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Amy Ryan

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Amy Ryan
Ryan at the premiere of Wolfs in 2024
Born
Amy Beth Dziewiontkowski

(1968-05-03) May 3, 1968 (age 56)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1987–present
Spouse
Eric Slovin
​
(m. 2011)​
Children1
AwardsFull list

Amy Beth Dziewiontkowski (born May 3, 1968),[1] known professionally as Amy Ryan, is an American actress. She began her professional stage career in 1987 and made her Broadway debut in 1993 as a replacement in the original production of Wendy Wasserstein's The Sisters Rosensweig. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performances in Uncle Vanya (2000) and A Streetcar Named Desire (2005), and the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for Doubt: A Parable (2024).

For her breakthrough film role as a troubled single mother in the thriller Gone Baby Gone (2007), Ryan was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her other films include You Can Count on Me (2000), Capote (2005), Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007), Changeling (2008), Birdman (2014), Bridge of Spies (2015), The Infiltrator (2016), and Beau Is Afraid (2023).

On television, she played Beadie Russell in the HBO crime series The Wire (2002–2008) and Holly Flax in the NBC sitcom The Office (2008–2011), and has also featured in the HBO drama series In Treatment (2010), the Hulu mystery comedy series Only Murders in the Building (2021–2024), and the Apple TV+ mystery series Sugar (2024).

Early life

[edit]

Ryan was born Amy Beth Dziewiontkowski in Flushing, Queens, in New York City, the daughter of Pamela (née Ryan),[2][3] a nurse, and John Dziewiontkowski, a trucking business owner. She is of Polish, Irish, and English descent.[4] Growing up in the 1970s, Ryan and her sister Laura delivered the Daily News by bike. At a young age, Ryan attended the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Center in upstate New York. At 17, she graduated from New York's High School of Performing Arts.[5] Hired for the national tour of Biloxi Blues right out of high school, Ryan worked steadily off-Broadway for the next decade. She chose her mother's maiden name as her stage name.[5]

Career

[edit]

1987–2005: Broadway debut and early roles

[edit]

Ryan made her off-Broadway debut in the Westside Theatre's 1987 production of A Shayna Maidel, playing the role of Hanna. The following year she was seen in the Second Stage Theatre Company's revival of The Rimers of Eldritch.[6][7] Additional off-Broadway credits include As Bees In Honey Drown, Crimes of the Heart and Saved.[8][9][10][11] She also worked in regional theater, where she originated roles in new plays by Neil LaBute, Arthur Miller and Neil Simon. On Broadway she has appeared as Tess in The Sisters Rosensweig, Natasha in the 1997 revival of The Three Sisters, and Peggy in the 2001–2002 revival of The Women.[5][12]

Following a brief stint playing a runaway on As the World Turns, Ryan was cast in television series such as I'll Fly Away,[5] After roles on ER and Chicago Hope, Ryan became a series regular on The Naked Truth as Téa Leoni's spoiled stepdaughter.[13][14] In 1993, she made her first appearance on NBC's Law & Order, appearing in several episodes over the years.[5]

Ryan was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play twice: in 2000, for her portrayal of Sonya Alexandrovna in Uncle Vanya, and in 2005, for her performance as Stella Kowalski opposite John C. Reilly in A Streetcar Named Desire.[5][12][15][16]

Because of the deletion of the scene where she played Eric Stoltz's wife in Allison Anders's Grace of My Heart, Ryan made her 1999 film debut in Roberta.[14] She then briefly appeared in You Can Count on Me, which starred Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo,[5] and the mystery/thriller Keane.[5][14] By 2001, director Sidney Lumet cast her in 100 Centre Street playing three different roles (Ellen, Paris and Rebecca).[17] From 2003 to 2008 Ryan went on to feature prominently in HBO's crime drama series The Wire, playing Port Authority Officer Beadie Russell.[18][19] Albert Brooks chose her to play his wife in Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World in 2005, and 2007 brought both Dan in Real Life and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.[5][17] Her role as a star-struck sheriff's wife in Capote[5] earned her positive reviews, but it was playing a hardened welfare mom in Ben Affleck's Gone Baby Gone that finally brought her national attention.[5][17][19]

2006–2017: Breakthrough and acclaim

[edit]
Ryan in 2007

After being voted Best Supporting Actress for Gone Baby Gone by the National Board of Review,[20] as well as the critics circles in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., Ryan's performance was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award,[21] and an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting role at the 80th Academy Awards.[22]

Ryan appeared in Changeling (2008), directed by Clint Eastwood,[5] and opposite Matt Damon in Paul Greengrass's Green Zone (2010).[5][23] In September 2010, she completed filming a role in Philip Seymour Hoffman's directorial film debut, Jack Goes Boating, taking over the role of Connie originally played by Beth Cole in the stage version.[18] Ryan received strong notices for her performance in Tom McCarthy's Win Win the next year, winning Best Supporting Actress awards from multiple regional critics groups. From 2008 to 2011 She appeared for a six-episode arc on The Office as dorky HR rep Holly Flax. She reprised her role on The Office in seasons 5 and 7.[24] Ryan joined the cast of HBO's In Treatment for its third season in 2010, playing the therapist of Dr. Paul Weston.[25]

Ryan was a part of the core ensemble of the 2014 Best Picture Academy Award winning film Birdman, sharing in the cast's Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture victory. In 2015, she starred as Mary Donovan opposite Tom Hanks in the film Bridge of Spies, and reunited with her In Treatment co-star Gabriel Byrne in Louder Than Bombs, the English-language debut of Joachim Trier. Early the next year, Ryan was cast as Tracy, her first on-screen leading role,[26] in Abundant Acreage Available, a rural family drama from Junebug screenwriter Angus MacLachlan. Upon the film's premiere at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, Ryan drew universal acclaim for her performance, with The Wrap noting that she "holds the screen no matter what she's doing and who she's with"[27] and Flavorwire raving that Ryan "sounds notes that are quietly dazzling in their complexity."[28] Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge dubbed the performance a career highlight:

It's a pleasure to see such a fine actress navigate the nuances of her role ... Only on the big screen are we able to fully appreciate the minutely detailed nature of Ryan's performance, revealing Tracy's soul via the slightest narrowing of the eyes or the almost-subliminal tensing of her cheekbones. As we know, Junebug earned Amy Adams an Oscar nomination, and if the world were fair, this role would bring another Amy similar attention.[29]

Ryan received some of the best reviews of her career for her leading role in the Roundabout Theater Company's 2016 production of Love, Love, Love. Ben Brantley of The New York Times praised her "smashing comic performance,"[30] The Hollywood Reporter called her work "emotionally vital,"[31] and The Associated Press raved that "Ryan is absolutely magnetic ... nailing her charming, unpredictable character with perfect comedic timing."[32] In an article exploring various famous actresses working on the stage, The Washington Post theater critic Peter Marks highlighted Ryan's work in the play:

The revelation is not that Amy Ryan is good. It's that she's this good ... Ryan, whose range has been apparent for years, in dramatic performances nominated for Tonys (Uncle Vanya) and Oscars (Gone Baby Gone), as well as in nuanced comic turns on television shows like The Office, manages a feat in Love, Love, Love that she's never accomplished so fluidly before: taking charge. She delivers a front-and-center performance of such beguiling dynamism (in a thoroughly convincing English accent) that you feel this Roundabout Theatre Company production has done for her precisely what was intended. It exposes a new facet of her talent — and leaves us with that uplifting itch, to be there the next time she's on a stage.[33]

For her performance in Love, Love, Love, Ryan won the Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress, and was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play[34] and the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.[35]

2018–present

[edit]

In 2018, Ryan co-starred in Beautiful Boy for Amazon Studios, a dark family drama, with her The Office co-star Steve Carell, and Timothée Chalamet. She was then among the ensemble cast of 2019's Late Night, the Mindy Kaling-penned comedy about a female late-night talk show host (Emma Thompson); and Strange but True, a noir-thriller based on the novel by John Searles.[36][37] In 2020, Ryan starred as Mari Gilbert, a real life woman searching for her missing daughter, in Netflix's mystery thriller Lost Girls.

In 2021, Amy Ryan played Jan Bellows, a main role, in the first season of Hulu series Only Murders in the Building co-starring with Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez.[38][39] In 2023 she appeared in Ari Aster's A24 black comedy psychological horror film Beau Is Afraid starring Joaquin Phoenix. In the film she plays Grace, alongside Nathan Lane as Roger a couple who take in Beau for a brief period of time.[40]

Personal life

[edit]

Ryan married Eric Slovin[2][41][42] in 2011.[43] They have one daughter born in October 2009.[44][3]

Acting credits

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1999 Roberta Judy
2000 You Can Count on Me Rachel Louise Prescott
A Pork Chop for Larry Beth Short film
2004 Keane Lynn Bedik
2005 War of the Worlds Neighbor with Toddler
Capote Marie Dewey
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World Emily Brooks
2006 Marvelous Queenie
2007 Gone Baby Gone Helene McCready
Neal Cassady Carolyn Cassady
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead Martha Hanson
Dan in Real Life Eileen Burns
2008 Changeling Carol Dexter
2009 The Missing Person Miss Charley Also executive producer
Bob Funk Ms. Wright
2010 Jack Goes Boating Connie
Green Zone Lawrie Dayne
2011 Win Win Jackie Flaherty
2013 Breathe In Megan Reynolds
Escape Plan Abigail Ross
Devil's Knot Margaret Lax
2014 Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Sylvia
2015 Don Verdean Carol
Louder Than Bombs Hannah
Goosebumps Gale Cooper
Bridge of Spies Mary McKenna Donovan
2016 Central Intelligence Agent Pamela Harris
The Infiltrator Bonni Tischler
Monster Trucks Cindy Coley
2017 Abundant Acreage Available Tracy Ledbetter
2018 Beautiful Boy Vicki Sheff
2019 Late Night Caroline Morton
Strange but True Charlene Chase
2020 Worth Camille Biros
Lost Girls Mari Gilbert
2023 Beau Is Afraid Grace
2024 Wolfs Margaret

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1990 As the World Turns Renee Unknown episodes
1991 Quantum Leap Libby McBain Episode: "Raped - June 20, 1980"
Brooklyn Bridge Young Sophie Episode: "Old Fools"
1992 Home Improvement Robin Episode: "Luck Be a Taylor Tonight"
I'll Fly Away Parkie Sasser 6 episodes
1993; 2006 Law & Order Amy / Valerie Messick 2 episodes
1995 Sirens April Ward Episode: "The Abduction"
ER Sister Elizabeth Episode: "Love Among the Ruins"
1995–1996 The Naked Truth Chloe Banks 20 episodes
1998 Chicago Hope Helen Sherwood Episode: "Liver, Hold the Mushrooms"
A Will of Their Own Carrie Baker Miniseries
1999 Homicide: Life on the Street Erika Cullen Episode: "A Case of Do or Die"
2000 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Lorraine Hansen Episode: "Bad Blood"
2001–2002 100 Centre Street Rebecca Rifkind / Ellen 7 episodes
2003; 2007 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Julie Turner / Edie Nelson 2 episodes
2003–2008 The Wire Beadie Russell 20 episodes
2004 Third Watch Dr. Jenny Hanson Episode: "Last Will and Testament"
2006 American Experience Luzena Wilson Episode: "The Gold Rush"
2006–2007 Kidnapped Maureen Campbell 2 episodes
2008 Independent Lens Anita Hoffman Episode: "Chicago 10"
2008–2011 The Office Holly Flax 17 episodes
2010 In Treatment Adele 8 episodes
2013 Clear History Wendy the Waitress Television film
2015–2017 Broad City Heidi Strand 2 episodes
2016–2019 High Maintenance Gigi 2 episodes
2018 Robot Chicken Lobster Lady / Psylocke / Liesl von Trapp Voice
Episode: "Shall I Visit the Dinosaurs?"
2020 I'll Be Gone in the Dark Michelle McNamara's Writings Read By Voice
6 episodes
2021–2022; 2024 Only Murders in the Building Jan Bellows Main role
2024 Sugar Melanie Matthews Main Role
Amy Ryan audio work
Year Title Role Notes
2019 The Horror of Dolores Roach Georgie Fiction podcast series
Episode: "The Single Greatest Threat to Our Survival"

Theatre

[edit]
Year Title Role Venue Ref.
1988 The Rimers of Eldritch Lena Truitt Second Stage Theatre, Off-Broadway
1992 Hot Dog Hitman Doris / Mrs. Garcia West Bank Theatre, Off-Broadway
1993 The Sisters Rosensweig Tess Goode (replacement) Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway
1997 Three Sisters Natalya Ivanovna (replacement) Criterion Center Stage, Broadway
2000 Uncle Vanya Sonya Alexandrovna Brooks Atkinson Theatre, Broadway
2001 Crimes of the Heart Meg Magrath Second Stage Theatre, Off-Broadway
The Women Peggy American Airlines Theatre, Broadway
2003 Dublin Carol Mary Atlantic Theatre Company, Off-Broadway
2005 A Streetcar Named Desire Stella Kowalski Studio 54, Broadway
On the Mountain Sarah Playwrights Horizons, Off-Broadway
2006 The 24 Hour Plays Susan American Airlines Theatre, Broadway
2012 Detroit Mary Playwright Horizons, Off-Broadway
2016 Love, Love, Love Sandra Roundabout Theatre Company, Off-Broadway
2024 Doubt Sister Aloysius Beauvier Todd Haimes Theatre, Broadway

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Amy Ryan
Year Association Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2007 Academy Award Best Supporting Actress Gone Baby Gone Nominated [45]
2007 Golden Globe Award Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Nominated [46]
2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated [47]
2014 Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture Birdman Won [48]
2021 Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series Only Murders in the Building Nominated [49]
2000 Tony Awards Best Featured Actress in a Play Uncle Vanya Nominated [50]
2005 Best Featured Actress in a Play A Streetcar Named Desire Nominated [51]
2024 Best Leading Actress in a Play Doubt: A Parable Nominated [52]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 3-9". Associated Press. May 27, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Marks, Peter (October 10, 2010). "Amy Ryan: A journeyman's actress co-stars in 'Jack Goes Boating'". The Washington Post.
  3. ^ a b "Saturday (Day 2) at the Fair". Njherald.mycapture.com. Archived from the original on October 31, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2017. Pam Dziewiontkowski, left, ... Eric Slovin and Amy Ryan ...
  4. ^ Gross, Terry (2010). "Amy Ryan: From 'The Office' To The 'Green Zone'". NPR. Archived from the original on March 14, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Amy Ryan". Hello. Archived from the original on September 23, 2010. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  6. ^ "The Rimers of Eldritch". Lortel Archives—the Internet off-Broadway database. Archived from the original on October 26, 2007. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  7. ^ Review/Theater; Brooding Look at Dismal Lives in Wilson Revival, NY Times
  8. ^ "Amy Ryan". Lortel Archives—the Internet off-Broadway database. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  9. ^ As Bees in Honey Drown. (Lucille Lortel Theater, New York), Variety July 28, 1997.
  10. ^ Crimes of the Heart, CurtainUp
  11. ^ "Saved, a CurtainUp review". Curtainup.com. February 25, 2001. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Amy Ryan". ibdb.com. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  13. ^ Tucker, Ken (November 3, 1995). "The Naked Truth" Archived December 20, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Entertainment Weekly.
  14. ^ a b c Amy Ryan Archived February 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "A Streetcar Named Desire, Studio 54". ibdb.com. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  16. ^ "IBDB Person Awards". ibdb.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  17. ^ a b c Spotlight on Amy Ryan Archived October 30, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Comingsoon.net
  18. ^ a b Speakeasy AMY RYAN two.one.five magazine
  19. ^ a b Actress Amy Ryan keeps things interesting, taking parts on stage, on screen and on TV Archived March 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Monterey Herald
  20. ^ "Past Awards". National Board of Review. Archived from the original on December 8, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  21. ^ Amy Ryan, Screen Actors Guild Award nominee Archived July 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ "The 80th Academy Awards | 2008". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. October 7, 2014. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  23. ^ Q&A – Amy Ryan on What Affleck, Eastwood, and the Green Zone Director Have in Common Archived July 8, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, FilmCritic.com
  24. ^ Amy Ryan Returning to The Office, TVGuide.com
  25. ^ "Amy Ryan Books Role on In Treatment". TV Guide.
  26. ^ "SAGindie Interview: AMY RYAN of ABUNDANT ACREAGE AVAILABLE". September 27, 2017.
  27. ^ Pond, Steve (April 20, 2017). "Abundant Acreage Available Tribeca Review: Amy Ryan Owns This Quiet Family Drama". The Wrap. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  28. ^ Bailey, Jason (May 1, 2017). "The Best and Worst Movies of the Tribeca Film Festival". Flavorwire. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  29. ^ Debruge, Peter (April 21, 2017). "Tribeca Film Review: Abundant Acreage Available". Variety. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  30. ^ Brantley, Ben (October 19, 2016). "Review: In 'Love, Love, Love,' All You Need Is Selfishness". The New York Times. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  31. ^ Scheck, Frank (October 19, 2016). "'Love, Love, Love': Theater Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  32. ^ Farrar, Jennifer (October 20, 2016). "Review: The Kids Are Not Alright in Play 'Love, Love, Love'". Associated Press. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  33. ^ Marks, Peter (November 7, 2016). "When Casting About for Famous Actresses for the Stage, Choose Carefully". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  34. ^ Cox, Gordon (April 27, 2017). "'Hello, Dolly!' Dominates 2017 Drama Desk Nominations (Full List)". Variety. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  35. ^ Cox, Gordon (April 19, 2017). "Daniel Craig, Cate Blanchett, Allison Janney Nominated for Drama League Awards". Variety. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  36. ^ Hipes, Patrick (March 15, 2017). "Amy Ryan Reunites With Steve Carell For Amazon's Beautiful Boy". Deadline. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  37. ^ Mitchell, Robert (May 17, 2017). "La La Land's Fred Berger to Produce Noir Thriller Strange but True". Variety. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  38. ^ "The Cast of 'Only Murders in the Building': Everything to Know". Peoplemag. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  39. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 6, 2021). "Amy Ryan Joins Hulu Comedy Series 'Only Murders In The Building'". Deadline. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  40. ^ "'Beau Is Afraid' Review: Joaquin Phoenix Grapples With Mother Issues in Ari Aster's Bonkers Freudian Freakout". The Hollywood Reporter. April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  41. ^ "Eric Slovin". Vulture. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  42. ^ "Eric Slovin". Television Academy. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  43. ^ Mottram, James (October 28, 2011). "Amy Ryan: Hollywood, motherhood and being unemployed". The Independent. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
  44. ^ Everett, Cristina (October 21, 2009). "Amy Ryan and fiance Eric Slovin welcome baby girl, Georgia Gracie". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on October 24, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  45. ^ "80th Academy Awards". Oscars.org. October 7, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  46. ^ "Amy Ryan - Golden Globe Awards". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  47. ^ "14th Screen Actors Guild Awards". sagawards.org. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  48. ^ "21st Screen Actors Guild Awards". sagawards.org. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  49. ^ "28th Screen Actors Guild Awards". sagawards.org. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  50. ^ "2000 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  51. ^ "2005 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  52. ^ Sherman, Rachel (April 30, 2024). "Tony Awards Nominations 2024: The Complete List". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
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