Molly Parker
Encyclopedia
Molly Parker is a Canadian actress, notable for her roles in Canadian and American independent film
s and the HBO television series Deadwood
.
Parker won a Genie Award
in 1997 as Best Actress in a Leading Role for Kissed
. She was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award as best female lead in 2001 for her role in The Center of the World
and has twice been nominated for a Genie Award as best supporting actress, winning in 2002 for Bruce Sweeney's
Last Wedding
.
, to parents who owned a retail seafood store. Parker and her younger brother Henry were raised on a commune
in Pitt Meadows, B.C., which she described as "a hippie farm", and she began acting after 13 years at ballet
school. After her uncle's agent took her on, she had parts in various Canadian television roles before studying with Vancouver
's Gastown Actors' Studio after she graduated from high school.
Her breakthrough role was as the daughter of a lesbian
military officer in the TV-movie Serving in Silence; she then won a Gemini nomination
for her performance in the TV-movie Paris or Somewhere. She later won the Genie Award
for best actress for playing a necrophiliac in Lynne Stopkewich
's 1996 film Kissed
; the controversial film served as her breakthrough to more mainstream films.
Parker has received much critical praise for her bravery in tackling difficult roles - the aforementioned role in Kissed; as a sympathetic lap dancer and paid escort
in The Center of the World
; and a female rabbi
, Ari Hoffman, in Six Feet Under. In 2008, she starred in the CBS show Swingtown
. She filmed a pilot for a series called The Wonderful Maladys
, in which she was set to star as Sarah Michelle Gellar
's older sister, but the series was not picked up.
She starred in the video for "Cold Love", a song by Cursive
and The Good Life
frontman Tim Kasher
.
Parker will join the cast of the NBC
mid-season show, The Firm, based on the 1991 novel by John Grisham
and the 1993 film starring Tom Cruise
. She will portray Abby McDeere
, wife of Mitch McDeere
. She will also make several appearances on the sixth season
of the Showtime series Dexter
.
, California).
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
s and the HBO television series Deadwood
Deadwood (TV series)
Deadwood is an American Western drama television series created, produced and largely written by David Milch. The series aired on the premium cable network HBO from March 21, 2004, to August 27, 2006, spanning three 12-episode seasons. The show is set in the 1870s in Deadwood, South Dakota, before...
.
Parker won a Genie Award
Genie Award
Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
in 1997 as Best Actress in a Leading Role for Kissed
Kissed
Kissed is a 1996 Canadian film, directed and co-written by Lynne Stopkewich, based on Barbara Gowdy's short story "We So Seldom Look On Love"...
. She was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award as best female lead in 2001 for her role in The Center of the World
The Center of the World
The Center of the World is an American film directed by Wayne Wang, which was digitally shot and released in 2001. It stars Peter Sarsgaard as a Dot-com millionaire who hires a drummer/stripper to stay with him in Las Vegas for three days for US$10,000...
and has twice been nominated for a Genie Award as best supporting actress, winning in 2002 for Bruce Sweeney's
Bruce Sweeney
Bruce Sweeney is a Canadian film director. Born in Sarnia, Ontario, he won the 2002 Canadian Comedy Award for Pretty Funny Film Direction for the film Last Wedding...
Last Wedding
Last Wedding
Last Wedding is a 2001 Canadian comedy drama film written and directed by Bruce Sweeney. It opened the 26th annual Toronto International Film Festival in 2001...
.
Life and career
Parker was born in Maple Ridge, British ColumbiaMaple Ridge, British Columbia
Maple Ridge is a District Municipality in British Columbia, located in the northeastern section of Metro Vancouver. Maple Ridge has a population of approximately 68,949.-History:...
, to parents who owned a retail seafood store. Parker and her younger brother Henry were raised on a commune
Commune (intentional community)
A commune is an intentional community of people living together, sharing common interests, property, possessions, resources, and, in some communes, work and income. In addition to the communal economy, consensus decision-making, non-hierarchical structures and ecological living have become...
in Pitt Meadows, B.C., which she described as "a hippie farm", and she began acting after 13 years at ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
school. After her uncle's agent took her on, she had parts in various Canadian television roles before studying with Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
's Gastown Actors' Studio after she graduated from high school.
Her breakthrough role was as the daughter of a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
military officer in the TV-movie Serving in Silence; she then won a Gemini nomination
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
for her performance in the TV-movie Paris or Somewhere. She later won the Genie Award
Genie Award
Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
for best actress for playing a necrophiliac in Lynne Stopkewich
Lynne Stopkewich
Lynne Stopkewich is a Canadian film director, particularly notable as the director of the film Kissed .-History:In 1987, Stopkewich obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in film studies from Concordia University, followed in 1996 by a Master of Fine Arts Degree in film studies from the...
's 1996 film Kissed
Kissed
Kissed is a 1996 Canadian film, directed and co-written by Lynne Stopkewich, based on Barbara Gowdy's short story "We So Seldom Look On Love"...
; the controversial film served as her breakthrough to more mainstream films.
Parker has received much critical praise for her bravery in tackling difficult roles - the aforementioned role in Kissed; as a sympathetic lap dancer and paid escort
Call girl
A call girl or female escort is a sex worker who is not visible to the general public; nor does she usually work in an institution like a brothel, although she may be employed by an escort agency...
in The Center of the World
The Center of the World
The Center of the World is an American film directed by Wayne Wang, which was digitally shot and released in 2001. It stars Peter Sarsgaard as a Dot-com millionaire who hires a drummer/stripper to stay with him in Las Vegas for three days for US$10,000...
; and a female rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, Ari Hoffman, in Six Feet Under. In 2008, she starred in the CBS show Swingtown
Swingtown
Swingtown was an American television series created by Mike Kelley as a summer replacement series for CBS. The show was a period and relationship drama about the impact of sexual and social liberation in 1970s American suburban households, with story arcs involving open marriages and key...
. She filmed a pilot for a series called The Wonderful Maladys
The Wonderful Maladys
The Wonderful Maladys is a HBO television pilot written by Charles Randolph, directed by Alan Taylor and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. HBO did not pick the series for their lineup.- Plot :...
, in which she was set to star as Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Prinze , known professionally by her birth name of Sarah Michelle Gellar , is an American actress, singer and executive producer...
's older sister, but the series was not picked up.
She starred in the video for "Cold Love", a song by Cursive
Cursive
Cursive, also known as joined-up writing, joint writing, or running writing, is any style of handwriting in which the symbols of the language are written in a simplified and/or flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing easier or faster...
and The Good Life
The Good Life (band)
The Good Life is an indie rock band on Saddle Creek records.Started as a solo project of Cursive's frontman Tim Kasher, The Good Life quickly grew to become its own established group. The original intent of The Good Life was to provide Tim Kasher with a vehicle to perform songs that did not fit...
frontman Tim Kasher
Tim Kasher
Tim Kasher is a musician from Omaha, Nebraska, and is the frontman of indie rock groups Cursive and The Good Life, both of which are on the Omaha based record label Saddle Creek Records. Prior to those bands, Kasher was in a band called Slowdown Virginia...
.
Parker will join the cast of the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
mid-season show, The Firm, based on the 1991 novel by John Grisham
John Grisham
John Ray Grisham, Jr. is an American lawyer and author, best known for his popular legal thrillers.John Grisham graduated from Mississippi State University before attending the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1981 and practiced criminal law for about a decade...
and the 1993 film starring Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
. She will portray Abby McDeere
Abby McDeere
Abigail "Abby" McDeere is a fictional character portrayed by Jeanne Tripplehorn in Sydney Pollack's 1993 film adaptation of John Grisham's The Firm . The character has been cast with Molly Parker for Entertainment One Television's forthcoming show also named The Firm...
, wife of Mitch McDeere
Mitch McDeere
Mitch McDeere is a fictional character portrayed by Tom Cruise in Sydney Pollack's 1993 film adaptation of John Grisham's The Firm . The character has been cast with Josh Lucas for Entertainment One Television's forthcoming show also named The Firm...
. She will also make several appearances on the sixth season
Dexter (season 6)
- Plot :María LaGuerta is promoted to Captain due to blackmailing Deputy Chief Matthews , whose name was on a prostitute's ledger. Vince Masuka is teaching a group of forensic science students, eventually having a female student, Ryan Chambers , become his intern...
of the Showtime series Dexter
Dexter
Dexter is a Latin adjective meaning "on the right hand side, skillful, fortunate, favourable, proper, fitting".Dexter may also refer to:...
.
Family
Parker is married to director, writer, and producer Matt Bissonnette. The couple have a son, William Strummer Bissonnette (born 13 October 2006, Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California).
Filmography
- My Son Johnny (1991) (TV)
- Hate Mail (1992)
- Anything for Love (1993)
- The Substitute (1993) (TV)
- Paris or Somewhere (1994) (TV)
- One More Mountain (1994) (TV)
- Little Criminals (1995)
- Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story (1995) (TV)
- Falling from the Sky: Flight 174Falling from the Sky: Flight 174Falling from the Sky: Flight 174 is a 1995 television movie based on the story of Air Canada Flight 143 Known as the "Gimli Glider". It follows the crew, their families and the passengers of the flight, set in 1983, from the preparations for departure to the crash landing in an abandoned airfield...
(1995) (TV) - Wings of CourageWings of CourageWings of Courage is a 1995 American-French drama film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. The 40-minute picture was written by Annaud with Alain Godard. It was the world's first dramatic picture shot in the IMAX-format...
(1995) - The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky (1995) (TV)
- Last of the DogmenLast of the DogmenLast of the Dogmen is a 1995 adventure Western film written and directed by Tab Murphy about the search for and discovery of an unknown band of Dog Soldiers from a tribe of Cheyenne Indians...
(1995) - Deceived by Trust: A Moment of Truth Movie (1995) (TV)
- Ebbie (1995) (TV)
- Good Things Too (1996)
- The Chain (1996)
- KissedKissedKissed is a 1996 Canadian film, directed and co-written by Lynne Stopkewich, based on Barbara Gowdy's short story "We So Seldom Look On Love"...
(1996) - Hard Core LogoHard Core LogoHard Core Logo is a 1996 Canadian mockumentary adapted by Noel Baker from the novel of the same name by author Michael Turner. Director Bruce McDonald illustrates the self-destruction of punk rock...
(1996) - TitanicTitanic (TV miniseries)Titanic is a made-for-TV movie that premièred on CBS in 1996. Titanic follows several characters on board the RMS Titanic when she sinks on her maiden voyage in 1912. The miniseries was directed by Robert Lieberman. The original music score was composed by Lennie Niehaus...
(1996) (TV) - Contagious (1997) (TV)
- Bliss (1997)
- IntensityIntensity (TV movie)Intensity is a 1997 made for TV mini-series based on the novel by Dean Koontz, starring John C. McGinley, Molly Parker, Piper Laurie and Tori Paul. It originally aired in the United States on the Fox Network.-Plot:...
(1997) (TV) - Under Heaven (1998)
- Twitch CityTwitch CityTwitch City is a Canadian sitcom produced by CBC Television. The series aired as two short runs in 1998 and 2000. The series also aired in the United States on Bravo, and in Australia....
(1998) (TV series) - From Morning On I Waited Yesterday (1998)
- Ladies Room (1997)
- Wonderland (1999)
- The Five Senses (1999)
- Looking for Leonard (1999)
- SunshineSunshine (1999 film)Sunshine is a 1999 historical film written by Israel Horovitz and István Szabó, directed and produced by István Szabó. It follows three generations of a Jewish family during the changes in Hungary from the beginning of the 20th century to the...
(1999) - The Intruder (1999)
- Waking the DeadWaking the Dead (film)Waking the Dead is a 2000 American drama film directed by Keith Gordon. The screenplay by Robert Dillon is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Scott Spencer.-Plot:...
(2000) - Suspicious RiverSuspicious RiverSuspicious River is a Canadian dramatic film, released in 2000. The film was directed by Lynne Stopkewich, based on a novel by Laura Kasischke...
(2000) - The War Bride (2001)
- The Center of the WorldThe Center of the WorldThe Center of the World is an American film directed by Wayne Wang, which was digitally shot and released in 2001. It stars Peter Sarsgaard as a Dot-com millionaire who hires a drummer/stripper to stay with him in Las Vegas for three days for US$10,000...
(2001) - Last WeddingLast WeddingLast Wedding is a 2001 Canadian comedy drama film written and directed by Bruce Sweeney. It opened the 26th annual Toronto International Film Festival in 2001...
(2001) - Rare BirdsRare BirdsRare Birds is a 2001 Canadian comedy/drama film. It was directed by Sturla Gunnarsson and written by Edward Riche based on his novel. This movie features spectacular scenery from Cape Spear, Newfoundland, Canada. It also features music by the The Pogues and characteristic Canadian Maritime...
(2001) - Men with BroomsMen with BroomsMen with Brooms is a 2002 Canadian romantic comedy film, starring and directed by Paul Gross. Centred on the sport of curling, the offbeat comedy tells the story of a reunited curling team from a small Canadian town as they work through their respective life issues and struggle to win the...
(2002) - Marion Bridge (2002)
- Max (2002)
- Pure (2002)
- Break a Leg (2003)
- Iron Jawed AngelsIron Jawed AngelsIron Jawed Angels is a 2004 American drama film. It was directed by Katja von Garnier and starred Hilary Swank, Frances O'Connor, Julia Ormond, and Anjelica Huston. It focuses on the American women's suffrage movement during the 1910s. The film received acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival...
(2004) (TV) - DeadwoodDeadwood (TV series)Deadwood is an American Western drama television series created, produced and largely written by David Milch. The series aired on the premium cable network HBO from March 21, 2004, to August 27, 2006, spanning three 12-episode seasons. The show is set in the 1870s in Deadwood, South Dakota, before...
(2004–06) (TV series) - The Good Shepherd (2006)
- Nine LivesNine Lives (2005 film)Nine Lives is a 2005 American drama film written and directed by Rodrigo García. The screenplay, an example of hyperlink cinema, relates nine short, loosely intertwined tales with nine different women at their cores. Their themes include parent-child relationships, fractured love, adultery,...
(2005) - HollywoodlandHollywoodlandHollywoodland is a 2006 American biographical docudrama film directed by Allen Coulter in his feature directorial debut. The film documents a fictional account of the investigation surrounding the death of actor George Reeves , the star of the 1950s television series Adventures of Superman. Adrien...
(2006) - Who Loves the SunWho Loves the SunWho Loves the Sun is a 2006 Canadian comedy/drama/romance film directed and written by Matt Bissonnette.- Plot :Will Morrison and Daniel Bloom were the best of friends. They grew up together, went to the same schools, liked the same records, loved the same girls. Daniel was Will’s best man at his...
(2006) - The Wicker ManThe Wicker Man (2006 film)The Wicker Man is a 2006 American remake of the 1973 British film of the same title. It was written and directed by Neil LaBute, based on a screenplay by Anthony Shaffer, and stars Nicolas Cage and Ellen Burstyn....
(2006) - The Confessor (2006)
- SwingtownSwingtownSwingtown was an American television series created by Mike Kelley as a summer replacement series for CBS. The show was a period and relationship drama about the impact of sexual and social liberation in 1970s American suburban households, with story arcs involving open marriages and key...
(2008) (TV series) - The Road (2009 film)
- Party DownParty DownParty Down is an American comedy television series created and primarily written by John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd that aired on the Starz network in the United States.-Conception:...
(2009) (TV series) - Human Target (2010) (TV series)
- Shattered (2010) (TV series)
- TriggerTrigger (film)Trigger is a Canadian comedy-drama film, released in 2010. Directed by Bruce McDonald, the film stars Molly Parker and Tracy Wright as Kat and Vic, former rock stars reuniting their band Trigger for the first time since their retirement....
(2010) - Gone (2011) (Lifetime movie)
- That's What I AmThat's What I AmThat's What I Am is a drama film starring Ed Harris and Chase Ellison. The film is directed by Michael Pavone. Its release date was April 29, 2011 in limited release, having been released on DVD about four weeks later.-Plot:...
(2011) - DexterDexter (TV series)Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...
(2011) (TV series) - Hemingway & GellhornHemingway & GellhornHemingway & Gellhorn is an upcoming HBO film about the lives of journalist Martha Gellhorn and her husband, writer Ernest Hemingway. It will be directed by Philip Kaufman. The film began shooting in San Francisco in March 2011...
(2012) (TV) - The Firm (2012) (TV series)