Robin Tunney
| Robin Tunney | |
|---|---|
 Tunney in 2013 | |
| Born |
June 19, 1972 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse(s) | Bob Gosse (m. 1997–2006) |
Robin Tunney (born June 19, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Teresa Lisbon in the television series The Mentalist (2008–2015), as well as previous roles in the films Encino Man (1992), Empire Records (1995), The Craft (1996), End of Days (1999), Supernova and Vertical Limit (2000), and the television series Prison Break (2005–2006).
Early life
Tunney was born in Chicago, Illinois, to a car salesman father and a bartender mother.[1][2] Tunney is Irish American;[3][4] her father was born in Straide, County Mayo, Ireland, while her maternal grandparents were from Clare Island.[5] Tunney grew up in Orland Park, a southwest suburb of Chicago. She was raised Roman Catholic,[4] attended Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park and the Chicago Academy for the Arts in Chicago,[6] and resided in Palos Heights, also in the Chicago area.[7] She is a cousin of Chicago Alderman Tom Tunney.[7]
Career
At the age of 19, Tunney moved to Los Angeles, California, and obtained several recurring television roles on Class of '96, Law & Order, Dream On, and Life Goes On. She gave her breakthrough performance as a suicidal teenager in Empire Records (with a shaved head) and attracted further attention by playing a witch in The Craft.
In 1997, Tunney starred in (her husband at the time) Bob Gosse's Niagara, Niagara with Henry Thomas in a performance which garnered her the Best Actress award Volpi Cup at the 1997 Venice International Film Festival. Tunney also was featured opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1999 supernatural action film End of Days.
She starred in the pilot episode of House as a kindergarten teacher who collapses before her class and descends into aphasia; she was credited as a "special guest star". She portrayed Veronica Donovan on the first season of Prison Break, credited third after two main characters, and left the show after the premiere episode of the second season. She had a minor role in the film August released on July 11, 2008. Tunney also starred opposite Simon Baker in the CBS drama series The Mentalist, playing Teresa Lisbon.
Personal life
Tunney married producer and director Bob Gosse on October 4, 1997;[8] they divorced in 2006. In 2009, Tunney was engaged to Australian writer and director Andrew Dominik[9] but they called off their engagement by August 2010.[10] Tunney became engaged to interior designer Nicky Marmet on December 25, 2012, while on vacation in Rio de Janeiro.[11]
On June 28, 2006, Tunney won the fifth table of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown' season eight, finishing ahead of Christopher Meloni, Macy Gray, Joy Behar, and Andy Dick, moving on to the final cut. The finale aired on July 5, 2006, where she competed against Jason Alexander, Michael Ian Black, Ida Siconolfi, and Keegan-Michael Key. Tunney came in second, behind Alexander, earning $200,000 for The Children's Health Fund. In August 2006, Tunney played in the World Series of Poker after having her entrance fee covered by the online cardroom PokerRoom.com.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Encino Man | Ella | |
| 1995 | Empire Records | Debra | |
| 1996 | The Craft | Sarah Bailey | |
| 1996 | Riders of the Purple Sage | Elizabeth 'Bess' Erne, Oldring's Masked Rider/Daughter | |
| 1997 | Julian Po | Sarah | |
| 1997 | Niagara, Niagara | Marcy | |
| 1998 | Montana | Kitty | |
| 1998 | Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Families | Melvina 'Malka' Csizmadi | |
| 1999 | End of Days | Christine York | |
| 2000 | Vertical Limit | Annie Garrett | |
| 2000 | Supernova | Danika Lund | |
| 2001 | Investigating Sex | Zoe | |
| 2002 | The Secret Lives of Dentists | Laura | |
| 2002 | Cherish | Zoe | |
| 2003 | Abby Singer | Herself (cameo) | |
| 2003 | The In-Laws | Angela Harris | |
| 2004 | Paparazzi | Abby Laramie | |
| 2004 | Shadow of Fear | Wynn French | |
| 2005 | The Zodiac | Laura Parish | |
| 2005 | Runaway | Carly | |
| 2006 | Hollywoodland | Leonore Lemmon | |
| 2006 | The Darwin Awards | Zoe | |
| 2006 | Open Window | Izzy | |
| 2008 | August | Melanie | |
| 2008 | The Burning Plain | Laura | |
| 2008 | The Two Mr. Kissels | Nancy Kissel | |
| 2009 | Passenger Side | Theresa | |
| 2012 | See Girl Run | Emmie | |
| 2015 | My All American | Gloria Steinmark |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Perry Mason: The Case of Reckless Romeo | Sandra Turner | Movie |
| 1993 | JFK: Reckless Youth | Kathleen 'Kick' Kennedy | Movie |
| 1993 | Cutters | Deborah | 5 episodes |
| 1994 | Law & Order | Jill Templeton | Episode: "Mayhem" |
| 2003 | The Twilight Zone | Edie Durant | Episode: "Developing" |
| 2004 | House | Rebecca Adler | Pilot episode |
| 2005–2006 | Prison Break | Veronica Donovan | Season 1, and the season 2 episode "Manhunt" (23 episodes) |
| 2008–2015 | The Mentalist | Teresa Lisbon | 151 episodes |
| 2016 | Love | SLAA Woman | Episode: "The End of the Beginning" |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | MTV Movie Awards | Best Fight (shared with Fairuza Balk) | The Craft | Won |
| 1997 | Volpi Cup | Best Actress | Niagara, Niagara | Won |
| 1999 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Female Lead | Niagara, Niagara | Nominated |
| 2001 | Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Actress – Action | Vertical Limit | Nominated |
| 2006 | Boston Film Festival | Festival Prize | Open Window | Won |
| 2009 | People's Choice Awards | Best New Series (shared with Simon Baker, Amanda Righetti, Owain Yeoman and Tim Kang) | The Mentalist | Won |
| 2015 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Crime Drama TV (shared with Simon Baker, Amanda Righetti, Owain Yeoman and Tim Kang) | The Mentalist | Nominated |
| Favorite TV Crime Drama Actress [12] | Nominated |
References
- ↑ "Robin Tunney Biography (1972?-)". Film Reference.
- ↑ McGavin, Patrick Z (July 5, 1998). "It's All An Act". Chicago Tribune.
- ↑ Burgerstein, Jonathan (March 1998). "Fly, Robin Hood, flyperpa". Interview.
- 1 2 Hughes, Scott (1999-12-05). "Robin Tunney's angst-ridden roles". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-06-24.
...her compulsion to tackle tough parts range from her Irish-Catholic background...
- ↑ "My Irish dad would pretend to be a gay hairdresser!". Independent. March 19, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
- ↑ "Robin Tunney:Biography". Movies MSN. Retrieved 2010-06-24.
- 1 2 Crowder, Courtney (2010-09-21). "Palos Heights native wears a smile on CBS' 'Mentalist'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
- ↑ Weiner, Carey (March 22, 1998). "Up and Coming: Robin Tunney; a young best actress takes the plunge in 'Niagara, Niagara'". The New York Times. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
- ↑ Zuckerman, Suzanne (May 2009). "Actress Robin Tunney on How to Speak Your Mind". Women's Health. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
- ↑ Morrison, Mark (August 2010). "Robin's Green Shades". In Style Magazine. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
- ↑ Eggenberger, Nicole (February 5, 2013). "Exclusive: Robin Tunney, the Mentalist star, engaged to Nicky Marmet". Us Weekly. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
- ↑ "Favorite Crime Drama TV Actress". People's Choice Awards. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
External links
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