Maggie Siff is an intelligent and warm American actress who plays roles that involve high stakes and conflicts. Being successful at playing complex roles, she is known for appearing in such cable dramas as Mad Men, Sons of Anarchy, and the show Billions. Despite her success in movies and TV shows, before entering this sphere she had been training in theater.

Early life and training

Born on June 21, 1974, in The Bronx, New York City, Maggie had an opportunity to see a lot of productions since it is the place where lots of theaters are based. Besides, there are a number of film industry companies as well as TV stations, thus there were many interesting things for Maggie, who liked acting. To receive better skills in this sphere, she went to study at Bryn Mawr College and then at the graduate acting program of NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

It is possible to say that it is clear that Maggie got a good education. This can be observed in the calmness and consistency of her roles. Maggie's characters are never loud and they get revealed only step-by-step. One can understand from Maggie's performances rather than from interviews that she gives a high importance to preparation and detailed work. Besides, before entering the television sphere and becoming famous, she played in theaters as well as in small movies.

Television breakthrough

Her breakthrough occurred in Mad Men in 2007 when Maggie played Rachel Menken, a confident woman who was able to keep the balance. Playing Rachel showed that Maggie could fit into such an interesting team. In addition, Rachel was not intended to serve just as a side figure of the main character Don Draper; she had her plans and problems which she could discuss with other characters. Thus, Maggie had a perfect opportunity to show what she can do.

Besides this role, her participation in Sons of Anarchy is well-known; the series started in 2008. Maggie played Tara Knowles there. It was her best-known role; she had to be consistent since Tara was not the easiest character. She was a doctor who had a hard childhood. It was not easy for Tara because of complicated relations with the main character. Tara played an important role in the conflicts that took place.

Later Maggie participated in Billions. Wendy Rhoades, whom she played in this TV show, is the performance coach who lives in a world of finances, power, and ambitions. This gave her another possibility to show intelligence since this part was quite different from others; however, consistency and intensity are its basic qualities.

Filmography

Though Maggie is mostly famous for participating in movies and TV shows, she has also taken part in independent projects as well as feature films. Such films as Leaves of Grass and Push were released in 2009; besides, there are some other dramatic movies on her list of movie credits.

The reason why Maggie is well-known is that she chooses complex roles, thus she keeps on being a consistent actress. She prefers such roles because of the moral tension in them, their real complexity and emotional intelligence. Thus, people watching Maggie's work should begin with Mad Men, Sons of Anarchy and Billions.