Maura Tierney

Maura Tierney, an American actress, was born on February 3, 1965, in Boston, Massachusetts. She is the eldest of three children in an Irish American Catholic family. Her mother, Pat, is a real estate broker, and her father, Joseph M. Tierney, was a prominent Boston politician who served on the Boston City Council for 15 years.

Tierney attended Mount Alvernia Academy Elementary School and Notre Dame Academy in Hingham, Massachusetts, where she studied drama, leading to her appearance at the Boston Globe Drama Festival. After graduation, she attended New York University, initially majoring in dance before switching to drama to pursue her passion for acting.

Tierney first received regular national exposure with her leading role in the sitcom NewsRadio from 1995 to 1999, playing Lisa Miller. She gained further prominence for her role as Nurse Abigail "Abby" Lockhart on the medical drama ER, a character that began as a guest appearance in November 1999 and expanded to a full-time regular role from 2000 to 2008.

Throughout her career, Tierney has appeared in several successful films, including Primal Fear (1996), Liar Liar (1997), Primary Colors (1998), Forces of Nature (1999), and Insomnia (2002). Her film roles have showcased her versatility and depth as an actress.

In recent years, Tierney co-starred with Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet in the dark family drama film Beautiful Boy (2018), based on the memoir of the same name by David Sheff. In 2019, she appeared in The Report as a driven counterterrorism expert.

Tierney has also been active in theater, performing in productions such as Some Girl(s) (2006), Three Changes (2008), and North Atlantic (2010). In 2013, she made her Broadway debut as Alice McAlary in Nora Ephron's play Lucky Guy, starring alongside Tom Hanks.

Tierney married actor-director Billy Morrissette in 1993; however, they divorced in 2006. In 2009, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, which led her to leave the television series Parenthood to undergo treatment. She has since recovered and continues to work actively in film, television, and theater.