Career
After appearing in several plays, she moved to Los Angeles, California, and in 1987 got her first break in a role in Disney's made-for-TV film Student Exchange. Tierney's first starring role in a film was in a low-budget, independently-produced film called Dead Women in Lingerie, shot in 24 days. The film never received a theatrical release, although it was released on DVD in 2005.
Tierney continued winning small roles in film and television, though she did not receive regular national exposure until her leading role in the sitcom NewsRadio from 1995 to 1999. While she was a NewsRadio cast member, she also appeared in several successful films, including Primal Fear, Primary Colors, Forces of Nature, and Liar Liar, which starred Jim Carrey.
After NewsRadio was canceled, Tierney decided not to pursue a role in another sitcom:
| “ | hen NewsRadio got canceled, ... I thought, there's probably not gonna be something like again for me...So then, when ER called,...that was a way to stay in that would remain interesting for me. | ” |
Tierney played Nurse Abigail "Abby" Lockhart on ER, a character that began as a guest appearance as an OB nurse in November 1999, then expanded in February 2000 to a full-time regular part as an ER nurse (and later, after completion of medical school, a licensed ER doctor). Within a year, her work on ER had earned her an Emmy Award nomination, recognition she credits to a "juicy" story arc featuring Sally Field as Lockhart's mother, who suffers from bipolar disorder. She was initially reunited with her former NewsRadio co-star Khandi Alexander who at that time had a major recurring role on ER.
Tierney confirmed in April 2008 that she would be leaving ER shortly after the beginning of the show's fifteenth season. In October 2008, she made her final regular appearance on the series after nearly 10 seasons on the show. She did return to make a cameo appearance on one additional episode later in 2009 toward the end of the final season.
As of 2011, Tierney's highest-profile film since joining the cast of ER has been the 2002 film Insomnia, directed by Christopher Nolan. That same year she also starred in Scotland, Pa., portraying a Lady Macbeth-like character written specifically for her by then-husband Billy Morrissette. She was praised by critics for her performance. She collaborated with NewsRadio writer Joe Furey for a special, "Working with Joe Furey" featurette for Furey's film Love and Support. In 2004, Tierney won the second season tournament of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown against Lauren Graham.
She returned to the stage in May 2006 in an appearance opposite Eric McCormack in the Off Broadway premiere of Some Girl(s). She also appeared in the 2008 films Semi-Pro, Baby Mama, The Go-Getter and Finding Amanda.
Tierney played the role of Laurel in the Off Broadway play Three Changes with Dylan McDermott from September 16 to October 4, 2008.
She later returned to television, playing the recurring character Kelly McPhee on the FX series Rescue Me in 2009 and 2011 during its final season.
Tierney replaced Joely Richardson as the female lead of the 2010 ABC television series The Whole Truth, after Richardson dropped out to spend more time with her family. Tierney's role in the show, a legal drama produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, marks her first return to television after recovering from breast surgery and cancer treatments. ABC canceled The Whole Truth after just four episodes due to low ratings.
In February 2011, Tierney made her debut at the Gate Theatre in the Dublin premiere of Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage (translation by Christopher Hampton) alongside Ardal O'Hanlon.
Read more about this topic: Maura Tierney
Famous quotes containing the word career:
“The 19-year-old Diana ... decided to make her career that of wife. Today that can be a very, very iffy line of work.... And what sometimes happens to the women who pursue it is the best argument imaginable for teaching girls that they should always be able to take care of themselves.”
—Anna Quindlen (b. 1952)
“Whether lawyer, politician or executive, the American who knows what’s good for his career seeks an institutional rather than an individual identity. He becomes the man from NBC or IBM. The institutional imprint furnishes him with pension, meaning, proofs of existence. A man without a company name is a man without a country.”
—Lewis H. Lapham (b. 1935)
“They want to play at being mothers. So let them. Expressing tenderness in their own way will not prevent girls from enjoying a successful career in the future; indeed, the ability to nurture is as valuable a skill in the workplace as the ability to lead.”
—Anne Roiphe (20th century)