Mary Mara obit

Mary Mara dead at 61: ‘Law & Order’ actress drowned in New York river

 

 She was not on the list.

Mary Mara, a veteran actress who appeared on TV shows such as “Law & Order,” “NYPD Blue” and “Ray Donovan,” has died after drowning in the St. Lawrence River over the weekend.

She was 61.

Troopers responded to a possible drowning call at 8 a.m. Sunday. Once on the scene in Cape Vincent, they found her body, according to a New York State Police report obtained by The Post.

Mara was visiting her sister and was swimming in the water, police said. TMZ reported she jumped in to exercise.

Her body exhibited no signs of foul play and has been taken to the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy, according to the state police.

“Mary was one of the finest actresses I ever met,” Craig Dorfman, her manager, said in a statement to Variety. “I still remember seeing her onstage in 1992 in ‘Mad Forest’ off-Broadway. She was electric, funny and a true individual. Everyone loved her. She will be missed.”

Mara, who lived in Cape Vincent, was a Syracuse native. She graduated from Corcoran High School before heading to San Francisco State University and Yale — she earned a master’s degree in fine arts from the latter’s School of Drama — to learn the skills she used in her more than three-decade professional career.

Mara went on to act in over 20 movies and 40 TV shows, including “The West Wing,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “ER,” “Nash Bridges,” “The Practice,” “Star Trek: Enterprise,” “Lost” and “Shameless,” among others. She also appeared in the films “Mr. Saturday Night,” starring Billy Crystal, and “Love Potion No. 9,” opposite Sandra Bullock.

Her most recent gig, according to her IMDb page, was 2020’s “Break Even.”

Mara also appeared opposite Michelle Pfeiffer and Jeff Goldblum in the 1989 Shakespeare in the Park production of the Bard’s “Twelfth Night,” followed by a string of 1990s appearances for NYC’s acclaimed Manhattan Theatre Club.

The SVU actress’s body has been taken to the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy, according to the state police.

Filmography

Film

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1989      The Preppie Murder       Susan Bird           Television film

Film Debut

1990      Blue Steel            Wife     

1991      The Hard Way    Detective China                

True Colors         Sophia Palmeri

Out of the Rain Trisha   

1992      Mr. Saturday Night          Susan   

Love Potion No. 9             Marisa

1995      Just Looking        Alicia    

Indictment: The McMartin Trial Detective Jane Hoag      

1996      Bound   Sue the Bartender           

What Kind of Mother Are You?   Marcy Hackman                Television film

1998      A Civil Action      Kathy Boyer       

1999      Switched at Birth              Judy       Television film

2001      Stranger Inside Tanya    Television film

Lloyd     JoAnn   

K-PAX    Abby     

2002      Dish: Gossip in Hollywood            Narrator               Television film

Saint Sinner        Munkar                Television film

2006      Undoing               Kasawa                

Gridiron Gang    Kenny's mom    

2008      Prom Night         Mrs. Waters      

2020      Break Even          Molly    

Television

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1993, 1999          Law & Order       Mrs. Sharkey / Sally Knight           2 episodes

1994, 1998          NYPD Blue           Linda Walker / Theresa Carlin     2 episodes

1995–96               ER           Loretta Sweet    9 episodes

1996–97               Nash Bridges      Inspector Bryn Carson    Main Character, Season 1–2

1997      Dellaventura      Anne Morgan     Episode: "Clean Slate"

Spicy City             Alice / Geisha     Voice

1998      The Visitor          Magnolia Vale    Episode: "The Chain"

1999      Ally McBeal         Julie Stall             Episode: "Angels and Blimps"

Farscape              Lyneea Episode: "I, E.T."

Profiler Mrs. Atkins         Episode: "Infidelity"

G vs E    Leona    Episode: "Evilator"

2000      Rude Awakening              Dr. Zimmerman                 Episode: "Telltale Heart"

2001      The Practice       Dr. Jane Lefkowitz            2 episodes

Gideon's Crossing             Dr. Jane Lefkowitz            2 episodes

Becker Beth       Episode: "Really Good Advice"

Judging Amy       Deborah Mahaffey          Episode: "Hold on Tight"

The West Wing Sherri Wexler     Episode: "On the Day Before"

Third Watch       Mrs. Jensen        2 episodes

2002      Boston Public     Pauline Campbell             Episode: "Chapter Thirty-Two"

Philly     Melissa Cannon                Episode: "Meat Me in Philly"

Crossing Jordan                 Denise Tremaine              Episode: "Lost and Found"

2003–04               The Handler        Camille 3 episodes

2004      The Guardian     Alison Scanlon   Episode: "The Watchers"

Star Trek: Enterprise       Sphere Builder Presage 3 episodes

North Shore        Debbie Bevans Episode: "Meteor Shower"

Without a Trace                Mrs. Corcoran    Episode: "In the Dark"

7th Heaven         Nurse    Episode: "Gratitude"

Joan of Arcadia Sarah Polonsky Episode: "The Book of Questions"

2005      Law & Order: Special Victims Unit             Carlene Ballentine           Episode: "Pure"

Monk    Treesa Crane      Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Kid"

Nip/Tuck              Natalie Holden Episode: "Sal Perri"

2006      Bones    Helen Bronson   Episode: "The Woman in the Tunnel"

2009      Dexter Valerie Hodges 3 episodes

Lost        Jill           2 episodes

Lie to Me             Krentz   Episode: "Control Factor"

Saving Grace      Zoe         Episode: "She's a Lump"

2013      Ray Donovan      Mrs. Sullivan      4 episodes

Shameless           Nance   2 episodes

2014      Criminal Minds Judith Anderson               Episode: "Mr. and Mrs. Anderson"

General Hospital               Selma