# Maryann Plunkett

Maryann Plunkett is an American actress and singer.
Plunkett made her Broadway debut playing Sister Agnes in Agnes of God. In 1987, she won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance as Sally Smith in Me and My Girl. In 2024, she received her second Tony Award nomination for her leading role in the musical adaptation of The Notebook. In addition, she has made appearances in various films and series such as Little Women, Manifest, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and Dr. Death.

## Career

Plunkett graduated from the University of New Hampshire, and was a founding member of Portland Stage repertory company in Maine. She appeared on Broadway as Bernadette Peters's replacement in the role of Dot in Sunday in the Park with George in 1985. In 1987, she won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance as Sally Smith in Me and My Girl.
She appeared in the 1991 Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, in which she played Elizabeth Proctor opposite Martin Sheen as John Proctor, in an all-star cast including Michael York and Fritz Weaver. She was part of the Tony Randall's National Actors Theatre company, and performed in their production of Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw in 1993 on Broadway. She performed in the National Actors Theatre productions of A Little Hotel on the Side by Georges Feydeau and Maurice Desvallières on Broadway in 1992, and in The Seagull by Anton Chekov in 1992.
Plunkett appeared in the television movies The Littlest Victims and Breaking the Silence, and in feature films including Claire Dolan and The Company Men. She guest-starred on episodes of Matlock, L.A. Law, Murder She Wrote, Miami Vice, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Law & Order.
She and her husband, actor Jay O. Sanders, appeared together in all four of Richard Nelson's The Apple Family Plays: That Hopey Changey Thing, Sweet and Sad, Sorry, and Regular Singing. They premiered at the Off-Broadway The Public Theater in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 respectively.
Plunkett was nominated for the 2013 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play for her performance as Barbara Apple in Sorry. Sweet and Sad won the 2012 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance and the 2012 Obie Award for Ensemble Performance. The Apple Family Plays played in repertory at The Public Theater from October 22, 2013, to December 15, 2013.
Plunkett and Sanders appeared in all three productions of Richard Nelson's second play cycle, The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family, which premiered at The Public Theater. Plunkett portrayed Mary Gabriel and Sanders portrayed George Gabriel, her brother-in-law. The first play, Hungry, premiered in March 2016. The second play, What Did You Expect?, ran from September 10, 2016, to October 9, 2016. The third and final play, Women of a Certain Age, opened on election night, November 8, 2016, and ran through December 4, 2016.
In 2024, she won an Obie Award for her performance as Ella in the Off-Broadway play Deep Blue Sound by Abe Koogler.

## Personal life

She and Jay O. Sanders were married in 1991. They met while acting on the television series A Man Called Hawk. They have a son, Jamie.

## Work
### Stage productions

| Year | Production | Role | Notes |
| 1982 | Agnes of God | Sister Agnes | Broadway replacement & US national tour |
| 1985 | Sunday in the Park with George | Dot & Marie | Broadway replacement |
| 1986 | Me and My Girl | Sally Smith | Broadway, Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical |
| 1991 | The Crucible | Elizabeth Proctor | Broadway revival |
| 1992 | A Little Hotel on the Side | Marcelle Paillardin | Broadway revival |
| 1992 | The Master Builder | Kaja Fosli | Broadway revival |
| 1992 | The Seagull | Masha | Broadway revival |
| 1993 | Saint Joan | Joan | Broadway revival |
| 2008 | A Man for All Seasons | Alice More | Broadway revival |
| 2010 | That Hopey Changey Thing | Barbara Apple | As part of The Apple Family Plays, world premiere, The Public Theater |
| 2011 | Sweet and Sad | Barbara Apple | As part of The Apple Family Plays, world premiere, The Public Theater |
| 2012 | Sorry | Barbara Apple | As part of The Apple Family Plays, world premiere, The Public Theater, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play |
| 2013 | Regular Singing | Barbara Apple | As part of The Apple Family Plays, world premiere, The Public Theater |
| 2016 | The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family | Mary Gabriel | World premiere, The Public Theater |
| 2019 | Juno and the Paycock | Juno Boyle | As part of The O'Casey Cycle, Irish Repertory Theatre |
| 2019 | The Plough and the Stars | Bessie Burgess | As part of The O'Casey Cycle, Irish Repertory Theatre |
| 2022 | The Notebook | Older Allison "Allie" Calhoun (née Nelson) | World premiere, Chicago Shakespeare Theater |
| 2023 | Deep Blue Sound | Ella | World premiere, Clubbed Thumb, Obie Award for Performance |
| 2024 | The Notebook | Older Allison "Allie" Calhoun (née Nelson) | Broadway, Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical nomination |

### Filmography

| Year | Production | Role | Notes |
| 1989 | The Littlest Victims | Barbara | TV Movie |
| 1990 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Lt. Cmdr. Susanna Leijten | Episode: Identity Crisis |
| 1991 | Deceptions: A Mother's Secret | Donna McKenzie | |
| 1992 | Deceptions: A Mother's Secret | Eliza Becker | TV Movie |
| 1997 | Fools Rush In | Heliport Mother | |
| 1998 | Claire Dolan | Mary Egan | |
| 2000 | Center Stage | Mrs. Sawyer | |
| 2005 | The Squid and the Whale | Ms. Lemon | |
| 2005 | Brooklyn Lobster | Kathy Mulcahey (uncredited) | |
| 2006 | The Night Listener | Alice - Female Realtor | |
| 2009 | Peter and Vandy | Mom | |
| 2010 | The Company Men | Lorna | |
| 2010 | Blue Valentine | Glenda | |
| 2010 | The Good Wife | Pamela Pomeroy | Episode: Heart |
| 2012 | Fairhaven | Maddy | |
| 2013 | House of Cards | Evelyn Baxter | Season 1 only |
| 2015 | True Story | Maureen Duffy | |
| 2015 | The Family Fang | Camille Fang | |
| 2016 | Youth in Oregon | Maryann | |
| 2019 | A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood | Joanne Rogers | |
| 2019 | Little Women | Mrs. Kirke | |
| 2019 | Manifest | Priscilla Landon | |
| 2021 | Dr. Death | Madeline Beyer | |
| 2022 | Showing Up | Jean | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 1987 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical | Me and My Girl | Won |
| 1987 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Me and My Girl | Nominated |
| 1993 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Play | Saint Joan | Nominated |
| 2013 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Sorry | Nominated |
| 2014 | New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards | Special Citation (Company of the Apple Family Plays) | Special Citation (Company of the Apple Family Plays) | Honored |
| 2017 | Lucille Lortel Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play | Women of a Certain Age | Nominated |
| 2018 | Lucille Lortel Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | The Lucky Ones | Nominated |
| 2024 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical | The Notebook | Nominated |
| 2024 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical | The Notebook | Nominated |
| 2024 | Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance Award | The Notebook | Nominated |
| 2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical | The Notebook | Nominated |
| 2024 | New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards | Special Citation (Lifetime Achievement) | Special Citation (Lifetime Achievement) | Honored |
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