News on your favorite shows, specials & more!
Mary Stuart Masterson Headshot

Mary Stuart Masterson

Birth Place: New York, NY, USA

Get Mary Stuart Masterson Email Alerts

Be the first to get news, photos, videos & more.

BIO

Mary Stuart Masterson was born in New York City to writer/director Peter Masterson and actress Carlin Glynn. She has two siblings: Peter and Alexandra Masterson, who are both involved in the entertainment industry. As a teen, she attended Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center in upstate New York with actors Robert Downey, Jr. and Jon Cryer. Later, she attended schools in New York, including eight months studying anthropology at New York University.


Masterson's first movie appearance was in the original movie The Stepford Wives (1975) at the age of eight. Rather than continue her career, she chose to continue her studies, though she did appear in several productions at the Dalton School. In 1985, she returned to the big screen in Heaven Help Us as Danni, a rebellious high school drop-out who runs a soda fountain. She appears in the movie At Close Range (1986) as Brad Jr's girlfriend Terry, a film based on the real life rural Pennsylvania crime family led by Bruce Johnston, Sr. which operated during the 1960s and 1970s. She later starred as the tomboyish drumming Watts in the teenage drama Some Kind of Wonderful (1987). As a result, she is loosely connected with the Brat Pack. That same year Francis Ford Coppola cast her in Gardens of Stone where she was able to act alongside her parents, who Coppola had hired to act as her on-screen parents for the film. In 1989, she starred as Lucy Moore, a teenage girl giving up her first baby to a wealthy couple, played by Glenn Close and James Woods in Immediate Family. For her work in the film she received a "Best Supporting Actress" award from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.
Masterson continued acting in both films and television during the '90s. In 1991, she starred in Fried Green Tomatoes, a film based on the novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. The film was well received with film critic Roger Ebert applauding Masterson's work on the film. The following year she was invited to host Saturday Night Live. In 1993 she played opposite Johnny Depp in Benny & Joon as Joon, his mentally unstable love interest. The following year Masterson acted in Bad Girls, playing Anita Crown, a former prostitute, who joins with three other former prostitutes (played by Madeleine Stowe, Andie MacDowell and Drew Barrymore) in traveling the Old West. In 1996, Masterson acted alongside Christian Slater in the romantic drama Bed of Roses.
Although Masterson carried on her work in the film industry, by 2000 she had made a move towards television. In 2001, she produced her own television series Kate Brasher. The show received mediocre reviews and was canceled by CBS after six episodes. In 2004, Masterson starred in the Emmy and Peabody award winning HBO-biopic Something the Lord Made. By 2004, she began guest starring on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Dr. Rebecca Hendrix.
Masterson has also appeared on the stage, being nominated for a 2003 Tony Award as "Best Featured Actress in a Musical" in the Maury Yeston musical Nine: The Musical, directed by David Leveaux.
In 2001, she began her directing career with a segment called "The Other Side" in the television movie On the Edge.
However, Masterson made her big-screen directorial debut with the 2007 film The Cake Eaters. The film premiered at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival as well as the Ashland Independent Film Festival where it received awards for "Best Picture." Of her move to directing, Masterson said in an interview: ""When I signed to do this, I wasn't scared but, yes, it was scary. I'm already 40, although we don't want to talk about that. In '92, I wrote my first screenplay, which I then was to direct, but I ended up taking an acting job because it takes forever to get a movie made."

STAGE CREDITS

[Broadway]
Roundabout Revival, 2003
Luisa Contini

[Broadway]
Broadway Revival, 1982
Four of Hearts

Small White Rabbit

Alice (Understudy)


Movies

The Stepford Wives
[ 1975 ] Kim Eberhart
Heaven Help Us
[ 1985 ] Danni
Amazing Stories
[ 1986 ] Cynthia Simpson
My Little Girl
[ 1986 ] Franny Bettinger
At Close Range
[ 1986 ] Terry
Gardens of Stone
[ 1987 ] Rachel Feld
Some Kind of Wonderful
[ 1987 ] Watts
Mr. North
[ 1988 ] Elspeth Skeel
Immediate Family
[ 1989 ] Lucy Moore
Chances Are
[ 1989 ] Miranda Jeffries
Funny About Love
[ 1990 ] Daphne
Fried Green Tomatoes
[ 1991 ] Idgie Threadgoode
Married to It
[ 1991 ] Nina Bishop
Mad at the Moon
[ 1992 ] Jenny Hill
Benny & Joon
[ 1993 ] Joon Pearl
Bad Girls
[ 1994 ] Anita Crown
Radioland Murders
[ 1994 ] Penny Henderson
Bed of Roses
[ 1996 ] Lisa Walker
Heaven's Prisoners
[ 1996 ] Robin Gaddis
Dogtown
[ 1997 ] Dorothy Sternen
Digging to China
[ 1997 ] Gwen Frankovitz
The Book of Stars
[ 1999 ] Penny McGuire
The Florentine
[ 1999 ] Vikki
Leo
[ 2002 ] Brynne
West of Here
[ 2002 ] Genevieve Anderson
Last Man Running
[ 2003 ] producer
Whiskey School
[ 2005 ] G.G.
The Sisters
[ 2005 ] Olga Prior
The Insurgents
[ 2006 ] Director
The Cake Eaters
[ 2007 ] producer
Tickling Leo
[ 2009 ] producer
As You Are
[ 2016 ] Karen
Daniel Isn't Real
[ 2019 ] Claire
The Rest of Us
[ 2019 ] producer

TV Shows

Blindspot
Eleanor Hirst
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Dr. Rebecca Hendrix
NCIS
Jenna Flemming

Awards and Nominations


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 2003 - Outstanding Featured Actress - Musical

Mary Stuart Masterson, Nine

Outer Critics Circle Awards - 2003 - Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical

Mary Stuart Masterson, Nine


winner
Theatre World Awards - 2003 - Performance

Mary Stuart Masterson, Nine

Tony Awards - 2003 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

Mary Stuart Masterson, Nine

Videos

News


FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S Sets 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD, & Digital Release

The all-new bonus content gives a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the iconic animatronics and recreating the immersive world of the game. After accepting a security guard job from Steve (Matthew Lillard; Scream, Scooby Doo), Mike (Josh Hutcherson; The Hunger Games Franchise), discovers an abandoned restaurant.
Video: Watch New FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S Featurette 'For the Fans'

The film stars Josh Hutcherson (Ultraman, The Hunger Games franchise), Elizabeth Lail (You, Mack & Rita), Piper Rubio (Holly & Ivy, Unstable), Kat Conner Sterling (We Have a Ghost, 9-1-1), with Mary Stuart Masterson (Blindspot, Fried Green Tomatoes) and Matthew Lillard (Good Girls, Scream). Watch the video now!
Cleveland Play House Reimagines Iconic Horror Story, MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN

Mary Shelley's shocking classic novel, Frankenstein, receives new life at Cleveland Play House. A haunting and highly theatrical adaptation of the classic horror story. Directed by Michael Barakiva, the production features Josh Bates, Madeline Calais, Ellen Grace Diehl, Gavin Michaels, and Kayodè Soyemi.
Kaatsbaan and The National Willa Cather Center to Host Sesquicentennial Celebration of Willa Cather Next Month

Kaatsbaan Cultural Park and the National Willa Cather Center will commemorate the 150th birthday of Willa Cather, an iconic and cherished figure in American literature during the 20th century on October 21, 2023. Get more event information here!
Video: Watch the New FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S Trailer Featuring More of Jim Henson's Creature Shop Puppets

The film stars Josh Hutcherson (Ultraman, The Hunger Games franchise), Elizabeth Lail (You, Mack & Rita), Piper Rubio (Holly & Ivy, Unstable), Kat Conner Sterling (We Have a Ghost, 9-1-1), with Mary Stuart Masterson (Blindspot, Fried Green Tomatoes) and Matthew Lillard (Good Girls, Scream). Watch the video trailer now!
Video: Watch the FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S Movie Trailer

The terrifying horror game phenomenon becomes a blood-chilling cinematic event, as Blumhouse— the producer of M3GAN, The Black Phone and The Invisible Man— brings Five Nights at Freddy’s to the big screen. The film’s iconic animatronic characters will be created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Watch the new video trailer now!
World Premiere of Ken Ludwig's MORIARTY: A NEW SHERLOCK HOLMES ADVENTURE is Coming to Cleveland Play House

Cleveland Play House will bring its 2022-2023 season to a close with the world premiere production of Ken Ludwig's Moriarty: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure. Running April 29 through May 21 in the Allen Theatre at Playhouse Square.
Kaatsbaan Cultural Park Presents THE LISTENING ROOM Featuring Mick Lynch And Special Guest Mary Stuart Masterson

Kaatsbaan will host the return of The Listening Room series, an intimate music salon featuring singer/songwriters in an intimate setting.
Ars Nova Announces 17 New Artist Residencies and Commissions

 Ars Nova has announced 17 new artists and groups selected in 2022 for residencies and commissions at Ars Nova. The Company’s dynamic slate of artist residencies and commissions supports outside-the-box thinking and encourages innovative, genre-bending work.
Multicom Releasing Linda G. Mills' 'The Rest Of Us' for National Mental Health Awareness Month

Multicom will release Linda G. Mills' narrative feature film THE REST OF US nationwide on May 6 to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month.
MY FAIR LADY, STAND BY ME, and More Return to the Big Screen at The Ridgefield Playhouse in May and June

Bring the family to see these classics the way they were meant to be seen – on the big screen!  In addition, these classics will each be accompanied by exclusive commentary from TCM hosts who will provide insight, background and more, making these events that movie lovers won't want to miss.
Kaatsbaan 2021 Spring Festival Presents Patti Smith, Tony Shanahan & Jackson Smith

All events will follow current CDC and NYS guidelines regarding COVID-19, including mandatory masks, socially distanced seating, and timed arrivals.
Kaatsbaan 2021 Spring Festival Presents Dancers from Martha Graham Dance Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and New York City Ballet

Kaatsbaan Cultural Park presents Martha Graham Dance Company, Dancers from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and New York City Ballet as a part of the 2021 Kaatsbaan Spring Festival on May 29-30 at 6:30pm.
Kaatsbaan Cultural Park Announces Spring Programming

Kaatsbaan Cultural Park has curated a dynamic program of leading artists from the worlds of dance, music, poetry, sculpture, and the culinary arts for its inaugural Spring Festival. Taking place during the last two weekends in May throughout Kaatsbaan's lush 153-acre campus in the Hudson Valley, the festival will feature 16 presentations on two outdoor stages.
TCM Big Screen Classics Series Begins Jan. 24 & 27 With THE MALTESE FALCON

Next year, film aficionados can enjoy a yearlong journey spanning nine decades of cinema history, through a dozen of some of the movie industry’s greatest titles, as Fathom Events and Turner Classic Movies present the seventh annual TCM Big Screen Classics series.
JOHN HUGHES 5-MOVIE COLLECTION Arrives on Blu-ray February 23rd

Five essential John Hughes classics arrive in one fantastic Blu-ray Collection on February 23, 2021 from Paramount Home Entertainment. 
Reba McEntire Will Lead FRIED GREEN TOMATOES Series

Reba McEntire will star in an NBC series adaptation of 'Fried Green Tomatoes.' 
Broadway Rewind: Watch Scenes from NINE with Antonio Banderas, Jane Krakowski and More!

Today we rewind to the first Broadway revival of Nine in 2003. The musical, which ran for 283 performances at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, starred Antonio Banderas, Laura Benanti, Jane Krakowski, Chita Rivera, Mary Beth Peil, Mary Stuart Masterson, and more. Nine focuses on film director Guido Contini, who is dreading his imminent 40th birthday and facing a midlife crisis, which is blocking his creative impulses and entangling him in a web of romantic difficulties in early-1960s Venice.
INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO's James Lipton Has Died at 93

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that James Lipton, executive producer, writer, and host of the Bravo cable television series Inside the Actors Studio, has died at age 93.
BWW Feature: BWW Cabaret Critics' 2019 Year-End Round Table

BWW Cabaret Editor invites the journalists on the team to an informal discussion about the art form of cabaret, their passion, and what excited them in 2019.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many Broadway shows has Mary Stuart Masterson been in?

Mary Stuart Masterson has appeared on Broadway in 2 shows.

How many West End shows has Mary Stuart Masterson been in?

Mary Stuart Masterson has not appeared in the West End.

What awards has Mary Stuart Masterson been nominated for?

Outstanding Featured Actress - Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Nine, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Nine, Performance (Theatre World Awards) for Nine, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical (Tony Awards) for Nine.

What awards has Mary Stuart Masterson won?

Mary Stuart Masterson has won the following awards: Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical at the Drama Desk Awards for Nine, and a Performance Award at the Theatre World Awards for Nine.

Get Mary Stuart Masterson Email Alerts

Be the first to get news, photos, videos & more.

Videos