Mary McDonnell

Mary McDonnell plays Laura Roslin in Battlestar Galactica, a civilian leader suddenly facing responsibilities for which there is no adequate preparation. She gives Roslin composure without suggesting that the circumstances have become manageable. The conversations with Edward James Olmos work because neither character can simply dismiss what the other has to do.

McDonnell received Academy Award nominations for Dances with Wolves and Passion Fish. Her film credits also include Independence Day and Donnie Darko, while television audiences may know her as Sharon Raydor in The Closer and its follow-up, Major Crimes.

Roslin is not just an alternative voice in a military story. McDonnell makes her somebody with a job of her own, a judgement of her own and the burden of having to act on it. The performance helps the series make its arguments through people rather than speeches alone.