Age, Biography, and Wiki
Mary Steenburgen was born on February 8, 1953, in Newport, Arkansas. As of 2025, she is 72 years old. Her early life was marked by her parents, Nellie and Maurice Steenburgen, and her sister, Nancy. Steenburgen's career began after she moved to Manhattan to study drama at the Neighborhood Playhouse under William Esper. Her breakthrough role came with the film "Melvin and Howard" in 1980, for which she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
| Occupation | Songwriter |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 11 February 1953 |
| Age | 72 Years |
| Birth Place | Newport, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Aquarius |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Currently, there is no specific information available about Mary Steenburgen's height, weight, or measurements. However, her physical appearance has been noted for her distinctive features and expressive acting style throughout her career.
In 2007, Steenburgen underwent minor surgery on her arm, which required a general anaesthetic; shortly thereafter, she began experiencing "music (...) playing in her head day and night". She subsequently took music lessons so that she could write down what she was hearing, and by 2013 had almost 50 songwriting credits. She has collaborated with musicians from Nashville and was also signed to Universal Music Group as a songwriter. She performs one of her own songs in Last Vegas.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Mary Steenburgen has been married to actor Ted Danson since 1995. The couple has been together for several decades, combining their talents and interests in both their personal and professional lives.
In her third film, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the film Melvin and Howard (1980). She played Lynda Dummar, the wife of Melvin Dummar, a trucker and aspiring singer who claimed to have befriended reclusive eccentric Howard Hughes. Another notable film appearance came in the well-received film Cross Creek (1983), in which she portrayed Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, author of The Yearling. In 1985, she starred in the film One Magic Christmas as someone who falls on devastating times at Christmas, only to rely on a miracle to save her family. In 1989, she played Karen Buckman in Parenthood. In Back to the Future Part III (1990), Steenburgen played Clara Clayton, a schoolteacher who falls in love with Doc Brown. She was persuaded to play the role by her children, as well as by fans of the Back to the Future films, and reprised the role by providing the character's voice in Back to the Future: The Animated Series.
Other performances have been in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), as a woman who is having an affair with the title character; My Summer Story (1994), as the mother of Ralphie Parker (the sequel to A Christmas Story); the role of Hannah Milhous Nixon in the Oliver Stone biopic Nixon (1995); and the Will Ferrell comedy Elf (2003), as a woman who discovers that her husband is the father of one of Santa's elves.
She has appeared in the comedy films Step Brothers (2008), playing the mother of Will Ferrell's character; Four Christmases (2008); and The Proposal (2009). Dirty Girl, which featured Steenburgen, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2010. She also appeared in the critically acclaimed film The Help (2011) and had a featured role as a lounge singer, who is the romantic interest in a love triangle, in the comedy film Last Vegas (2013). She had a small role in the comedy-drama film A Walk in the Woods as Jeannie. In 2018, Steenburgen starred with Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda and Candice Bergen in the romantic comedy film Book Club.
In television, Steenburgen appeared as Kate Montgomery in Ink (1996) and co-starred as Mary Gulliver in Gulliver's Travels (1996). She has a recurring role as herself in Curb Your Enthusiasm. Steenburgen co-starred as Helen Girardi, the mother of Amber Tamblyn's title character in Joan of Arcadia. In 2011, she had a recurring role as Josephine in the HBO sitcom Bored to Death. Steenburgen starred as Anastasia Lee in the 2011 FX pilot Outlaw Country, but it was passed by the network. She appeared in the dark sitcom Wilfred from 2011 through 2013 as Catherine Newman, the title character's eccentric and mentally ill mother. Steenburgen had a recurring role as Diana Jessup on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock from 2012 to 2013.
In 1978, Steenburgen met and began dating actor Malcolm McDowell while they were co-starring in Time After Time. They married and had two children together, including son Charlie McDowell. They divorced in 1990. On October 7, 1995, Steenburgen married actor Ted Danson, whom she had met on the set of the film Pontiac Moon, and became the stepmother to Danson's two daughters from his previous marriage.
Since 2014, Steenburgen's son Charlie McDowell has had a running joke at her expense, claiming on numerous occasions on social media that his mother is actress Andie MacDowell.
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| Husband | Malcolm McDowell (m. 1980-1990) Ted Danson (m. 1995) |
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Net Worth and Salary
Mary Steenburgen's net worth is estimated to be around $80 million, which is a combined net worth with her husband, Ted Danson. This wealth is attributed to her successful career in film and television, as well as her real estate investments and additional income from music and endorsements.
Business and Investments:
- Real Estate: Steenburgen owns several properties with her husband, including homes in Los Angeles and Venice, California.
- Music and Endorsements: As a singer-songwriter, she earns royalties from her music contributions to film soundtracks. She also engages in endorsement deals and public appearances.
Social Network
Mary Steenburgen maintains a strong presence in the entertainment industry but is not highly active on social media platforms. Her public appearances and interviews often focus on her current projects and personal interests.
She received nominations for a BAFTA TV Award for the miniseries Tender Is the Night (1985) and a Primetime Emmy Award for the television film The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank (1988). Steenburgen has worked as a singer-songwriter for numerous films, in some of which she starred. For her song "Glasgow (No Place Like Home)", written for the musical film Wild Rose (2018), she received the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Song.
In 2018, her composition "Glasgow (No Place Like Home)" as performed by Jessie Buckley featured as the climactic musical moment in the film Wild Rose and won Steenburgen several awards, including Critic Choice Award. On October 30, 2020, Steenburgen signed a global publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group.
Education
Steenburgen attended Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, where she studied drama. She later moved to Manhattan to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse under William Esper.
She has a sister, Nancy Kelly (née Steenburgen), a teacher. In 1971, she enrolled at Hendrix College to study drama. She subsequently traveled to Dallas at the suggestion of her drama teacher where she successfully auditioned for New York City's Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.
Steenburgen moved to Manhattan in 1972 after the Neighborhood Playhouse offered her an opportunity to study acting. She worked as a server at The Magic Pan and for Doubleday while studying under William Esper.
Steenburgen resides in the Los Angeles area with her family. An alumna of Hendrix College, she received an honorary doctorate from the institution in 1989. In 2006, Steenburgen received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas. In September 2005, she and Danson gave a guest lecture for students at the Clinton School of Public Service, where they discussed their roles in public service as well as the foundations and causes in which they are involved.
