Mary Nell Steenburgen (Newport (Arkansas), 8 februari 1953) is een Amerikaans actrice.

Biografie
Steenburgen groeide op in Little Rock als dochter van Nell, een schooladministratrice, en Maurice Steenburgen (van Nederlandse komaf), een treinmachinist bij de Missouri Pacific Railroad. Ze vertrok in 1972 naar New York om een opleiding te volgen aan de New York's Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. Nadat Jack Nicholson haar had ontdekt, werd Steenburgen uitverkoren voor een rol in zijn western Goin' South. Voor haar rol in Melvin and Howard won zij in 1981 zowel de Golden Globe als de Academy Award voor beste vrouwelijke bijrol.

In het derde deel van Back to the Future speelde zij Clara Clayton, een rol die zij aannam op aandringen van haar kinderen, die fan waren van deze films.

Steenburgen was van 1980 tot 1990 getrouwd met acteur Malcolm McDowell, met wie zij twee kinderen kreeg. Sinds 1995 is zij getrouwd met Ted Danson. Steenburgen is bevriend met Hillary Clinton.

Filmografie 

|-
|1978
| Goin' South
|Julia Tate/Moon
|Nominatie - Golden Globe
|-
|1979
| Time After Time
|Amy Robbins
|
|-
|1980
| Melvin and Howard
|Lynda Dummar
|Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress; Golden Globe
|-
|1981
| Ragtime
|Moeder
|Nominatie - Golden Globe
|-
|1982
| A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy
|Adrian
|
|-
|rowspan=3|1983
| Faerie Tale Theatre
|Mary / Roodkapje
|Little Red Riding Hood
|-
| Cross Creek
|Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
|
|-
| Romantic Comedy
|Phoebe Craddock
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1985
| One Magic Christmas
|Ginny Hanks Grainger
|
|-
| Tender Is the Night
|Nicole Warren Diver
|Tv-miniserie; Nominatie - BAFTA Award
|-
|rowspan=2|1987
| The Whales of August
|Jonge Sarah
|
|-
| Dead of Winter
|Julie Rose/Katie McGovern/Evelyn
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1988
| The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank
|Miep Gies
|Tv-film; Nominatie - Emmy Award
|-
| End of the Line
|Rose Pickett
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1989
| Parenthood
|Karen Buckman
|
|-
| Miss Firecracker
|Elain Rutledge
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1990
|  The Long Walk Home
|Verteller
|
|-
| Back to the Future Part III
|Clara Clayton
|
|-
|1991
| The Butcher's Wife
|Stella Keefover
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1993
| Philadelphia
|Belinda Conine
|
|-
| What's Eating Gilbert Grape
|Betty Carver
|
|-
|rowspan=4|1994
|  Pontiac Moon
|Katherine Bellamy
|
|-
| The Gift
|Tv
|
|-
| It Runs in the Family
|Mrs. Parker (Moeder)
|
|-
| Clifford
|Sarah Davis
|
|-
|rowspan=4|1995
|Nixon
|Hannah Nixon
|
|-
| Powder
|Jessie Caldwell
|
|-
| The Grass Harp
|Zuster Ida
|
|-
| My Family
| Gloria
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1996
| Gulliver's Travels
|Mary Gulliver
|Miniserie
|-
| Ink
|Kate Montgomery
|Televisieserie
|-
|1998
|  About Sarah
|Sarah Elizabeth McCaffrey
|Tv
|-
|1999
| Noah's Ark
|Naamah
|Tv
|-
|rowspan=2|2000
| Curb Your Enthusiasm
|zichzelf
|4 afleveringen
|-
| Picnic
|Rosemary Sydney
|Tv
|-
|rowspan=4|2001
| I Am Sam
|Dr. Blake
|
|-
| Life as a House
|Colleen Beck
|
|-
| The Trumpet of the Swan
|Stem van moeder
|
|-
|  Nobody's Baby
|Estelle
|
|-
|rowspan=3|2002
|  Wish You Were Dead
|Sally Rider
|
|-
| Sunshine State
|Francine Pinkney
|
|-
|  Living with the Dead
|Detective Karen Condrin
|Tv
|-
|2003-2005
| Joan of Arcadia
|Helen Girardi
|Tv-serie - 45 afleveringen
|-
|rowspan=3|2003
|Elf
|Emily
|
|-
| Casa de los babys
|Gayle
|
|-
| Hope Springs
|Joanie Fisher
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2004
| Capital City
|Elaine Summer
|Tv
|-
| It Must Be Love
|Clem Gazelle
|Tv
|-
|2005
| Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School
|Marienne Hotchkiss
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2006
| The Dead Girl
|Beverley, Leahs moeder
|
|-
| Inland Empire
|Bezoeker
|
|-
|rowspan=6|2007
|Reinventing the Wheelers
|Claire Wheeler
|Tv
|-
| Elvis and Anabelle
|Geneva
|
|-
| Numb
|Dr. Cheryl Blaine
|
|-
| Nobel Son
|Sarah Michaelson
|
|-
| The Brave One
|Carol
|
|-
| Honeydripper
|Amanda Winship
|
|-
|rowspan=4|2008
|In the Electric Mist
|Bootsie Robicheaux
|
|-
|Step Brothers
|Nancy Huff
|-
|Four Christmases
|Marilyn
|
|-
|The Open Road
|Katherine
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2009
|The Proposal
|Grace Paxton (Andrews moeder)
|
|-
|Did You Hear About the Morgans?
|Emma Wheeler
|
|-
|2010
|Dirty Girl
|Peggy
|
|-
|2011
|The Help
|Elain Stein
|
|-
|2012
|Mrs. Pilgrim Goes to Hollywood
|Mary
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2013
|Last Vegas
|Diana
|
|-
|Brahmin Bulls
|Helen West
|
|-
|2014
|Song One
|Karen
|
|-
| 2015
| A Walk in the Woods
| Jeanne
| 
|-
|rowspan=3|2016
|The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
|Julia Mureaux
|
|-
|(Dean)
|Carol
|
|-
|Katie Says Goodbye
|Maybelle
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2017
|The Discovery
|Interviewer
|
|-
|I Do... Until I Don't
|Cybil
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2018
|Book Club
|Carol
|
|-
|Antiquities
|Dr. Margot
|
|-
|2020–21
|Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist
|Maggie Clarke
|tv-serie
|}

Externe link
 

Amerikaans acteur