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'' (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.''

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 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 m ...

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'', '' Dublin Carol'', ''

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''. 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 as Nurse Ratched 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 c ...

winning 2001 revival of ''

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest may refer to: * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Ken Kesey * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (play), a 1963 stage adaptation of the novel starring Kirk Douglas * ''One Flew Over the ...

''. 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 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. F ...

. 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'' 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 ...

. 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 8 mm or 8mm may refer to: ;Film technology *8 mm film, a photographic cine film format principally intended for domestic use. The term may also refer to later variants: ** Super 8 mm film ** Single-8 film ** 8 mm video format, a type of video record ...

'' 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 George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Academy Awards, one for his acting and the ot ...

's character's sister in the critically acclaimed drama film '' Up in the Air'' directed by

Jason Reitman Jason R. Reitman (; born October 19, 1977) is a Canadian-American actor and filmmaker, best known for directing the films '' Thank You for Smoking'' (2005), '' Juno'' (2007), '' Up in the Air'' (2009), '' Young Adult'' (2011), and '' Ghostbuste ...

. In 2011 she appeared in the comedy-drama film '' The Dilemma'', 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'', 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 Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz cons ...

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, a ...

''. 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 '' Chicago P.D.'' 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 st ...

(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) *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 ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' is a play by David Mamet that won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984. The play shows parts of two days in the lives of four desperate Chicago real estate agents who are prepared to engage in any number of unethical, illegal acts ...

'' (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 papa ...

'' (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 (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