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Elizabeth McGovern

A stage-trained actress with a vulnerable, vibrant screen presence, Elizabeth McGovern made her film debut as the sympathetic girlfriend to Timothy Hutton in the Oscar-winning "Ordinary People" (1980), and followed it up with an Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated turn as chorus girl Evelyn Nesbit in Milos Forman's "Ragtime" (1981). She was memorably paired with Robert De Niro in "Once Upon a Time in America" (1984) and Kevin Bacon in "She's Having a Baby," (1988), as well as impressed as a lesbian rebel in the dystopia-set "The Handmaid's Tale" (1990) and in the unusual romantic comedy "The Favor" (1994). She moved to Great Britain to marry English producer-director Simon Curtis in 1992 but returned to the States for work, appearing in Jean-Jacques Annaud's "Wings of Courage" (1995), various theatrical productions, and starring with Hank Azaria on her own sitcom, "If Not for You" (CBS, 1995). The actress took supporting roles in a string of highly acclaimed, literary-inspired projects, including the Oscar-nominated "The Wings of the Dove" (1997) and "The House of Mirth" (2000). She landed big screen roles as mothers to the heroes of "Kick-Ass" (2010) and "Clash of the Titans" (2010) but dazzled critics on the small screen with her masterful portrayal of the Countess of Grantham on the international smash "Dowtown Abbey" (ITV, 2010). A fascinating talent, Elizabeth McGovern brought a unique intelligence and beauty to her roles that only deepened and improved with age.