Born in 1960 in La Jolla, California.
Gaining stature on both the Broadway stage and in feature films, notably with her auspicious debut in fellow NYU graduates Joel and Ethan Coen's “Miller's Crossing” (1990), she has become a solid, dependable performer in varying film roles.
Frequently returning to the stage, she soared on Broadway as the prescription pillpopping wife in Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prizewinning epic “Angels in America.”
Oscar Alert
In 2000, Marcia Gay Harden received the Supporting Actress Oscar for “Pollock,” in a tough race that included Judi Dench in “Chocolat,” Kate Hudson and Frances McDormand both for “Almost Famous,” and Julie Walters in “Billy Elliott.”
Gay Harden received a second Supporting Oscar nomination for Clint Eastwood's 2003 drama, “Mystic River.”