Mary McCormack Movies
Seemingly coming out of nowhere to essay the difficult role of famed shock-jock Howard Stern's wife in 1997's autobiographical Private Parts, actress Mary McCormack has since gone on to offer memorable performances in such fare as Mystery, Alaska (1999) and K-PAX (2001). A native of Plainfield, NJ, McCormack's interest in performing was piqued at an early age when the aspiring, 12-year-old actress gender-bent her way through a production of Menotti's Christmas opera Amahl and the Night Visitors. Since none of the local boys possessed the necessary vocal abilities, McCormack donned a hat and hit the notes needed to carry the play. Subsequently performing in regional theater before continuing her education at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, it was there that McCormack would major in English and painting while continuing to hone her stage skills. After earning her Comparative Arts degree from Trinity, McCormack decided to further her acting career by studying at the William Esper Studio. Performances at such New York theaters as The Atlantic Theater Company were quick to follow, as was her film debut in the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street. Simultaneously appearing on the small screen in the popular crime series Murder One (1995), it wasn't long before Private Parts would offer a stratospheric boost to her onscreen career. A cinematic love letter to Stern's real-life wife, Private Parts offered the burgeoning actress a complex emotional role that proved without a doubt what she was fully capable of. Follow-up roles in such high-profile fare as Deep Impact (1998) and Mystery, Alaska (1999) didn't quite offer McCormack the chance to shine that Private Parts did, though it was obvious to all who viewed her subsequent roles that her star was on the rise. The millennial turnover found McCormack successfully alternating between drama (Madison) and comedy (High Heels and Low Lifes) before once again heading the Hollywood route with a supporting performance in K-PAX. An unconventional role in director Steven Soderbergh's Full Frontal was quick to follow, and McCormack was soon beginning preparation for the television miniseries based on Soderbergh's Traffic (which was in turn inspired by 1989 U.K. series Traffik). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide- 1997
Colin Fitz was a rock star, but his untimely demise put his career in the past tense a few years ago. On the anniversary of his death, Colin's widow decides to hire security guards to watch Colin's grave, in the hope of preventing a repeat of last year's ugly incident in which a group of ardent fans committed mass suicide near his final resting place. The widow approaches Mr. O'Day (William H. Macy), head of O'Day Security, who agrees to put two men on the job. Dim-witted Grady (Andy Fowle) and philosophical Paul (Matt McGrath) wind up on the case, spending most of the night drinking beer and swapping stories as they keep an eye on the various characters who come to pay their respects to Fitz, including a group of especially zealous Swedish fans. The film received awards at the Austin Film Festival and Houston's WorldFest and competed at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt McGrath, Andy Fowle, (more)
- 1994
The Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan affair is deftly fictionalized in this episode. Just before an important tournament, tennis player Korey Burke (Stacey Moseley) is attacked by a mysterious assailant and her wrist is broken. Not surprisingly, Burke's principal competitor Alison Hall (Allison Dunbar) ranks high on the list of suspects. But this is fiction, not fact, and events play themselves out in a most surprising fashion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
- PG13
Backfire! aspires to the tradition of Jim Abrams and brothers Jerry and David Zucker with this chaotic spoof of Ron Howard's Backdraft (1991). Set in New York, the story centers on the attempts of Jeremy Jackson to join the city's all-female fire department. Finally making it onto the force, he finds himself constantly victimized by his curvaceous but concrete tough colleagues. Meanwhile, someone begins setting toilets ablaze all over the Big Apple. Fire Marshal Marshall investigates. Back at the firehouse, Jackson encounters his former sweetheart, Jessica Luvintryst, a close personal secretary of the Mayor. Matters heat up when Jackson accidentally discovers that the bathroom arsonist is using jet fuel to burn his bowls. This clue in turn leads Jackson and company to the mysterious Most Evil Man, a villain behind a horrific plan. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathy Ireland, Mary McCormack, (more)
