which she also helped produce. Other TV roles include Something the Lord Made (2004), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2004–2007), Mercy (2010), NCIS (2017), Blindspot (2017–2019), and For Life (2020). She also performed in the Broadway musical Nine (2003) and was nominated for a Tony Award. She directed the movie The Cake Eaters (2007). More recently, she has appeared in films like As You Are (2017), Skin (2018), Daniel Isn't Real (2019), and Five Nights at Freddy's (2023).

Early Life and Education

Mary Stuart Masterson was born on June 28, 1966, in Los Angeles, California. Her parents were Peter Masterson, a writer, director, actor, and producer, and Carlin Glynn, a singer and actress. She has two siblings, a brother named Peter Jr. and a sister named Alexandra.

When she was a teenager, she went to the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center in upstate New York. Other famous actors like Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Cryer also attended this center. Later, she studied at different schools in New York, including New York University, where she spent eight months studying anthropology, which is the study of human societies and cultures.

Mary Stuart Masterson's Acting Career

Mary Stuart Masterson's first movie role was in The Stepford Wives (1975) when she was eight years old. In the movie, she played the daughter of her real-life father. Instead of continuing to act as a child, she decided to focus on her studies. However, she did appear in some plays at the Dalton School.

Returning to Movies

In 1985, she returned to acting in movies. She played Danni in Heaven Help Us, a brave teenager who ran a soda shop. In 1986, she acted with Sean Penn and Christopher Walken in At Close Range. This movie was based on a real-life crime family. She then starred as Watts, a tomboy drummer, in the teen drama Some Kind of Wonderful (1987).

In the same year, director Francis Ford Coppola cast her in Gardens of Stone. Her real parents were also hired to play her parents in this movie. In 1989, she was in Chances Are with Cybill Shepherd, Ryan O'Neal, and Robert Downey Jr.. She also starred as Lucy Moore in Immediate Family, a teenage girl who gives her baby to a wealthy couple. For her role in Immediate Family, she won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Success in the 1990s

Masterson continued to act in movies and television shows throughout the 1990s. In 1991, she starred in Fried Green Tomatoes, a movie based on a popular book. Critics really liked the movie, and film critic Roger Ebert praised Masterson's acting. The next year, she was invited to host Saturday Night Live, a famous comedy show.

In 1993, she acted alongside Johnny Depp in Benny & Joon. She played Joon, a character with a mental illness who falls in love. In 1994, she was in Bad Girls, playing Anita Crown, who travels the Old West with three other women. In 1996, Masterson acted with Christian Slater in the romantic movie Bed of Roses.

Moving to Television and Directing

By 2000, Mary Stuart Masterson started focusing more on television. In 2001, she began directing with a part of the TV movie On the Edge. She also produced her own TV series called Kate Brasher in 2001, but it was canceled after six episodes. In 2004, Masterson played Dr. Helen Taussig in the HBO drama Something the Lord Made, which won several awards.

Masterson has also performed in Broadway plays. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in the musical Nine in 2003. From 2004 to 2007, she appeared as Dr. Rebecca Hendrix in five episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Later, she had a recurring role as FBI director Eleanor Hirst in the TV show Blindspot from 2017 to 2019. In 2020, she had a main role in the legal drama For Life. In 2023, she appeared in the movie Five Nights at Freddy's.

Mary Stuart Masterson has also read several audiobooks, including I See You Everywhere and Book of the Dead.

In 2007, Masterson directed her first full-length movie, The Cake Eaters. It won the 'Audience Award' at the Ashland Independent Film Festival in 2008. She mentioned that she had wanted to direct for a long time, even writing a screenplay in 1992.

Personal Life and Family

Mary Stuart Masterson has been married three times. She was married to George Carl Francisco from 1990 to 1992. Then, she was married to filmmaker Damon Santostefano from 2000 to 2004. In 2006, Masterson married actor Jeremy Davidson. They had acted together in a play called Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 2004.

Mary Stuart Masterson and Jeremy Davidson have four children. Their first child, a son named Phineas Bee, was born in October 2009. In August 2011, they welcomed twins, a son named Wilder and a daughter named Clio. Their fourth child was born in October 2013.

Film and Television Roles

Mary Stuart Masterson has had many roles in both movies and television. Here are some of her notable appearances:

Movies

As a Director

Television Shows

Awards and Nominations

Mary Stuart Masterson has been recognized for her acting and directing work with several awards and nominations.

See also

In Spanish: Mary Stuart Masterson para niños