Substitute while the actions of the article are loading
Actress Mary Mara, best known for her roles in “Ambulance,” “Our Bridges” and “Ray Donovan,” died Sunday in what authorities describe as “obvious drowning” in a river in New York State. She was 61.
New York State Police responded to a call about a possible drowning in Cape Vincent on Sunday morning, authorities said in a press release. When the first responders arrived on the St. Lawrence River, they found a dead woman, later identified as Mara.
“Preliminary investigation suggests that the victim drowned while swimming,” wrote Major Michael C. TenAke. “The victim’s body showed no signs of unfair play and was transported to the Jefferson County Court Service pending an autopsy to determine the official cause of death.
Craig Dorfman, her manager, confirmed Mara’s death to The Washington Post on Tuesday.
“Mary was one of the best actresses I’ve ever met,” Dorfman said. “She was electric, fun and a real person and devoted to her family. Everyone loved her. She will be missing. “
A family spokesman told Deadline that Mara was staying at her sister Martha Mara’s summer home. The property is close to the St. Lawrence River, which separates the United States and Canada.
Mara was a famous character actress with more than 80 screen credits in her name. She is best known for her time in the 1990s as a recurring character on the hit NBC show “ER”, playing patient Loretta Sweet, and for her role as Inspector Brin Carson, the protagonist in CBS’s “Nash Bridges.” She later played recurring characters in Showtime’s “Dexter” and “Ray Donovan.”
Born on September 21, 1960 in Syracuse, Mara studied at San Francisco and Yale State University before beginning her acting career. Roger Mara, her brother, told the San Francisco Examiner in 1996 that they were both encouraged to pursue acting after seeing “their mother hear about the dramatic.”
Mary Mara’s first credit role was in the 1989 television film The Preppie Murder, according to her IMDb page. After appearing in Billy Crystal’s 1992 film, “Mr. Saturday night, “Mara broke through on” ER “at a time when the NBC show was the hottest medical drama in prime time on television. She appeared in nine episodes between 1995 and 1996, playing Sweet, a former prostitute diagnosed with cervical cancer.
The recurring role in “ER” helped Mara star in “Nash Bridges” by appearing in 23 episodes in the first two seasons between 1996 and 1997. After appearing on shows such as “NYPD Blue”, “Ally McBeal” and “Law and Order”, Mara received recurring roles as Valerie Hodges in “Dexter” in 2009 and Mrs. Sullivan in “Ray Donovan” in 2013.
She last appeared in the 2020 film Break Even.
Dorfman told The Post that the outpouring of grief he had received since Sunday was “exceptional”. Some of the people who have worked with Mara over the years have gone on social media to remember a colleague described as a perfect professional.
Actor and director John Lindström recalled working with Mara during a theatrical broadcast of “In Heat” in Los Angeles at a time when he believed she was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.
“She was coping with the effects of the chemotherapy,” Lindström wrote, saying Mara’s death had left him “crushed.” “Bold, brilliant, Uber talented. The earth will be much less colorful without it. “
Crush to learn of Mary Mara’s untimely death. We played together in 2008 in Malcolm Danare’s “In Heat” at the Lost Playhouse in LA. She was coping with the effects of chemotherapy. Bold, brilliant, Uber-talented. The earth will be much less colorful without it. RIP pic.twitter.com/sj1U8c6hyK
– John Lindstrom (@thejonlindstrom) June 28, 2022
Screenwriter Bob Saenz posted a black-and-white photo of Mara, in which he said he had worked “2 great years.”
“This is the Mary I remember,” Saenz tweeted. “Perfect professional, funny, sharp, kind, first-class person. She was kind enough to read one of my earliest scripts.
He added: “RIP Mary. You will be missed. ”
This is Mary I remember. I had the absolute pleasure of working with Mary Mara for 2 great years. Perfect professional, funny, sharp, kind, first class person. She was kind enough to read one of my earliest scripts. RIP Mary. You will miss him. pic.twitter.com/QLqMHUmt0v
– Bob Saenz (@BobSnz) June 28, 2022
Mara survived by stepdaughter Katie Mersola, sisters Martha Mara and Susan Daly, son-in-law Scott Daly and nephew Christopher Daly, according to Variety.
The investigation into Mara’s death continues, police said.
Add Comment