Amy Morton (born April 3, 1959) is an American actress and director, best known for her work in theatre. Morton was nominated two times for a

Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre. The award is given to actresses for quality lead ...

for her performances in '' August: Osage County'' and ''

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' is a play by Edward Albee first staged in October 1962. It examines the complexities of the marriage of a middle-aged couple, Martha and George. Late one evening, after a university faculty party, they receive ...

''. On screen, she is known for her performances in films '' Rookie of the Year'' (1993), '' Up in the Air'' (2009), ''

The Dilemma ''The Dilemma'' is a 2011 American dark comedy film directed by Ron Howard, written by Allan Loeb and starring Vince Vaughn and Kevin James. The film follows savvy businessman Ronny (Vaughn) and genius engineer Nick (James) who are best friends ...

'' (2011) and ''

Bluebird The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. ...

'' (2013). In 2014, Morton began starring as Sergeant Trudy Platt in the NBC drama series ''

Chicago P.D. The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the municipal law enforcement agency of the U.S. city of Chicago, Illinois, under the jurisdiction of the City Council. It is the second-largest municipal police department in the United States, behind th ...

Life and career

Morton was born in

Oak Park, Illinois Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, adjacent to Chicago. It is the 29th-most populous municipality in Illinois with a population of 54,583 as of the 2020 U.S. Census estimate. Oak Park was first settled in 1835 and later incorporated ...

, and attended

Oak Park and River Forest High School , motto_translation = Those things that are best , address = 201 N. Scoville Avenue , location = , region = , town = Oak Park , county = , state ...

in Oak Park. She attended both

Triton College Triton College is a public community college in River Grove, Illinois. History Junior College District 300 was voted into existence in a referendum in March 1964. In March 1965, a second referendum was passed approving the purchase of an campus ...

and

Clarke University Clarke University is a private Roman Catholic university in Dubuque, Iowa. The campus is on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River and downtown Dubuque. Clarke offers a broad undergraduate curriculum in 19 academic departments with over 40 ma ...

but did not graduate. A member of

Steppenwolf Theater Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Chicago theatre company founded in 1974 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry, and Gary Sinise in the Unitarian church on Half Day Road in Deerfield, Illinois and is now located in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood on H ...

's core group of actors since 1997, Morton has spent most of her career working in the Chicago theater scene. She has appeared in many stage productions, include ''

Clybourne Park ''Clybourne Park'' is a 2010 play by Bruce Norris written as a spin-off to Lorraine Hansberry's play '' A Raisin in the Sun'' (1959). It portrays fictional events set during and after the Hansberry play, and is loosely based on historical event ...

'', ''

American Buffalo American Buffalo may refer to: *American Buffalo (play), ''American Buffalo'' (play), a play by David Mamet *American Buffalo (film), ''American Buffalo'' (film), a 1996 film of Mamet's play directed by Michael Corrente *American Buffalo (coin), a ...

'', ''

Dublin Carol ''Dublin Carol'' is a play by Conor McPherson, which premiered in London at the Royal Court Theatre in 2000. Plot John, a middle-aged employee of a funeral home in Dublin, returns from a funeral on Christmas Eve with Mark, a 20-year-old who has h ...

'', ''

The Pillowman ''The Pillowman'' is a 2003 play by British-Irish playwright Martin McDonagh. It received its first public reading in an early version at the Finborough Theatre, London, in 1995, also a final and completed version of the play was publicly read ...

'', '' Love-Lies-Bleeding'' and ''

Awake and Sing ''Awake and Sing!'' is a drama written by American playwright Clifford Odets. The play was initially produced by The Group Theatre in 1935. Summary and characters The play is set in The Bronx borough of New York City, New York, in 1933. It co ...

''. Morton made her

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

debut starring opposite

Gary Sinise Gary Alan Sinise (; born March 17, 1955) is an American actor, humanitarian, and musician. Among other awards, he has won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has also received a sta ...

Nurse Ratched Nurse Ratched (full name Mildred Ratched in the movie, also known as "Big Nurse") is a fictional character and the main antagonist of ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'', first featured in Ken Kesey's 1962 novel as well as the 1975 film adapt ...

in the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

winning 2001 revival of '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest''. She originated the role of Barbara in both the original Chicago production and the original

production of

Tracy Letts Tracy S. Letts (born July 4, 1965) is an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He started his career at the Steppenwolf Theatre before making his Broadway debut as a playwright for '' August: Osage County'' (2007), for which he received ...

' '' August: Osage County''. For her portrayal she was nominated for both a

and a Drama Desk Award. Morton reprised the role in the Fall 2008 London production at the National Theatre. Morton received her second

nomination for her leading performance in ''

'' (2012–13). In 2015, she made her Off-Broadway directing debut with play ''Guards at the Taj''. Morton has appeared in a number of films. She made her feature film debut in a supporting role in 1992 comedy, ''

Straight Talk ''Straight Talk'' is a 1992 American romantic comedy film directed by Barnet Kellman and starring Dolly Parton, Jerry Orbach, Griffin Dunne and James Woods. Plot Shirlee Kenyon is a dance instructor living in Arkansas. Fired for giving advi ...

'' starring

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

. In 1993 she had main role as mother of the lead character in '' Rookie of the Year''. The film had a box office success, grossing more than $56 million worldwide. Her next screen role was in the 1999 crime thriller '' 8mm'' directed by

Joel Schumacher Joel T. Schumacher (; August 29, 1939June 22, 2020) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Raised in New York City by his mother, Schumacher graduated from Parsons School of Design and originally became a fashion designer. H ...

. Ten years later, Morton landed her breakthrough role as George Clooney's character's sister in the critically acclaimed drama film '' Up in the Air'' directed by Jason Reitman. In 2011 she appeared in the comedy-drama film ''

'', and in 2013 had the leading role in the critically acclaimed independent film, ''

''. On television, Morton guest starred on '' Crime Story'', '' The Equalizer'', '' ER'', ''

Private Practice Private practice may refer to: *Private sector practice **Practice of law In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiati ...

'', and ''

Homeland A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethn ...

''. From 2011 to 2012 she had the recurring role of Catherine Walsh, the Republican candidate for governor, in the Starz political drama, ''

Boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, ...

''. From 2013 to 2014 she had another recurring role as Erin Reagan's new boss, Amanda Harris, on the CBS drama, '' Blue Bloods''. In 2014, Morton was cast in the recurring role as Sergeant Trudy Platt in the NBC dramas '' Chicago Fire'' and ''

'' Morton was promoted from recurring guest star to series regular from the second season on ''Chicago P.D.''

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

*Nominated – 2008 – Best Actress in a Play – '' August: Osage County'' *Nominated – 2013 – Best Actress in a Play – ''

Drama Desk Awards The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

*Nominated – 2008 – Best Actress in a Play – '' August: Osage County'' *Nominated – 2013 – Best Actress in a Play – ''

Joseph Jefferson Awards The Joseph Jefferson Award, more commonly known informally as the Jeff Award, is given for theatre arts produced in the Chicago area. Founded in 1968, the awards are named in tribute to actor Joseph Jefferson, a 19th-century American theater sta ...

(Chicago, IL) *Nominated – 1984 – Actress in a Principal Role in a Play – ''Life and Limb'' (Wisdom Bridge Theatre) *Winner – 1986 – Actress in a Supporting Role in a Play – '' You Can't Take It with You'' (

Steppenwolf Theatre Company Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Chicago theatre company founded in 1974 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry, and Gary Sinise in the Unitarian church on Half Day Road in Deerfield, Illinois and is now located in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood on ...

) *Nominated – 1986 – Actress in a Principal Role in a Play – ''Puntila and his Hired Man'' (Remains Theatre) *Nominated – 1987 – Actress in a Principal Role in a Play – ''Higher Standard of Living'' (Remains Theatre) *Nominated – 1988 – Actress in a Supporting Role in a Play – ''Big Time'' (Remains Theatre) *Nominated – 2002 – Director of a Play – '' Glengarry Glen Ross'' (Steppenwolf Theatre Company) *Nominated – 2002 – Actress in a Principal Role in a Play – ''

The Royal Family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...

'' (Steppenwolf Theatre Company) *Nominated – 2003 – Actress in a Principal Role in a Play – '' Homebody/Kabul'' (Steppenwolf Theatre Company) *Nominated – 2007 – Actress in a Principal Role in a Play – '' August: Osage County'' (Steppenwolf Theatre Company)

Helen Hayes Awards The Helen Hayes Awards are theater awards recognizing excellence in professional theater in the Washington, D.C. area since 1983. The awards are named in tribute of Helen Hayes, who is also known as the "First Lady of American Theatre." They ar ...

(Washington DC) *Nominated - 2012 - Outstanding Lead Actress, Non-Resident Production - ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf''

References

External links

Amy Morton
a
Steppenwolf
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morton, Amy 1958 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actors from Oak Park, Illinois Actresses from Illinois American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Living people Steppenwolf Theatre Company players