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Marcia Gay Harden

Marcia Gay Harden

Actor · Born August 14, 1959 (67) · La Jolla, California, USA

Marcia Gay Harden (born August 14, 1959) is an American film and stage actress. She is the recipient of many accolades including an Academy Award and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for a Critics' Choice Movie Award and three Primetime Emmy Awards. She began her acting career appearing in television programs throughout the 1980s. In 1986, she appeared in her first film role, with her breakthrough coming in the 1990 Coen brothers-directed Miller's Crossing. Her next notable film credits include The First Wives Club (1996), Flubber (1997), and Space Cowboys (2000). She received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Lee Krasner in Pollock (2000). She had a supporting role in Mona Lisa Smile (2003). She received a second Academy Award nomination for her performance as Celeste Boyle in the drama film Mystic River (2003). She appeared in several 2007 films, including Sean Penn's Into the Wild and Frank Darabont's The Mist, based on the novella by Stephen King. Also in 2007, she shared top billing with Kevin Bacon in Rails & Ties, the directorial debut of Alison Eastwood. Harden played a woman who has a mastectomy in Home (2008). (Her character in Rails & Ties also had a mastectomy.) One scene required her to bare her breasts, with the missing breast removed using computer-generated imagery. In Home, her co-stars include her daughter, Eulala Scheel. In 2009, she had quite a busy year. She appeared as a regular on the FX series Damages as a shrewd corporate attorney opposite Glenn Close and William Hurt. She co-starred in the films Whip It, and The Maiden Heist. She returned to Broadway in Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage, co-starring with James Gandolfini, Hope Davis and Jeff Daniels. All three actors were nominated for a Tony Award; Harden won Best Actress in a Play. She received her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her role as FBI Special Agent Dana Lewis in the crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and earned a second Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her performance as Janina Krzyżanowska in the television film The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (2009). She reunited with her former Broadway co-star Jeff Daniels as a new cast member on HBO's series The Newsroom in 2013. In 2015, she had a starring role in the medical drama Code Black. Her other notable television credits include ABC's How to Get Away with Murder and the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show. She played Christian Grey's mother, Grace Trevelyan Grey, in the Fifty Shades film series from 2015 to 2018. She stars in the 2022 CBS drama So Help Me Todd.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 14, 1959 (67)
From
La Jolla, California, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
92 on MovieCove · 128 credits in all
TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 21% in 30 days

What are Marcia Gay Harden's films like?

Across their 73 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

What they feel like to watch

their average across 67 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category

A split, not a type: Light 27 · Serious 18 · Dark 22

Grounded 53 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 7

Gentle 18 · Charged 31 · Intense 18

A split, not a type: Steady 33 · Shifting 30 · Whiplash 4

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 39 · Some laughs 18 · Funny 10

A split, not a type: Slow burn 36 · Even-paced 27 · Relentless 4

A split, not a type: Casual 37 · Engaged 24 · Full focus 6

A split, not a type: Easy watch 22 · Affecting 22 · Heavy 23

Resolved 47 · Open-ended 16 · Ambiguous 4

Roles they play

40 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 9 of 40 analyzed roles.

Ally
9 of 40
Hero
8 of 40
Shadow
7 of 40
Mentor
6 of 40
Trickster
3 of 40
Herald
3 of 40
Threshold guardian
2 of 40
Shapeshifter
2 of 40
Show the 40 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
32
Melancholic
37
Hopeful
19
Warm
19
Contemplative
16
Other
71

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy19
  • Bittersweet37
  • Tragic6
  • Ambiguous11

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Marcia Gay Harden's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 60 of their 92 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (24).

Subscription and free streaming for Marcia Gay Harden's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

128 credits, 92 with a MovieCove page; 20 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Street Smart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    as Dr. Partovi

  • Margo's Got Money Troubles(2026)

    Show 5 episodes · as Elizabeth Gable

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows
  • The Dreadful(2026)

    as Morwen

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
  • Renner(2025)

    as Salenus (voice)

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
  • Murder in a Small Town(2024)

    Show 7 episodes · as Mayor Christie Holman

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows
  • Knox Goes Away(2023)

    as Ruby Knox

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
  • Daughter of the Bride(2023)

    as Diane

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
  • Tell It Like a Woman(2022)

    as Dr. Partovi

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films
  • So Help Me Todd(2022)

    Show 31 episodes · Producer · as Margaret

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows
  • Confess, Fletch(2022)

    as Countess Sylvia de Grassi

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
  • Gigi & Nate(2022)

    as Claire Gibson

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
  • Uncoupled (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Show 6 episodes · as Claire Lewis

  • The Cuphead Show!(2022)

    Show 2 episodes · as Sally Stageplay (voice)

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows
  • Moxie(2021)

    as Principal Shelly

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
  • Pink Skies Ahead(2020)

    as Pamela

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
  • Barkskins(2020)

    Show 8 episodes · as Mathilde Geffard

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows
  • The Morning Show(2019)

    Show 10 episodes · as Maggie Brener

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows
  • Point Blank(2019)

    as Lieutenant Lewis

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
  • Reef Break (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Show 1 episode · as Betty Ann Miller

  • The Cold Open (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Actor

  • Love You To Death(2019)

    as Camile Stoller

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
  • The Oil Fund (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 2 episodes · as USA Ambassadør

  • A Million Little Things(2018)

    Show 1 episode · as Alice Mendez

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows
  • In the Night I Remember Your Name (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Pastor Joyce Speegle (voice)

  • Fifty Shades Freed(2018)

    as Grace Grey

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
  • Fifty Shades Darker(2017)

    as Grace Trevelyan Grey

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
  • Get a Job(2016)

    as Katherine Dunn

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
  • Code Black(2015)

    Show 47 episodes · as Dr. Leanne Rorish

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
  • After Words(2015)

    as Jane Taylor

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
  • Unity(2015)

    as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
  • Larry Gaye: Renegade Male Flight Attendant(2015)

    as President of the FAFAFA

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
  • Grandma(2015)

    as Judy

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
  • Fifty Shades of Grey(2015)

    as Dr. Grey

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
  • You're Not You(2014)

    as Elizabeth

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
  • How to Get Away with Murder(2014)

    Show 3 episodes · as Hannah Keating

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
  • BoJack Horseman(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Denise (voice) · as Denise / McCaitlyn (voice)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows
  • Magic in the Moonlight(2014)

    as Mrs. Baker

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
  • Elsa & Fred(2014)

    as Lydia

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
  • Parkland(2013)

    as Doris Nelson

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
  • Trophy Wife(2013)

    Show 22 episodes · as Dr. Diane Buckley

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all shows
  • The Wine of Summer(2013)

    as Shelley

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
  • If I Were You(2012)

    as Madelyn

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
  • The Newsroom(2012)

    Show 10 episodes · as Rebecca Halliday

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
  • Bent(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as Vanessa Carter

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows
  • Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
  • Innocent(2011)

    as Barbara Sabich

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
  • Detachment(2011)

    as Principal Carol Dearden

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
  • Body of Proof(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as Sheila Temple

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows
  • Amanda Knox(2011)

    as Edda Mellas

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
  • Sex and Lies in Sin City(2008)

    as Becky Binion

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
  • Royal Pains(2009)

    Show 3 episodes · as Dr. Elizabeth Blair

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows
  • The Maiden Heist(2009)

    as Rose Barlow

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
  • Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Inga

  • The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler(2009)

    as Janina Krzyżanowska

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
  • Whip It(2009)

    as Brooke Cavendar

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
  • Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage(2008)

    as Maryanne Kinkade

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
  • When Darkness Came: The Making of 'The Mist' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Thanks · as Self

  • The Tower (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Zoe Cafritz

  • The Mist(2007)

    as Mrs. Carmody

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
  • Into the Wild(2007)

    as Billie McCandless

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
  • Rails & Ties(2007)

    as Megan Stark

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
  • Damages(2007)

    Show 13 episodes · as Claire Maddox

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows
  • The Invisible(2007)

    as Diane Powell

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
  • Canvas(2006)

    as Mary Marino

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
  • The Dead Girl(2006)

    as Melora

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
  • The Hoax(2006)

    as Edith Irving

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
  • In from the Night(2006)

    as Vicki Miller

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
  • American Dreamz(2006)

    as First Lady

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films
  • Sweet Tornado: Margo Jones and the American Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Narrator

  • Felicity: An American Girl Adventure(2005)

    as Mrs. Martha Merriman

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
  • American Gun(2005)

    as Janet Huttenson

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
  • Willa Cather: The Road Is All (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Voice of Willa Cather

  • Bad News Bears(2005)

    as Liz Whitewood

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
  • P.S.(2004)

    as Missy Goldberg

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
  • See You in My Dreams(2004)

    as Angela Brown

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
  • Welcome to Mooseport(2004)

    as Grace Sutherland

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
  • She's Too Young(2004)

    as Trish Vogul

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
  • Mona Lisa Smile(2003)

    as Nancy Abbey

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
  • Mystic River(2003)

    as Celeste Boyle

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
  • Casa de los babys(2003)

    as Nan

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
  • King of Texas(2002)

    as Mrs. Susannah Lear Tumlinson

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
  • Guilty Hearts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Jenny Moran

  • The Education of Max Bickford (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 22 episodes · as Andrea Haskell

  • Walking Shadow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Susan Silverman

  • Gaudi Afternoon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Frankie

  • Thin Air (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Susan Silverman

  • Pollock(2000)

    as Lee Krasner

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
  • Space Cowboys(2000)

    as Sara Holland

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
  • From Where I Sit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Sharon

  • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit(1999)

    Show 4 episodes · as Dana Lewis

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows
  • Small Vices (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Susan Silverman

  • It All Came True(1998)

    as Michelle Tippet

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
  • Meet Joe Black(1998)

    as Allison

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
  • Labor of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Annie Pines

  • Desperate Measures(1998)

    as Dr. Samantha Hawkins

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
  • Flubber(1997)

    as Dr. Sara Jean Reynolds

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
  • The Daytrippers(1996)

    as Libby

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
  • Far Harbor(1996)

    as Arabella

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
  • The First Wives Club(1996)

    as Dr. Leslie Rosen

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
  • The Spitfire Grill(1996)

    as Shelby Goddard

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
  • Spy Hard(1996)

    as Miss Cheevus

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
  • Convict Cowboy(1995)

    as Maggie Sinclair

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
  • Talking With (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Laurie (segment "Clear Glass Marbles")

  • Safe Passage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Cynthia

  • Chicago Hope (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Barbara Tomilson

  • Fallen Angels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as Marie

  • In the Wings: Angels in America On Broadway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Actor

  • Geoffrey Beene 30 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Actor

  • Homicide: Life on the Street(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as Joan Garbarek

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
  • Used People(1992)

    as Norma

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
  • Sinatra (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 2 episodes · as Ava Gardner

  • Crush(1992)

    as Lane

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
  • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Late for Dinner(1991)

    as Joy Husband

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
  • Fever(1991)

    as Lacy

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
  • In Broad Daylight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Adina Rowan

  • Miller's Crossing(1990)

    as Verna

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
  • Kojak: None So Blind(1990)

    as Angelina

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
  • Gideon Oliver (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Lila

  • Superman 50th Anniversary(1988)

    as Marcia Connelly

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
  • Simon & Simon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Not Only Strangers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as Jennie

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · as Vicki Miller

  • Drift (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Hystoria (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • In the Echo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Marcia

  • TRINITY (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 2 episodes · as Margaret Vandenburg

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 128 titles, 124 of them dated from 1951 to 2026; peak year 2006.

Film career

19512026

Peak 2006 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 36 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting127 of 128: 126 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score58thProducing1 of 128: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleOther crew1 of 128: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1950s1 · acting1970s1 · acting1980s3 · acting1990s30 · acting2000s40 · 39 acting · 1 crew2010s33 · acting2020s16 · 16 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 3% of 59 roles
900005101520

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Marcia Gay Harden's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 53rd percentile, the median of all 74; across their 67 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 50th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

50thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 67

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 67

Reach · how many have seen their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 67

Midcredits score across 92 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up25
  • 50th to 74th30
  • 25th to 49th22
  • Below 25th15

Shape of the crowd

39 of their 92 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved12
  • Cult Classic3
  • Crowd Pleaser39
  • Broadly Agreed8
  • Mixed30

Reviewers score the acting 71/100 in their films, across 61 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 48. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Marcia Gay Harden's work okay for kids?

Across up to 31 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore18 titles16–82 · median 42 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity31 titles14–68 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity24 titles33–79 · median 56 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs18 titles28–59 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense17 titles6–71 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Marcia Gay Harden work with?

People who share at least 2 of Marcia Gay Harden's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Clint Eastwood shares the most, 4.

Directors

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles