Mary Margaret Albright is a fictional character who was played by former
SNL cast member
Jane Curtin
Jane Therese Curtin (born September 6, 1947) is an American actress and comedian. First coming to prominence as an original cast member on the hit TV comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' in 1975, she went on to win back-to-back Emmy Awards for ...
in the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
situation comedy
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
''
3rd Rock from the Sun
''3rd Rock from the Sun'' is an American television sitcom created by Bonnie and Terry Turner, which originally aired from January 9, 1996, to May 22, 2001, on NBC. The show is about four Extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrials who are on an e ...
''. She serves as a straight foil and love interest for the eccentric
Dick Solomon
Dr. Dick Solomon is a character played by John Lithgow in the late-1990s NBC sitcom '' 3rd Rock from the Sun''. Solomon is the High Commander of a highly trained alien unit, sent to Earth by their leader, The Big Giant Head. His crew is made up o ...
.
[Peter Marks. "Curtin closes another hit season on '3rd Rock'". '']Boston Herald
The ''Boston Herald'' is an American daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarded eight Pulit ...
''. 18 May 1997.
Casting
Curtin was recruited to play Mary by friend
Bonnie Turner
Bonnie and Terry Turner are an American husband-and-wife team of screenwriters and producers. They are best known for creating the sitcoms '' 3rd Rock from the Sun,'' ''That '70s Show,'' and its Netflix sequel '' That '90s Show''.
From 1986 unt ...
after another actress was deemed too sweet for the part.
[ Co-star ]John Lithgow
John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. Lithgow studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his work on the stage and screen. He has been the recipient of numerous ...
said, "We really needed a very strong human comic presence. . . . Someone who could give it out and dish it out." Curtin had earlier worked with Bonnie and Terry Turner on ''Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' and in the 1993 film ''Coneheads
The Coneheads are a fictional family of extraterrestrials with bald conical heads, created for a series of recurring sketches on ''Saturday Night Live'' (SNL). They first appeared on the January 15, 1977 episode hosted by Ralph Nader (episode 3 ...
''. She originally signed for just seven episodes, but soon agreed to extend her commitment. "I loved the character, but I also loved the sense of humor on the show," she later explained. "I had known John in New York, and I'm very comfortable with him. It made me laugh when John and I were working together -- there just would be puddles on the floor."[
Reflecting on the show in 2005, Lithgow remarked "Jane was just perfect for it. She's a great comedy partner. She understands the role of a straight man; however, she also has a terrific streak of wildness herself so she creates this wonderful repressed character who occasionally spins out just as much as the aliens do."
]
Occupation
Mary works as a professor of Anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
at the fictional Pendelton State University
''3rd Rock from the Sun'' is an American television sitcom created by Bonnie and Terry Turner, which originally aired from January 9, 1996, to May 22, 2001, on NBC. The show is about four extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth, the ...
in Rutherford, Ohio. For approximately six months during the sitcom's 4th season, Mary served as dean of Pendleton's School of Arts and Sciences. However, she lost this job and returned to her role as professor after she was caught breaking into friend and colleague Judith's office after Dick convinced her that Judith was after her job.
Relationship with Dick
Mary and the 'father' of the alien group, who works at Pendelton as a physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
professor, were forced to share an office. While Dick was attracted to her almost instantly, Mary took a long time to warm to Dick. After their initial success, Dick and Mary enjoyed an on-off relationship; Dick would often annoy Mary, causing her to grow angry and seemingly break up with him. However, in the next episode, they are nearly always back together (notable exception: when Dick was engaged to Mary, then discovered another alien had been sent to masquerade as his wife, leading Mary to believe he is committing polygamy. Even then, she forgave him.)
When Dick and his 'family' are called back to the home planet, Mary discovers Dick's alien identity; she is initially persuaded to return with them. However, she realises how much she would miss Earth, so Dick wipes her memory of him and his family. In an alternate ending, Dick returns and abducts her.
History
From hints in the show, Mary formerly drank a lot and often used her femininity to get what she wanted from men. From references and one episode about her parents, it appears that her father had affairs and her mother drank a lot. Mary comes from a seemingly average but trashy family, but she and sister Renata have become successfulRenata is rich, while Mary is a professor and doctor. In one episode, Dick marries Renata, in order to divorce her and get her to promise she will not build a library at Pendelton that will cast a shadow in Mary's office. Renata was played by guest star Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She is best known for playing Karen Walker on the NBC sitcom ''Will & Grace'' (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award no ...
(best known for playing Karen Walker on ''Will & Grace
''Will & Grace'' is an American television sitcom created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan. Set in New York City, the show focuses on the friendship between best friends Will Truman (Eric McCormack), a gay lawyer, and Grace Adler (Debra Messing), ...
''). Mary also has a younger brother, Roy Albright (Bronson Pinchot
Bronson Alcott Pinchot (; born May 20, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Balki Bartokomous on the ABC sitcom '' Perfect Strangers'' (1986–93). He also performed in films, such as ''Risky Business'' (1983), ''Beverly Hill ...
), who claims to have been abducted by aliens. This completely freaks out the family; to this end Sally and Harry take Roy out a cornfield to "killroy" as the plan is called. In the end, he is found out to be lying.
As seen in "The Dicks They Are A'Changin'", Mary was a part of the 1960s counterculture in her youth ( flashbacks showed her dressed in hippie
A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...
garb), though she mentions she "never made it to Woodstock
Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...
". Mary attended UC Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of Californi ...
in the late '60s and was apparently involved in the Free Speech Movement
The Free Speech Movement (FSM) was a massive, long-lasting student protest which took place during the 1964–65 academic year on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley. The Movement was informally under the central leadership of B ...
there.
At one point during her youth, she worked at a Dairy Queen
Dairy Queen (DQ) is an American chain of soft serve ice cream and fast food restaurants owned by International Dairy Queen, Inc. (a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway since 1998) which also owns Orange Julius, and formerly owned Karmelkorn and G ...
.
Alternate universe
In the episode "Dick'll Take Manhattan" from the sixth season, in which Dick, Harry and Sally enter into an alternate reality, an alternate universe Mary has a completely different personality and life. She is a shallow, airheaded and 'slutty' lounge singer at a dive bar in Manhattan. She uses her feminine wiles to get money and gifts from men. She attempts to do so with Dick Solomon but finds herself falling in love.
Pets
Mary used to own fish, before Dick was left to look after them as Mary was on a conferencehe introduced an angelfish, which ate all the others. Mary was angry with Dick for killing her fish, calling him a "jackass". Dick subsequently bought her a dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
to compensate. After breaking off their engagement
An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...
, Mary tries to get rid of the dog, but realizes she loves him. She and Dick later get back together, making Mary relieved she didn't get rid of her dog. On several occasions throughout the show, Mary's dog would come running onto the set and start humping her.
Trivia
* In the episode "Dick's Ark", it is revealed she is known at her local supermarket as "The White Zinfandel
White Zinfandel is an off-dry to sweet rosé wine. Originally the result of a stuck fermentation and fortuitous accident, White Zinfandel is made from the Zinfandel wine grape that would otherwise produce a bold and spicy red wine.
White Zinfa ...
Lady."
* Mary's passport
A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...
and credit card
A credit card is a payment card issued to users (cardholders) to enable the cardholder to pay a merchant for goods and services based on the cardholder's accrued debt (i.e., promise to the card issuer to pay them for the amounts plus the o ...
both say "Mary Albright, Ph.D."
*Jane Curtin
Jane Therese Curtin (born September 6, 1947) is an American actress and comedian. First coming to prominence as an original cast member on the hit TV comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' in 1975, she went on to win back-to-back Emmy Awards for ...
, the actress who portrays Mary, also played an alien (Prymaat Conehead from ''Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
''). Her full name is also similar as Prymaat's alias
Alias may refer to:
* Pseudonym
* Pen name
* Nickname
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film
* ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006
* ''Alias the ...
in the 1993 Coneheads film: Mary Margaret DeCicco.
Notes
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albright, Mary
3rd Rock from the Sun characters
Fictional characters from Ohio
Fictional female doctors
Fictional professors
Fictional anthropologists
Television characters introduced in 1996