Carrie Alexandra Coon (born January 24, 1981) is an American actress. In television, she is known for her starring roles as grieving mother Nora Durst in the
HBO drama series ''
The Leftovers'' (2014–2017) and as
Gloria Burgle in
the third season of the
FX anthology series
An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a di ...
''
Fargo Fargo usually refers to:
* Fargo, North Dakota, United States
* ''Fargo'' (1996 film), a crime film by the Coen brothers
* ''Fargo'' (TV series), an American black comedy–crime drama anthology television series
Fargo may also refer to:
Othe ...
'' (2017). She won the
TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama
The TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama is an award given by the Television Critics Association.
Winners and nominees
Multiple wins
;3 wins
* James Gandolfini (consecutive)
;2 wins
* Andre Braugher (consecutive)
* Jon Hamm
* Hug ...
for both performances, won the
for ''The Leftovers'' and was nominated for the
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for ''Fargo''. She also had a leading role in the second season of the anthology drama series ''
The Sinner'' (2018), and is known for playing Bertha Russell in the
HBO series ''
The Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Weste ...
''.
On stage, Coon was nominated for a
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 ...
for her performance in the 2012 revival of ''
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 ...
'' She has also appeared in numerous films, including the psychological thriller ''
Gone Girl'' (2014), the political drama ''
The Post'' (2017), the heist thriller ''
Widows
A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died.
Terminology
The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can so ...
'' (2018), the superhero film ''
Avengers: Infinity War'' (2018), the period drama ''
The Nest'' (2020), and the supernatural comedy ''
Ghostbusters: Afterlife'' (2021).
Early life
Coon was born in
Copley, Ohio on January 24, 1981, to Paula (''née'' Ploenes) and John Coon. She has an older sister, an older brother, and two younger brothers.
She graduated from
Copley High School in 1999, next attending the
University of Mount Union
The University of Mount Union is a private university in Alliance, Ohio. Founded in 1846, the university was affiliated with the Methodist Church until the spring of 2019. In the fall of 2020, Mount Union had an enrollment of 1,958 undergraduate ...
, graduating in 2003 with a
BA in English and Spanish. In 2006, she earned her
M.F.A. in acting from the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...
.
Career
Early career
Coon began her career in
regional theater. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Coon was immediately recruited by the Madison Repertory Theatre and made her professional stage debut in a production of ''
Our Town
''Our Town'' is a 1938 Metatheatre, metatheatrical Three act structure, three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Cor ...
''. After her debut with the Madison Repertory Theatre, Coon joined the
American Players Theatre
American Players Theatre is a classical American theatrical troupe and theater complex located near Spring Green, Wisconsin. It has been called the best classical theater company in the United States by the late '' Wall Street Journal'' drama ...
and stayed with them for four seasons. Coon moved to Chicago in 2008 and made her Chicago debut with a production of ''
Brontë'' at Remy Bumppo Theatre Company. Coon commuted between Chicago and Wisconsin for several years, alternating between Chicago productions, productions in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
, and seasons with the American Players Theatre. During these years, Coon provided for herself by performing
motion capture
Motion capture (sometimes referred as mo-cap or mocap, for short) is the process of recording the movement of objects or people. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robo ...
work for a video game company based in Wisconsin.
Coon's breakthrough came in 2010 when she was cast as Honey in the
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 o ...
production of ''
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 ...
'' The role immediately resulted in further parts in Chicago productions, and she followed the production to performances in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
and
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
, making 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. For her performance, she won a
Theatre World Award
The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre s ...
and received a
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 ...
nomination.
Coon made her screen debut in an episode of the short-lived NBC series ''
The Playboy Club
''The Playboy Club'' is an American historical crime drama television series that aired on NBC from September 19 to October 3, 2011. Set in 1961, the series centers on the employees (known as Bunnies) of the original Playboy Club operating in Ch ...
'' in 2011. She later guest-starred on ''
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', ''
Ironside'', and ''
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It can be described as the a ...
''.
Breakthrough with ''Gone Girl'' and ''The Leftovers''
Following her Tony Award nomination, in 2014 Coon was cast as one of the main characters in the
HBO drama series ''
The Leftovers'', alongside
Justin Theroux
Justin Paul Theroux (; born August 10, 1971) is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained recognition for his work with director David Lynch in the mystery film '' Mulholland Drive'' (2001) and the thriller film '' Inland Empire'' (2006). He al ...
,
Amy Brenneman
Amy Frederica Brenneman (born June 22, 1964) is an American actress and producer. She worked extensively in television, coming to prominence as Detective Janice Licalsi in the ABC police drama series '' NYPD Blue'' (1993–1994). Brenneman n ...
, and
Ann Dowd
Ann Dowd (born January 30, 1956) is an American actress. She has played supporting roles in numerous films, including ''Green Card'' (1990), ''Lorenzo's Oil'' (1992), ''Philadelphia'' (1993), '' Garden State'' (2004), ''The Manchurian Candidate'' ...
. That same year, she made her film debut in ''
Gone Girl'', based on the
2012 novel of same name and directed by
David Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. His films, mostly psychological thrillers and biographical dramas, have received 40 nominations at the Academy Awards, including three for him as Best Director. Fi ...
.
In early 2015, Coon starred in the lead role of the
Off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...
production of ''Placebo'' at
Playwrights Horizons
Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work.
Under the ...
. She also participated in readings for her husband Tracy Letts' 2015–2016 season play ''
Mary Page Marlowe'' and was in talks to perform in the production in Chicago if her filming schedule with ''The Leftovers'' permits; in December 2015, it was announced that Coon would be one of six actresses portraying the title character in ''Mary Page Marlowe'' for the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago from March to May 2016.
In April 2015, Coon left
The Gersh Agency
The Gersh Agency (also known as simply Gersh) is a talent and literary agency established in 1949 by Phil Gersh, based in Beverly Hills, California and New York City. The Gersh Agency is the fourth largest talent agency in the United States.
...
for
United Talent Agency
United Talent Agency (UTA) is a global talent agency based in Beverly Hills, California. Established in 1991, it represents artists and other professionals across the entertainment industry. , the company has more than 1,400 global employees. U ...
. In October and November 2015, Coon filmed the movie ''
Strange Weather'' alongside actress
Holly Hunter
Holly Patricia Hunter (born March 20, 1958) is an American actress. For her performance as Ada McGrath in the 1993 drama film '' The Piano'', Hunter won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She earned three additional Academy Award nominations fo ...
for director
Katherine Dieckmann in
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...
. In December 2015, she filmed the horror romance ''The Keeping Hours'' for director
Karen Moncrieff and
Blumhouse Productions
Blumhouse Productions (; also known as BH Productions or simply BH) is an American film and television production company founded in 2000 by Jason Blum.
It is known mainly for producing horror films, such as ''Paranormal Activity'', '' Insidio ...
.
Coon starred in the lead role of
Gloria Burgle in
the third season of the
FX anthology series
An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a di ...
''
Fargo Fargo usually refers to:
* Fargo, North Dakota, United States
* ''Fargo'' (1996 film), a crime film by the Coen brothers
* ''Fargo'' (TV series), an American black comedy–crime drama anthology television series
Fargo may also refer to:
Othe ...
''.
She received a nomination for the
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for her role and won the
TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama
The TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama is an award given by the Television Critics Association.
Winners and nominees
Multiple wins
;3 wins
* James Gandolfini (consecutive)
;2 wins
* Andre Braugher (consecutive)
* Jon Hamm
* Hug ...
for both ''Fargo'' and ''The Leftovers''. In 2017, she played real life journalist
Meg Greenfield
Mary Ellen Greenfield (December 27, 1930 – May 13, 1999), known as Meg Greenfield, was an American editorial writer who worked for the '' Washington Post'' and '' Newsweek''. She was also a Washington, D.C. insider, known for her wit. Greenfi ...
in the
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spi ...
-directed historical drama film ''
The Post''. In 2018, Coon co-starred in the
Steve McQueen
Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...
heist thriller film ''
Widows
A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died.
Terminology
The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can so ...
''.
Coon provided the voice and motion capture for
Proxima Midnight, a member of the
Black Order and a child of
Thanos
Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, and first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 ( cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Deviant w ...
, in the
Russo brothers
Anthony Russo (born February 3, 1970) and Joseph Russo (born July 18, 1971), collectively known as the Russo brothers (), are American directors, producers, and screenwriters. They direct most of their work together. They are best known for dir ...
-directed superhero film ''
Avengers: Infinity War'' (2018).
On April 30, 2020, Coon joined the cast of the
HBO drama series ''
The Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Weste ...
'' as Bertha Russell, replacing
Amanda Peet
Amanda Peet (born January 11, 1972) is an American actress. She began her career with small parts on television, and made her feature film debut in '' Animal Room'' (1995). Her portrayal of Jill St. Claire in '' The Whole Nine Yards'' (2000) bro ...
.
She received a
Canadian Screen Award
The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) ...
nomination for
Best Actress
Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress awar ...
at the
9th Canadian Screen Awards
The 9th annual Canadian Screen Awards were held in the week of May 17 to 20, 2021, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media production in 2020.Barry Hertz, "How one Canadian arts institution is rebuilding amid the p ...
in 2021, for her work in the film ''
The Nest''.
Personal life
Coon married actor and playwright
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 ...
in 2013. They have a son who was born in 2018 and a daughter born in 2021.
Filmography
Film
Television
Stage
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coon, Carrie
1981 births
Living people
American film actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
University of Mount Union alumni
University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
Theatre World Award winners
21st-century American actresses
People from Copley, Ohio
Actresses from Ohio
Obie Award recipients
Motion capture actresses