Maura Tierney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maura Tierney
Tierney in 2018
Born	Maura Therese Tierney (1965-02-03) February 3, 1965 (age 60) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater	New York University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1987–present
Spouse(s)	Billy Morrissette ​ ​ (m. 1993; div. 2006)​

Maura Therese Tierney (born February 3, 1965) is an American actress. She is well-known for her roles in popular TV shows. These include the comedy NewsRadio (1995–1999) and the medical drama ER (1999–2009). In ER, she played the character Abby Lockhart. She also starred in the drama The Affair (2014–2019). For her work on The Affair, she won a Golden Globe Award.

Maura Tierney has also appeared in many movies. Some of her film roles include Primal Fear (1996), Liar Liar (1997), and Forces of Nature (1999). More recently, she was in Beautiful Boy (2018) and The Iron Claw (2023). She also appeared in the 2024 film Twisters.

Early Life and Education

Maura Tierney grew up in the Hyde Park area of Boston, Massachusetts. She was the oldest of three children in her family. Her mother, Pat, worked as a real estate agent. Her father, Joseph M. Tierney, was a well-known politician in Boston. He served on the Boston City Council for 15 years.

Maura attended Mount Alvernia Academy for elementary school. She then went to Notre Dame Academy in Hingham, Massachusetts. There, she focused on studying drama. Her acting skills led her to perform at the Boston Globe Drama Festival. After high school, she went to New York University. She first studied dance and then switched to drama.

Acting Career Highlights

After performing in several plays, Maura Tierney moved to Los Angeles in 1987. Her first TV role was in a made-for-TV film called Student Exchange for Disney. Her first main role in a movie was in a small independent film. It was called Dead Women in Lingerie and was filmed very quickly.

Tierney had many small roles in movies and on TV. She also co-starred in 704 Hauser in 1994. This show was a spin-off of the famous series All in the Family. She became widely known for her main role in the sitcom NewsRadio. She played Lisa Miller from 1995 to 1999. While working on NewsRadio, she also acted in successful films. These included Primal Fear and Liar Liar.

Joining the Cast of ER

After NewsRadio ended, Maura Tierney decided not to do another sitcom. She wanted to try something different. When the medical drama ER called, she saw it as a chance to stay in television and keep her work interesting.

From 1999 to 2008, Tierney played Nurse Abigail "Abby" Lockhart on ER. Her character first appeared as a guest. Then, in 2000, she became a full-time regular. Abby started as an ER nurse and later became a doctor. Tierney's work on ER earned her an Emmy Award nomination. She felt this was thanks to a powerful storyline. In this story, Sally Field played Abby's mother, who had bipolar disorder.

Maura Tierney announced in 2008 that she would leave ER. She made her last regular appearance on the show in October 2008. She had been on the series for almost 10 seasons. She did return for a short appearance in one more episode in 2009. This was near the end of the show's final season.

Other Notable Roles

While on ER, Tierney's most well-known film was Insomnia (2002). This movie was directed by Christopher Nolan. In the same year, she starred in Scotland, Pa.. She played a character similar to Lady Macbeth. Critics praised her performance in the film.

In 2004, Tierney won the second tournament of Celebrity Poker Showdown. She played against Lauren Graham. Tierney also returned to the stage in 2006. She appeared in the play Some Girl(s) with Eric McCormack. She also acted in movies like Baby Mama (2008).

Tierney returned to television in 2009. She played Kelly McPhee on Rescue Me. She also took over the lead female role in The Whole Truth. This was a legal drama produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. This role marked her return to TV after recovering from breast surgery and cancer treatments.

In 2010, Tierney joined The Wooster Group, an experimental theater company. She performed in their play North Atlantic. From 2016 to 2019, she played feminist writer Germaine Greer in The Town Hall Affair. Tierney herself came up with the idea for this play. It was based on a famous debate about Women's Liberation from 1971.

In 2012, Tierney began a recurring role on The Good Wife. She played Maddie Hayward. She worked with Julianna Margulies again, who she had previously worked with on ER. In 2013, Tierney joined the cast of The Affair. She played Helen Solloway and won a Golden Globe Award for this role in 2016.

In 2018, Tierney co-starred in the film Beautiful Boy. She acted alongside Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet. In 2019, she appeared in The Report. She played a determined counterterrorism expert. In 2024, she joined the cast of Law & Order as a new lieutenant.

Personal Life

In 1992, Maura Tierney met actor-director Billy Morrissette. They got married on February 1, 1993. Morrissette directed the 2001 film Scotland, PA, and both he and Tierney appeared in it. They divorced in 2006.

On February 1, 2009, Tierney helped officiate the wedding of her friend and former ER co-star Parminder Nagra.

In 2009, Maura Tierney had surgery to remove a tumor from her breast. She had been cast in the TV show Parenthood. However, her cancer treatments caused scheduling conflicts. She had to leave the show and was replaced by Lauren Graham. Tierney finished her treatment and returned to acting in a stage play in 2010.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Theater Performances

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Maura Tierney para niños