# Robin Tunney

Robin Tunney (born June 19, 1972) is an American actress who made her film debut in Encino Man (1992), and later rose to prominence with headline parts in the cult films Empire Records (1995) and The Craft (1996). Her performance in Niagara, Niagara (1997) won her the Volpi Cup for Best Actress. She then had leading roles in End of Days (1999), Supernova, Vertical Limit (both 2000), Cherish, The Secret Lives of Dentists (both 2002) and The In-Laws (2003), and earned wider recognition playing Veronica Donovan on Prison Break (2005–2006) and Teresa Lisbon on The Mentalist (2008–2015).
Tunney's portrayal of a sexual-assault victim in Open Window (2006) was praised. Her subsequent film credits included Hollywoodland (2006), August, The Burning Plain (both 2008), Passenger Side (2009), Looking Glass, and Monster Party (both 2018). She starred on the short-lived ABC series The Fix (2019).

## Early life

Tunney was born in Chicago, Illinois, to a car-salesman father, Patrick, and a bartender mother, Cathy. Tunney's father was born in Straide, County Mayo, Ireland, and her maternal grandparents were from Clare Island, Ireland. She is a cousin of Chicago Alderman Tom Tunney.
Tunney grew up in Orland Park, a southwest suburb of Chicago. She was raised Irish Catholic, attended Carl Sandburg High School, Saint Ignatius College Prep in Chicago and the Chicago Academy for the Arts in Chicago, and resided in Palos Heights, also in the Chicago area.

## Career

Tunney moved to Los Angeles and was cast in roles in Class of '96, Law & Order, Dream On, and Life Goes On, among other works. She appeared in the film Empire Records, released in 1995, which polarized critics and audiences. Tunney realized subsequent success in the role of Sarah Bailey in horror-fantasy film The Craft, in which she starred alongside Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell and Rachel True. The movie was a commercial success, earning $55 million against a budget of $15 million. She later led the independent film Niagara, Niagara, which was released in 1997, and earned critical praise; she won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 1997 Venice International Film Festival. She was also featured opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1999 supernatural action film End of Days.
Tunney appeared in the 2004 pilot episode of the medical drama series House as a kindergarten instructor who suffers from an aphasic condition. She subsequently portrayed Veronica Donovan on the first season of Prison Break, which was released in 2005 to critical acclaim. Tunney appeared in 2007's Closing the Ring. In the following year, she began one of her longest roles as Teresa Lisbon on the television series The Mentalist, which lasted seven years. In 2018, she led the thriller film Looking Glass alongside Nicolas Cage, which was negatively received although her performance earned praise. In 2019, she starred in the short-lived legal drama series The Fix.
On June 28, 2006, Tunney won her table in the eighth tournament series of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown, moving on to the final table. The finale aired on July 5, 2006, where she finished second to Jason Alexander, earning $200,000 for her charity of choice, the Children's Health Fund. In August 2006, Tunney played in the World Series of Poker after having her entrance fee covered by the online cardroom PokerRoom.com.

## Personal life

Tunney married producer and director Bob Gosse on October 4, 1997; they divorced in 2006. Tunney was engaged to Australian writer and director Andrew Dominik from 2009 to 2010. Tunney became engaged to Nicky Marmet on December 25, 2012, while on vacation in Rio de Janeiro. They have two children.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1992 | Encino Man | Ella | |
| 1995 | Empire Records | Debra | |
| 1996 | The Craft | Sarah Bailey | |
| 1997 | Julian Po | Sarah | |
| 1997 | Niagara, Niagara | Marcy | |
| 1998 | Montana | Kitty | |
| 1999 | End of Days | Christine York | |
| 2000 | Supernova | Danika Lund | |
| 2000 | Vertical Limit | Annie Garrett | |
| 2001 | Investigating Sex | Zoe | |
| 2002 | Cherish | Zoe Adler | |
| 2002 | The Secret Lives of Dentists | Laura | |
| 2003 | The In-Laws | Angela Harris | |
| 2003 | Abby Singer | Herself | Cameo appearance |
| 2004 | Paparazzi | Abby Laramie | |
| 2004 | Shadow of Fear | Wynn French | |
| 2005 | The Zodiac | Laura Parish | |
| 2005 | Runaway | Carly | |
| 2006 | Open Window | Izzy | |
| 2006 | Hollywoodland | Leonore Lemmon | |
| 2006 | The Darwin Awards | Zoe | |
| 2008 | August | Melanie Hanson | |
| 2008 | The Burning Plain | Laura | |
| 2009 | Passenger Side | Theresa | |
| 2012 | See Girl Run | Emmie | |
| 2015 | My All-American | Gloria Steinmark | |
| 2018 | Looking Glass | Maggie | |
| 2018 | Monster Party | Roxanne Dawson | |
| 2020 | Horse Girl | Agatha Kaine | |
| 2025 | By Design | Irene | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1991 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Brooke | Episode: "But He Loves Me" |
| 1991 | Life Goes On | Mary | Episode: "Corky's Travels" |
| 1992 | Perry Mason: The Case of Reckless Romeo | Sandra Turner | Television film |
| 1993 | Class of '96 | Linda Miller | 5 episodes |
| 1993 | Frogs! | Hannah | Television film |
| 1993 | Cutters | Deborah Hart | 5 episodes |
| 1993 | JFK: Reckless Youth | Kathleen 'Kick' Kennedy | Television miniseries |
| 1993 | Dream On | Marybeth | Episode: "Silent Night, Holy Cow Part II" |
| 1994 | Law & Order | Jill Templeton | Episode: "Mayhem" |
| 1996 | Riders of the Purple Sage | Elizabeth 'Bess' Erne | Television film |
| 1998 | Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Families | Melvina 'Malka' Csizmadia | Television film |
| 1998 | Naked City: Justice with a Bullet | Merri Coffman | Television film |
| 2003 | The Twilight Zone | Edie Durant | Episode: "Developing" |
| 2004 | House | Rebecca Adler | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2005–2006 | Prison Break | Veronica Donovan | 23 episodes |
| 2007 | Robot Chicken | Madame Razz / Entrapta / Carole Demas / Skin Graft Patient (voice) | Episode: "Slaughterhouse on the Prairie" |
| 2008–2015 | The Mentalist | Teresa Lisbon | 151 episodes |
| 2008 | The Two Mr. Kissels | Nancy Kissel | Television film |
| 2016 | Love | Waverly | Episode: "The End of the Beginning" |
| 2018 | Insatiable | Brandylynn Huggens | Episode: "Miss Bareback Buckaroo" |
| 2019 | The Fix | Maya Travis | 10 episodes |
| 2023 | Dear Edward | Jane Adler | 4 episodes |

### Music videos

| Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
| 1999 | "Swingin'" | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | |
| 2003 | "Breathe In" | Frou Frou | |

## Theatre

| Year | Production | Role | Notes |
| 2016 | Smokefall | Violet | MCC Theater |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1997 | Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | Best Actress | The Craft | Nominated |
| 1997 | MTV Movie Awards | Best Fight (shared with Fairuza Balk) | The Craft | Won |
| 1997 | Venice Film Festival | Best Actress | Niagara, Niagara | Won |
| 1998 | Gotham Awards | Best Breakthrough Performance | Niagara, Niagara | Nominated |
| 1999 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Female Lead | Niagara, Niagara | Nominated |
| 2001 | Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Actress – Action | Vertical Limit | Nominated |
| 2006 | Boston Film Festival | Best Actress | Open Window | Won |
| 2015 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Crime Drama TV Actress | The Mentalist | Nominated |