Mary-Louise Parker

One of the most steadily working actresses on both coasts, Mary-Louise Parker enjoyed a Tony-winning career with Broadway dramas like "Prelude to a Kiss" and "Proof" before winning over television audiences as the subversive suburban centerpiece of Showtime's dark comedy, "Weeds" (2005-2012). Parker also made several successful forays into feature films with "Fried Green Tomatoes" (1991), "Grand Canyon" (1991), "Bullets Over Broadway" (1994), "The Client" (1994) and "Boys on the Side" (1995). But it was on the small screen that she made her greatest impact, thanks to spending several seasons in recurring fashion as political activist Amy Gardner on "The West Wing" (NBC, 1999-2006). During that time, she earned multiple awards - including an Emmy and Golden Globe - for her supporting turn as the Valium-addicted wife of a closeted Mormon in the critically acclaimed miniseries "Angels in America" (HBO, 2003). Forever shifting gears between film and the stage acting that was her primary passion, Parker appeared in the comedy "Saved!" (2004) at the time she gave birth to her son fathered by actor Billy Crudup, who famously broke things off with her during her pregnancy. Meanwhile, she landed the role of Nancy Botwin, a widowed mother who resorts to selling marijuana to make ends meet on "Weeds," which also led to her on-again, off-again affair with her show's dead husband Jeffrey Dean Morgan. With roles in varied projects like "The Spiderwick Chronicles" (2008) and "Red" (2010), Parker maintained her status as a talented performer very much in demand.