Editing Mary Steenburgen (section)

==Career==
Steenburgen moved to [[Manhattan]] in 1972 after the Neighborhood Playhouse offered her an opportunity to study acting. She worked as a server at [[The Magic Pan]] and for [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] while studying under [[William Esper Studio|William Esper]].<ref name="tvguide"/>

===Film career===
Steenburgen's break came when she was discovered by [[Jack Nicholson]] in the reception room of [[Paramount Pictures]]'s New York office and was cast as the female lead in his second directorial work, the Western comedy ''[[Goin' South]]'' (1978).<ref name="tvguide" /> Steenburgen had a leading role in the film ''[[Time After Time (1979 film)|Time After Time]]'' (1979), for which she won the [[Saturn Award for Best Actress]]. She played a modern woman who falls in love with author [[H. G. Wells]], played by [[Malcolm McDowell]], whom she married the following year.

In her third film, she won the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]] for the film ''[[Melvin and Howard]]'' (1980). She played Lynda Dummar, the wife of [[Melvin Dummar]], a trucker and aspiring singer who claimed to have befriended reclusive eccentric [[Howard Hughes]]. Another notable film appearance came in the well-received film ''[[Cross Creek (film)|Cross Creek]]'' (1983), in which she portrayed [[Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings]], author of ''[[The Yearling]]''. In 1985, she starred in the film ''[[One Magic Christmas]]'' as someone who falls on devastating times at Christmas, only to rely on a miracle to save her family. In 1989, she played Karen Buckman in ''[[Parenthood (film)|Parenthood]]''. In ''[[Back to the Future Part III]]'' (1990), Steenburgen played [[Clara Clayton]], a schoolteacher who falls in love with Doc Brown. She was persuaded to play the role by her children, as well as by fans of the ''Back to the Future'' films, and reprised the role by providing the character's voice in ''[[Back to the Future: The Animated Series]]''.

Other performances have been in ''[[What's Eating Gilbert Grape]]'' (1993), as a woman who is having an affair with the title character; ''[[My Summer Story]]'' (1994), as the mother of Ralphie Parker (the sequel to ''[[A Christmas Story]]''); the role of [[Hannah Milhous Nixon]] in the [[Oliver Stone]] biopic ''[[Nixon (film)|Nixon]]'' (1995); and the [[Will Ferrell]] comedy ''[[Elf (film)|Elf]]'' (2003), as a woman who discovers that her husband is the father of one of Santa's [[Christmas elf|elves]].

[[File:MarySteenburgen2000.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Steenburgen in Toronto Film Festival 2001]]
She has appeared in the comedy films ''[[Step Brothers (film)|Step Brothers]]'' (2008), playing the mother of [[Will Ferrell]]'s character; ''[[Four Christmases]]'' (2008); and ''[[The Proposal (2009 film)|The Proposal]]'' (2009). ''[[Dirty Girl (2010 film)|Dirty Girl]]'', which featured Steenburgen, premiered at the [[Toronto International Film Festival]] on September 12, 2010. She also appeared in the critically acclaimed film ''[[The Help (film)|The Help]]'' (2011) and had a featured role as a lounge singer, who is the romantic interest in a love triangle, in the comedy film ''[[Last Vegas]]'' (2013). She had a small role in the comedy-drama film ''[[A Walk in the Woods (film)|A Walk in the Woods]]'' as Jeannie. In 2018, Steenburgen starred with [[Diane Keaton]], [[Jane Fonda]] and [[Candice Bergen]] in the romantic comedy film ''[[Book Club (film)|Book Club]]''.

===Television career===
In television, Steenburgen appeared as Kate Montgomery in ''[[Ink (TV series)|Ink]]'' (1996) and co-starred as Mary Gulliver in ''[[Gulliver's Travels (miniseries)|Gulliver's Travels]]'' (1996). She has a recurring role as herself in ''[[Curb Your Enthusiasm]]''. Steenburgen co-starred as Helen Girardi, the mother of [[Amber Tamblyn]]'s title character in ''[[Joan of Arcadia]]''. In 2011, she had a recurring role as Josephine in the [[HBO]] sitcom ''[[Bored to Death]]''. Steenburgen starred as Anastasia Lee in the 2011 [[FX (TV channel)|FX]] pilot ''[[Outlaw Country (2012 film)|Outlaw Country]]'',<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.tvguide.com/News/Mary-Steenburgen-Outlaw-1019806.aspx |title=Mary Steenburgen Saddles Into Outlaw Country Pilot |first=Kate |last=Stanhope |date=June 21, 2010 |magazine=TV Guide}}</ref> but it was passed by the network.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://variety.com/2011/tv/news/fx-says-no-to-outlaw-country-1118046302/ |title=FX says no to 'Outlaw Country' |first=Stuart |last=Levine |date=November 17, 2011 |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=September 18, 2013}}</ref> She appeared in the dark sitcom ''[[Wilfred (American TV series)|Wilfred]]'' from 2011 through 2013 as Catherine Newman, the title character's eccentric and mentally ill mother. Steenburgen had a recurring role as Diana Jessup on the [[NBC]] sitcom ''[[30 Rock]]'' from 2012 to 2013.

In 2014, she began a recurring role as former Dixie Mafia boss Katherine Hale in the fifth and sixth seasons of ''[[Justified (TV series)|Justified]]''.

From 2015 to 2018, she starred as Gail Klosterman on the comedy series ''[[The Last Man on Earth (TV series)|The Last Man on Earth]]''.

From 2020 to 2021, she played the role of Maggie Clarke in the NBC musical comedy-drama series ''[[Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist]]'' for two seasons. She reprised the role for [[The Roku Channel]] television film ''Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas''.

=== Music career ===
In 2007, Steenburgen underwent minor surgery on her arm, which required a [[general anaesthetic]]; shortly thereafter, she began experiencing "music (...) playing in her head day and night". She subsequently took music lessons so that she could write down what she was hearing, and by 2013 had almost 50 songwriting credits.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://people.com/health/mary-steenburgen-brain-became-musical-strange-complication-during-routine-surgery/ | date=14 November 2019 | title=Mary Steenburgen's Brain 'Became Musical' After a 'Strange' Complication from a Routine Surgery| author=Mazziotta, Julie|publisher=People Magazine }}</ref> She has collaborated with musicians from Nashville and was also signed to [[Universal Music Group]] as a songwriter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2013/10/oscar-winning-actress-mary-steenburgen-takes-up-accordion-at-60 | date=21 October 2013 | title=Oscar Winning Actress Mary Steenburgen Takes Up Accordion at 60| author=Fisher, Luchina|website=abcnews.com }}</ref> She performs one of her own songs in ''Last Vegas''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/movies-for-grownups/info-01-2014/2014-movies-for-grownups-film-awards.html | date=January 2014 | title=2014 Movies for Grownups Awards| author=Newcott, Bill|website=aarp.com }}</ref>

In 2018, her composition "Glasgow (No Place Like Home)" as performed by [[Jessie Buckley]] featured as the climactic musical moment in the film ''[[Wild Rose (2018 film)|Wild Rose]]'' and won Steenburgen several awards, including [[Critics' Choice Movie Awards|Critic Choice Award]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/mary-steenburgen-oscar-song-wild-rose-912630/ |title=How Actress Mary Steenburgen Suddenly Became a Great Songwriter |first1=David |last1=Ehrlich |date=November 14, 2019 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref> On October 30, 2020, Steenburgen signed a global publishing deal with [[Universal Music Publishing Group]].<ref>{{Cite instagram|postid=CG-rugaj1f4|user=mary_steenburgen|title=To write music is a blessing in any situation, but the company and warmth and inspiration of the UMPG circle is my happy place. I'm so grateful! Photo by @jessiewebster|date=October 30, 2020|author=Mary Steenburgen|access-date=April 20, 2021}}</ref>