# Patricia Wettig

Patricia Anne Wettig (born December 4, 1951) is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for her role as Nancy Weston in the television series Thirtysomething (1987–1991), for which she received a Golden Globe Award and three Primetime Emmy Awards.
After her breakthrough role in Thirtysomething, Wettig has appeared in a number of films, including Guilty by Suspicion (1991), City Slickers (1991), City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (1994), and The Langoliers (1995). She returned to television playing a leading role in the 1995 short-lived drama Courthouse and later played Caroline Reynolds in the Fox drama Prison Break (2005–2007) and Holly Harper in the ABC family drama Brothers & Sisters (2006–2011).

## Early life

Wettig was born in Milford, Ohio, to Florence (née Morlock) and Clifford Neal Wettig, a high school basketball coach. She has three sisters: Pam, Phyllis, and Peggy. She was raised in Grove City, Pennsylvania, and graduated in 1970. She attended Ohio Wesleyan University and graduated from Temple University in 1975. She returned to her studies later in life and received a Master of Fine Arts in playwriting from Smith College in 2001. F2M, a play she authored, was performed in 2011 as part of the New York Stage and Film and Vassar College's 2011 Powerhouse Theater season.

## Career

Wettig began her career on stage and worked as a personal dresser for Shirley MacLaine. On television, she appeared in episodes of 1980s dramas Remington Steele, Hill Street Blues and L.A. Law, before taking a recurring role as Joanne McFadden in the NBC medical drama series St. Elsewhere from 1986 to 1987. Later in 1987, Wettig was cast as Nancy Weston in the ABC drama series thirtysomething.
For her role in Thirtysomething, Wettig received critical acclaim. Her portrayal of Nancy's cancer struggle attracted considerable acclaim and attention. She won three Primetime Emmy Awards: for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1988, and for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1990 and 1991.
In 1991, she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. The series ended in 1991 after four seasons. Later that year, she made her big screen debut in the drama film Guilty by Suspicion starring opposite Robert De Niro and Annette Bening. She played Billy Crystal's wife in the comedy films City Slickers (1991) and City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (1994). In 1993, she had a leading role in the comedy-drama film Me and Veronica .
Wettig has starred in a number of made-for-television movies, include Taking Back My Life: The Nancy Ziegenmeyer Story (1992) and Parallel Lives (1994). She played the role of Laurel Stevenson in the 1995 Stephen King's miniseries The Langoliers. Later in 1995, she returned to television with a leading role of tough female judge in the CBS drama series Courthouse. Wettig intended to leave the show due to "creative differences", with sources saying that she wanted the show to be more of a star vehicle for her, rather than an ensemble cast, but the show was cancelled before her character could be written out.
In 2002, Wettig was a regular cast member in the short-lived Bravo drama series Breaking News. From 2002 to 2004, she played the recurring role of CIA psychotherapist Dr. Judy Barnett on Alias (on which her husband was an executive producer and director). From 2005 to 2007, Wettig appeared in 18 episodes of Fox television drama, Prison Break, playing fictional Vice President Caroline Reynolds. She turned down Fox's offer of becoming a series regular on Prison Break in order to pursue the ABC comedy-drama series Brothers & Sisters, which debuted in September 2006. Wettig starred in the series as the Walker family patriarch's mistress, Holly Harper. She left the show midway through the show's fifth and final season after her character executive Holly Harper followed her daughter to New York along with her fiancé David played by real life husband Ken Olin.
In 2012, Wettig joined the national tour for Larry Kramer's production, The Normal Heart. In 2014, she starred in the unsold the CW drama pilot Identity opposite Ahna O'Reilly In 2019, she played a leading role in the episode of Netflix anthology series Heartstrings. In 2020, ABC ordered a sequel for Thirtysomething and Wettig was set to return alongside Olin, Timothy Busfield and Mel Harris.

## Personal life

Wettig is married to actor and producer Ken Olin; they have a son Clifford (born 1983) and a daughter Roxy (born 1985).

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1991 | Guilty by Suspicion | Dorothy Nolan | |
| 1991 | City Slickers | Barbara Robbins | |
| 1993 | Me and Veronica | Veronica | |
| 1994 | City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold | Barbara Robbins | |
| 1997 | Bongwater | Mom | |
| 1998 | Dancer, Texas Pop. 81 | Mrs. Lusk | |
| 1999 | Nightmare in Big Sky Country | Judge | |
| 2005 | The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie | Patricia Wettig | Cameo appearance |

### Television films

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1982 | Parole | Maureen | |
| 1988 | Police Story: Cop Killer | Dede Mandell | |
| 1991 | Silent Motive | Laura Bardell | |
| 1992 | Taking Back My Life: The Nancy Ziegenmeyer Story | Nancy Ziegenmeyer | |
| 1994 | Parallel Lives | Rebecca Ferguson Stone | |
| 1995 | The Langoliers | Laurel Stevenson | Miniseries |
| 1995 | Nothing But the Truth | Jill Ross | |
| 1995 | Kansas | Virginia 'Giny' Mae Farley | Also producer |
| 2005 | Lackawanna Blues | Laura's Mother | |
| 2010 | The 19th Wife | BeckyLyn | |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1984 | Remington Steele | Barbara Frick | Episode: "Blood Is Thicker Than Steele" |
| 1985 | Hill Street Blues | Mrs. Florio | Episode: "The Life and Time of Dominic Florio Jr." |
| 1986 | Stingray | Annie Murray | Episode: "Below the Line" |
| 1986–1987 | St. Elsewhere | Joanne | 6 episodes |
| 1987 | L.A. Law | Carolyn Glasband | Episode: "Beef Jerky" |
| 1987–1991 | thirtysomething | Nancy Krieger Weston | 64 episodes |
| 1995 | Courthouse | Judge Justine Parkes | 11 episodes |
| 1997 | Frasier | Stephanie | Episode: "To Kill a Talking Bird" |
| 1998–1999 | L.A. Doctors | Eleanor Riggs-Cattan | 8 episodes |
| 2001 | The Practice | Allison Tucker | Episode: "Vanished: Part 2" |
| 2002 | Breaking News | Alison Dunne | 5 episodes |
| 2002 | Boomtown | Nora Jean Flannery | Episode: "Reelin' in the Years" |
| 2002–2004 | Alias | Dr. Judy Barnett | 11 episodes |
| 2005–2007 | Prison Break | Caroline Reynolds | 13 episodes |
| 2006–2011 | Brothers & Sisters | Holly Harper | 85 episodes |
| 2014 | Identity | Liana Grant | Unsold TV pilot |
| 2015 | Major Crimes | Judge Virginia Ryan | Episode: "Fifth Dynasty" |
| 2019 | Heartstrings | Harper Cantrell | Episode: "Sugar Hill" |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 1988 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | thirtysomething | Won |
| 1990 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | thirtysomething | Won |
| 1990 | Q Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series | thirtysomething | Nominated |
| 1991 | Golden Globes Awards | Best Actress – Television Series Drama | thirtysomething | Won |
| 1991 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | thirtysomething | Won |
| 1991 | Q Award | Best Actress in a Quality Drama Series | thirtysomething | Nominated |
| 2008 | Gold Derby Awards | Ensemble of the Year | Brothers & Sisters | Nominated |