Julianne Nicholson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Nicholson in 2017 | |
| Born | (1971-07-01)July 1, 1971 (age 54) |
| Alma mater | Hunter College |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Julianne Nicholson (born July 1, 1971)[1] is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the filmAugust: Osage County (2013) and the television seriesLaw & Order: Criminal Intent (2006–2009),Masters of Sex (2013–2014),Eyewitness (2016),Mare of Easttown (2021),Paradise andHacks (both in 2025), the latter three of which earned her nomination forPrimetime Emmy Awards, winning two forMare of Easttown andHacks.[2][3]
Nicholson's other notable credits includeTully (2000),Ally McBeal (2001–2002),Kinsey (2004),Conviction (2006),Boardwalk Empire (2011–2013),Black Mass (2015),I, Tonya (2017),Togo (2019),The Outsider (2020) andBlonde (2022).
After Nicholson's parents separated when she was young, she lived with her mother and stepfather in western Massachusetts in what she later described as a "different way of living .. We had kerosene lanterns and camp candles and had a pump for water".[4] She began living with her father at 11 years old. At age 18, she moved to New York, where she majored in French and anthropology atHunter College.[4] While in New York, Nicholson supported herself bywaitressing and eventually left school to study acting and begin her professional career.[5]
In her first feature film role, Nicholson starred oppositeMichael Caine andJames Spader in thePeter Yates filmCurtain Call. Later she won what proved to be both her breakthrough and favorite role as a headstrong young feminist inPeter Chan'sThe Love Letter. She has worked with other international directors in films suchAlain Berliner'sPassion of Mind, andNick Hurran'sLittle Black Book. Nicholson's domestic drama credits includeWilliam Vincent,Staten Island,Brief Interviews with Hideous Men,Tully,Kinsey, andAugust: Osage County, for which theensemble cast was nominated for several awards. Her domestic comedy credits includeSeeing Other People,Puccini For Beginners, and Disney'sTogo opposite Willem Dafoe. She also stars in the American espionage thriller,The Amateur.[6]
Among Nicholson's television credits are a supporting role in the televisionminiseriesStorm of the Century and guest-starring roles inER andLaw & Order. She was tapped bySteven Spielberg for the lead role in the paranormal dramaThe Others. In late 2001, Nicholson became one of the main cast members of the hit showAlly McBeal, portraying Jenny Shaw for 13 episodes. She worked on the medical dramaPresidio Med and the HBO pilotMarriage. Julianne worked on the short-livedNBC television drama,Conviction and in what is her best known role, asMegan Wheeler, in the sixth, seventh, and eighth seasons ofLaw & Order: Criminal Intent.[7] Nicholson has said her favoriteCriminal Intent episode was "Weeping Willow".[8] As of theCriminal Intent episode "Major Case", Nicholson departed the series when she went on maternity leave for the birth of her second child (which was written into the show as the birth of her first child).
In 2011, she guest-starred onRoyal Pains as "Jess", one of Dr. Lawson's patients, who has panic attacks. She also appeared onBoardwalk Empire as the recurring character of U.S. Assistant Attorney General Esther Randolph (a character based on the real lifeMabel Walker Willebrandt) that same year. In 2012, she guest-starred onThe Good Wife as Callie Simko, an attorney who has an interest in Will Gardner.
On October 16, 2016, Nicholson played the lead role of Sheriff Helen Torrance inUSA Network's 10-episode police drama,Eyewitness.
In 2021, Nicholson starred in the HBO seriesMare of Easttown as Lori Ross, best friend of the titular Mare Sheehan, played byKate Winslet. The series proved to be a ratings hit for HBO, breaking viewership records. Her role in the series brought her critical acclaim, with critics especially highlighting her harrowing performance in the series finale. The role won Nicholson her first Primetime Emmy Award forOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series. She also earned a nomination at the Critics Choice Awards for the same role.[citation needed]
In 2025, Nicholson earned Emmy nominations in theOutstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series category for her role as Mary "Dance Mom" Alice inHacks,[9] andOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series category for her role as Samantha "Sinatra" Redmond inParadise,[10] winning the former.
Nicholson has been in a number of plays in New York. Her work in theater includes plays written byCraig Lucas,Adam Rapp, andSam Shepard.
In 2004, she married British actorJonathan Cake in Italy; they met while playing a couple on an unairedHBO pilot calledMarriage. They have two children.[11][12]
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Harvest | Lou Yates | |
| Long Time Since | Vivian James / Phoebe | ||
| One True Thing | College Student | ||
| Curtain Call / It All Came True | Sandra Hewson | ||
| 1999 | The Love Letter | Jennifer McNeely | |
| 2000 | Hero | Young German Woman | Short film |
| Passion of Mind | Kim | ||
| Godass | Nancy | ||
| Tully | Ella Smalley | ||
| 2001 | Dead Dog | Charity | |
| 2002 | Speakeasy | Rebecca | |
| Strike a Light | Girl | ||
| I'm with Lucy | Jo | ||
| 2004 | Seeing Other People | Alice | |
| Little Black Book | Joyce Moore | ||
| Kinsey | Alice Martin | ||
| 2005 | Seagull | Julianne | |
| Her Name Is Carla | Carla | ||
| 2006 | Flannel Pajamas | Nicole Reilly | |
| Puccini for Beginners | Samantha | ||
| Two Weeks | Emily Bergman | ||
| 2009 | Brief Interviews with Hideous Men | Sara Quinn | |
| Staten Island | Mary Halverson | ||
| 2010 | Shadows and Lies | Ann | Also known asIn Praise of Shadows andWilliam Vincent |
| 2012 | Keep the Lights On | Claire | |
| 2013 | August: Osage County | Ivy Weston | |
| 2015 | Black Mass | Marianne Connolly | |
| Ten Thousand Saints | Harriet Horn | ||
| 2016 | Sophie and the Rising Sun | Sophie Willis | |
| From Nowhere | Jackie | ||
| 2017 | Novitiate | Nora Harris | |
| I, Tonya | Diane Rawlinson | ||
| Who We Are Now | Beth | Also producer | |
| 2018 | Weightless | Janeece | |
| 2019 | Monos | 'Doctora' Sara Watson | |
| Togo | Constance Seppala | ||
| Iniciales S.G. | Jane | ||
| 2021 | With/In: Volume 2 | Mom | Segment: "Touching"; also director |
| 2022 | Blonde | Gladys Pearl Baker | |
| Weird: The Al Yankovic Story | Mary Yankovic | ||
| 2023 | Janet Planet | Janet | |
| Dream Scenario | Janet Matthews | [13] | |
| 2025 | The Amateur | Samantha O'Brien | [14] |
| The Tiger | Twin | Short film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Nothing Sacred | Cara | Episode: "Parents and Children" |
| 1998 | Dellaventura | Carol Dakin | Episode: "David & Goliath" |
| New York Undercover | Daisy | Episode: "Sign o' the Times" | |
| 1999 | Storm of the Century | Katrina Withers | TV miniseries |
| 2000 | The Others | Marian Kitt | Main role (13 episodes) |
| 2001 | Law & Order | Jessie Lucas | Episode: "All My Children" |
| 2001–2002 | Ally McBeal | Jenny Shaw | Main role (13 episodes) |
| 2002 | Presidio Med | Dr. Jules Keating | Main role (4 episodes) |
| 2004 | ER | Jordan | Episodes: "Just a Touch", "Abby Normal" |
| 2006 | The Water Is Wide | Barbara | TV film |
| Conviction | Christina Finn | Main role (13 episodes) | |
| 2006–2009 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Detective Megan Wheeler | Main role (Seasons 6–8) |
| 2011 | Royal Pains | Jess Walsh | Episode: "Fight or Flight" |
| 2011–2013 | Boardwalk Empire | Esther Randolph | Recurring role (11 episodes) |
| 2012 | The Good Wife | Callie Simko | Episodes: "Pants on Fire", "The Penalty Box" |
| Covert Affairs | Anna Lise Pound | Episode: "The Last Thing You Should Do" | |
| 2013–2014 | Masters of Sex | Dr. Lillian DePaul | Recurring role (12 episodes) |
| 2014–2015 | The Red Road | Jean Jensen | 12 episodes |
| 2016 | Eyewitness | Sheriff Helen Torrance | Main role (10 episodes) |
| 2017 | Law & Order True Crime | Jill Lansing | Main role (5 episodes) |
| 2020 | The Outsider | Glory Maitland | TV miniseries |
| Robot Chicken | Winifred Sanderson (voice) | Episode: "Ghandi Mulholland in: Plastic Doesn't Get Cancer" | |
| 2021 | Mare of Easttown | Lori Ross | TV miniseries |
| 2022 | Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty | Cranny McKinney | 7 episodes |
| 2025–present | Paradise | Samantha 'Sinatra' Redmond | Main cast (8 episodes)[15] |
| 2025 | Dope Girls | Kate Galloway | 6 episodes[16] |
| Hacks | Dance Mom | 3 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Playwright | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Stranger | Stewardess / Linda's Mom / Girl | Craig Lucas | Mark Brokaw | The Vineyard Theater |
| 2009 | This | Jane | Melissa James Gibson | Daniel Aukin | Playwrights Horizons |
| 2010 | Parents' Evening | Judy | Bathsheba Doran | Jim Simpson | The Flea |
| 2011 | The Hallway Trilogy: Rose | Mary | Adam Rapp | Adam Rapp | Rattlestick Playwrights Theater |
| The Hallway Trilogy: Paraffin | Margo | Adam Rapp | Daniel Aukin | Rattlestick Playwrights Theater | |
| 2012 | Heartless | Sally | Sam Shepard | Daniel Aukin | Signature Theatre |
