Mare Winningham

Although primarily recognized for her Academy Award-nominated acting work, Mare Winningham also received acclaim as a folk-influenced singer/songwriter. She came into the world in Northridge, California during 1959 and first attracted notice through a high school staging of The Sound of Music, which led to her professional debut in 1978 within the short-lived television Western The Young Pioneers. An Emmy Award for her performance in the 1980 telefilm Amber Waves preceded her feature debut in Paul Simon's One-Trick Pony, after which she accumulated roles across numerous film and television projects until her Oscar-nominated appearance in 1995's Georgia, where she earned strong reviews for portraying a Joni Mitchell-like folkie. That performance drew fresh attention to her abilities as a musician and resulted in the 1998 release of her debut solo LP, Lonesomers.