Date of birth: August 2, 1964

A native of Fort Jackson, South Carolina, Mary-Louise Parker made her acting debut with a regular role on the daytime soap opera Ryan's Hope, but she was first noticed for her role as the ill-treated wife who opens her own cafe in Fried Green Tomatoes (1991). Parker says about her career, "If there are rules, I'm flunking every single one of them. They tell me I should live in L.A., take small parts in blockbusters, or do certain kinds of press."

Despite that, she has worked steadily over the years and earned herself some notice again when she landed a regular role on the hit drama series The west Wing, earning herself an Emmy nomination. In 2004, she won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for her performance in the mini-series Angels in America (2003).

After dating actor Billy Crudup for seven years, she gave birth to his son, William Atticus, on January 7, 2004, just two months after the relationship ended.

Since then, she landed a starring role on the Showtime's crime comedy Weeds and won a second Golden Globe in 2006 for her work on the show. She was nominated three more times for her work on the series—in 2007, 2008 and 2009. She also played Brad Pitts' sister in the major motion picture The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2006) and starred opposite Michael Douglas in Solitary Man (2010). Her recent films include RED (2010) and R.I.P.D. (2013). She will next be seen in RED 2 (2013).

Filmography:

R.I.P.D. (2013)
RED 2 (2013)
RED (2010)
Howl (2010)
Solitary Man (2010)
The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Romance & Cigarettes (2005)
Saved! (2004)
The Best Thief in the World (2004)
Red Dragon / Dragon rouge (2002)
Pipe Dream (2002)