Dagmara Domińczyk ( ; born July 17, 1976) is a

Polish-American Polish Americans ( pl, Polonia amerykańska) are Americans who either have total or partial Poles, Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 9.15 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing abou ...

actress and author. She has appeared in the films '' Rock Star'' (2001), ''

The Count of Monte Cristo ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' (french: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is an adventure novel written by French author Alexandre Dumas (''père'') completed in 1844. It is one of the author's more popular works, along with ''The Three Musketeers''. Li ...

'' (2002), '' Kinsey'' (2004), ''

Trust the Man ''Trust the Man'' is a 2005 romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Bart Freundlich. The film is set in New York and centers around two couples as they deal with relationship issues such as intimacy and commitment. Plot The film center ...

'' (2005), '' Lonely Hearts'' (2006), '' Running with Scissors'' (2006), '' Higher Ground'' (2011), ''

The Letter The Letter may refer to: Literature * "The Letter" (poem), a poem by Wilfred Owen (1893–1918) * "The Letter", a short story in W. Somerset Maugham's 1926 collection ''The Casuarina Tree'' * "The Letter", 38th sura of the Qur'an * ''The Letters ...

'' (2012), '' The Immigrant'' (2013), ''

Big Stone Gap Big Stone Gap is a town in Wise County, Virginia, United States. The town was economically centered around the coal industry for much of its early development. The population was 5,643 at the 2010 census. History The community was formerly kno ...

'' (2014), ''

A Woman, a Part ''A Woman, a Part'' is a 2016 independent drama film, written and directed by Elisabeth Subrin. The story concerns Anna Baskin (Maggie Siff), a successful yet burnt out actress who absconds from a mind-numbing television role in LA to reinvent h ...

'' (2016), '' The Assistant'' (2019), and '' The Lost Daughter'' (2021). Domińczyk also has a main role in the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

comedy-drama television series ''

Succession Succession is the act or process of following in order or sequence. Governance and politics *Order of succession, in politics, the ascension to power by one ruler, official, or monarch after the death, resignation, or removal from office of ...

'' (2018–present). In 2013, she became a published author with the release of her novel ''The Lullaby of Polish Girls''. She is married to actor

Patrick Wilson Patrick Joseph Wilson (born July 3, 1973) is an American actor and director. He began his career in 1995, starring in Broadway musicals. He received nominations for two Tony Awards for his roles in ''The Full Monty'' (2000–2001) and ''Oklahoma ...

Early life and education

Dagmara was born in

Kielce Kielce (, yi, קעלץ, Keltz) is a city in southern Poland, and the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. In 2021, it had 192,468 inhabitants. The city is in the middle of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains (Holy Cross Mountains), on the bank ...

, the daughter of Aleksandra and Mirosław Domińczyk, a member of the Polish Solidarity movement. She moved with her family to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1983 as

asylum seekers An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country and applies for asylum (i.e., international protection) in that other country. An asylum seeker is an immigrant who has been forcibly displaced and mi ...

due to her parents' political associations (her father's involvement with

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

and the Solidarity movement). She is the older sister of actresses

Marika Domińczyk Marika Domińczyk ( ) (born 1980) is a Polish-American actress who became best known in the United States for her role as Dr. Eliza Minnick on ''Grey's Anatomy (season 13), Grey's Anatomy,'' which she originated in its 13th season. Personal lif ...

and Veronika Domińczyk. Dagmara was educated at

Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, often referred to simply as LaGuardia, is a public High school (North America), high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Ce ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. She went on to study at

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

School of Drama A drama school, stage school or theatre school is an undergraduate and/or graduate school or department at a college or university; or a free-standing institution (such as the Drama section at the Juilliard School); which specializes in the pre ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, from which she graduated in 1998.

Career

In 1999, Dagmara made her acting debut on Broadway as Anna Friel's understudy in

Patrick Marber Patrick Albert Crispin Marber (born 19 September 1964) is an English comedian, playwright, director, actor, and screenwriter. Early life Marber was born and raised in a middle-class Jewish family in Wimbledon, London, the son of Angela (Benjam ...

's production of '' Closer''. The following year, she made her feature film debut as Claire in the

Stuart Blumberg Stuart Blumberg (born July 19, 1969) is an American screenwriter, actor, producer and director. Early life Blumberg grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio and graduated from University School. He is of Jewish descent. He graduated from Yale University ...

-penned romantic comedy '' Keeping the Faith'', also featuring Ben Stiller and Edward Norton. In 2001, she starred as Tania Asher in '' Rock Star'', and in 2002, portrayed Edmond Dantès' fiancée, Mercédès Mondego (née Herrera), in the screen adaptation of ''

''.

In 2003, she returned to Broadway playing Caroline Bramble in a production of '' Enchanted April''. Dagmara has also had guest starring roles in television series such as '' Kinsey'' (2004), '' 24'' (2005), ''

The Bedford Diaries ''The Bedford Diaries'' is an American drama television series that premiered on March 29, 2006, on The WB and concluded its first season on May 10, 2006. The series was created by Tom Fontana and Julie Martin. This series was canceled on May 18, ...

'' (2006), '' The Good Wife'' (2011), '' Suits'' (2011), ''

Person of Interest "Person of interest" is a term used by law enforcement in the United States, Canada, and other countries when identifying someone possibly involved in a criminal investigation who has not been arrested or formally accused of a crime. It has no leg ...

'' (2012), and ''

Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and broadcast on the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s and ...

'' (2014). In 2006, she appeared in the Todd Robinson-directed '' Lonely Hearts'' with

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes ''Carrie'' (19 ...

, and the black comedy film '' Running with Scissors'' alongside an all-star cast including Annette Bening,

Joseph Fiennes Joseph Alberic Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (), known as Joseph Fiennes, is an English actor of film, stage, and television. Journalist Zoe Williams observed that "he seemed to be the go-to actor for English cultural history". Fiennes is particul ...

, and

Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (; born ) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Paltrow gained notice for her early work in films ...

. In 2011, Dagmara co-starred in

Vera Farmiga Vera Ann Farmiga ( ; born August 6, 1973) is an American actress who is best known for portraying paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring Universe films '' The Conjuring'' (2013), '' The Conjuring 2'' (2016), '' Annabelle Co ...

's directorial debut drama film '' Higher Ground'' as a religious group member who develops a brain tumor. The following year, she appeared in the psychological thriller film ''

'' with Winona Ryder and James Franco. She next co-starred in

James Gray James, Jim, or Jimmy Gray may refer to: Politicians * James Gray (Australian politician) (1820–1889), member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly * James Gray (British politician) (born 1954), British politician * James Gray (mayor) (1862–1916 ...

's drama film '' The Immigrant'' (2013), alongside Marion Cotillard,

Joaquin Phoenix Joaquin Rafael Phoenix (; né Bottom; born October 28, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for playing dark and unconventional characters in independent films. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academ ...

, and

Jeremy Renner Jeremy Lee Renner (born January 7, 1971) is an American actor and musician. He began his career by appearing in independent films such as '' Dahmer'' (2002) and ''Neo Ned'' (2005), then supporting roles in bigger films, such as ''S.W.A.T.'' (2 ...

. In 2013, she published her first novel, ''The Lullaby of Polish Girls'', which was loosely based on her youth in her native Poland. In 2014, Dagmara starred in the Polish political thriller film '' Jack Strong'', directed by

Władysław Pasikowski Władysław Pasikowski (; born 14 June 1959 in Łódź, Poland) is a Polish film director and screenwriter. He made his debut film, Kroll, in 1991, which was honored with the Polish Film Festival prize for his debut and the Special Jury Prize. ...

, and the black comedy film ''

Let's Kill Ward's Wife ''Let's Kill Ward's Wife'' is a 2014 American black comedy film written and directed by Scott Foley in his directorial debut. The film stars Patrick Wilson, Foley, Donald Faison, and James Carpinello, and features Amy Acker, Dagmara Domińcz ...

'', directed by her brother-in-law

Scott Foley Scott Kellerman Foley (born July 15, 1972) is an American actor and director. Foley is known for roles in television shows such as ''The Unit'', '' Scrubs'', '' Felicity'', and ''Scandal'', and in films such as '' Scream 3''. He has als ...

Personal life

In June 2005, Dagmara married actor and fellow Carnegie Mellon alumnus

. They have appeared together in the films '' Running with Scissors'' (2006), '' Jack Strong'' (2014), ''

'' (2014), and ''

'' (2014). On June 23, 2006, she gave birth to their first child, son Kalin Patrick Wilson. Domińczyk gave birth to their second son, Kassian McCarrell Wilson, on August 9, 2009. The family resides in Montclair, New Jersey. She is the sister-in-law of actor

, who is married to her sister Marika.

Filmography

Film

Television

Voiceovers and audio narration

*''Someone to Love'' by Jude Devereaux *''Day After Night'' by

Anita Diamant Anita Diamant (born June 27, 1951) is an American author of fiction and non-fiction books."Anita Diamant." ''Contemporary Authors Online''. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2015. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, 2017-09-22. She has ...

*''Every Note Played'' by Lisa Genova *''

The Other Queen ''The Other Queen'' is a 2008 historical novel by British author Philippa Gregory which chronicles the long imprisonment in England of Mary, Queen of Scots. The story is told from three points of view: Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots; Elizabeth Ta ...

'' by

Phillipa Gregory Philippa Gregory (born 9 January 1954) is an English historical novelist who has been publishing since 1987. The best known of her works is ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2001), which in 2002 won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Roman ...

*''

The Boleyn Inheritance ''The Boleyn Inheritance'' is a novel by British author Philippa Gregory which was first published in 2006. It is a direct sequel to her previous novel ''The Other Boleyn Girl,'' and one of the additions to her six-part series on the Tudor roy ...

'' by Phillipa Gregory *''Show No Fear'' by

Perri O'Shaughnessy Perri O'Shaughnessy is the pen name of the authors Mary and Pamela O'Shaughnessy, sisters who live in Northern California. Pamela, a Harvard Law School graduate, was a trial lawyer for sixteen years. Mary is a former editor and writer for multi ...

*''In Secret Service'' by Mitch Silver

Stage

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dominczyk, Dagmara 1976 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from New Jersey Actresses from New York City American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts alumni Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Living people People from Montclair, New Jersey Polish emigrants to the United States Polish stage actresses Writers from New Jersey Writers from New York City Polish film actresses Polish television actresses 20th-century Polish actresses 21st-century Polish actresses