March 10, 2020

Another unsung hero of Film & TV. Mare Winningham


Yup, i know what you're thinking. That sounds like a horse's name. It's not though and you have got to admire an actress who stays with her original moniker, however odd it may sound. She's been Mare on our screens for 44 years years now, both TV and big screen and while she never became an A-list star, her presence is always an indication of quality.

Mare started out covering Beatles songs on US game shows and before long Starsky And Hutch were rescuing her from evil bad guys. She starred in one of the most underrated films of the 80's and one of the most overrated films of the 80's. Played 4 different parts in the one anthology horror show. She's popped up in western miniseries' about the worst case of family conflict ever and cried over a dog who's death haunted us all. She was the whore who won Wyatt Earp's heart in the town of Tombstone (serious alliteration there) and she was a iffy doctor stalking the halls of Cook County Hospital. She's been Oscar nominated in the 90's and turned up in the worst tv shows of the 00's. She's mothered a terrorist who faced off against Jack Bauer and helped Philomena Lee find out about her lost son. She started in 1976 and 4 and a half decades later she's starting the 3 decade of the century off strong by turning up in both Oscar bait and the best TV show of 2020 so far. Not too shabby. Check out her varied career here


Greatest hits

The Outsider. Jeannie Anderson. A sea of common sense and calm in the middle of an ocean of violence and suspicion. A small role but important role that grounds an excellent show.

Hatfields & McCoys. Sally McCoy. The hillbilly matriarch of a pack of animals. An excellent miniseries.

Georgia. Gets the title role but for some reason a best supporting oscar nomination. A warm, maternal part in a film that deserves to be seen more.

Wyatt Earp. Mattie Blaylock, the woman of ill repute who stole the heart of the most famous lawmaker in the west.

The Miracle Mile. Julia, the waitress who falls in love the day the world ends. A brilliant film, totally ignored on release. Reaches a fever pitch of madness few films have ever seen.

St Elmo's Fire. Wendy, the sweet natured innocent who got to play out the fantasy of a 1000 teenagers when Rob Lowe set his sights on her.



Previous Heroes

Dale Dickey
Vondie Curtis-Hall
Harris Yulin
Pepe Serna
Udo Kier
Fairuza Balk
Ernie Hudson
Lin Shaye
James Remar
Cloris Leachman
James Hong
David Strathairn
Frankie Faison
Conchata Ferrell
Dick Miller
Veronica Cartwright
Edie McClurg
Barry Shabaka Henley           
Raymond Cruz                        
Reg E.Cathey                          
Elizabeth McGovern               
John Amos                              
Bruce Greenwood                  
Mary McDonnell                     
Gerald McSorley                       
John Rothman                        
Margo Martindale                   
Kurtwood Smith                     
Paula Malcolmson                 
Luis Guzman                          
David Morse                           
Linda Hunt                              
Keith David                             
Zeljko Ivanek
Fiona Shaw
Xander Berkeley
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
C.C.H Pounder
William Forsythe
Beth Grant
Sven-Ole Thorsen
Regina King
Ric Young
Mark Rolston
Illeana Douglas
Jeanette Goldstein
Al Leong
Allan Graf
Bill Nunn
Thomas Rosales Jr



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