Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is an American screen actress whose career has always distinguished itself by her ability to give her roles not only intensity, but also high intelligence and emotional control. Born in Lombard, Illinois, in 1958, the young woman moved into acting through the stage, after which she established herself as a significant movie actress during the 1980s and afterwards. Her screen debut came when she participated in the filming of Scarface; however, it is The Color of Money that brought her an Academy Award nomination, after which Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio became known as one of the best dramatic actresses and managed to work in various genres, from thrillers to family adventures. Her career has become unique because no matter what kind of movies the actress starred in, each of her characters looks credible, powerful, and authentic.
Early life and training
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was born November 17, 1958, in Lombard, Illinois, a city in Illinois. Her birth and upbringing were in Illinois suburbs; however, the development of her abilities occurred prior to her appearance in front of the nationwide movie audience. Such an early life history can shed some light on Mastrantonio and explain what sort of actress she became: disciplined, theatrical, and skilled in making dialogue as well as silent acting.
Unlike many other actresses famous in movies during the 1980s, Mastrantonio studied formally before starting a professional career, getting a formal education at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. It may have helped the actress develop the style in which each of her characters seems carefully calculated but not cold.
As with many of the stars that later succeeded in making their names in the movies, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio became an actress because of the theater school in which she was trained. This sort of experience helped the actress to develop a special screen style in which the main priority is not making anything extravagant and loud, but being convincing instead.
Film breakthrough and recognition
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's first appearance on the movie screen can be attributed to the actress's participation in the film Scarface. It was filmed in 1983 and made Mastrantonio play the role of Gina Montana. Scarface is recognized as one of the best American gangster films of the 1980s; however, the appearance of Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in that movie was short compared to other, more significant roles that the actress played later.
Her breakthrough happened three years after Scarface – Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio starred in The Color of Money. Along with two other leading figures in it, Paul Newman and Tom Cruise, Mastrantonio played the role of Carmen, a character required both independence and vulnerability in the story full of male ambitions. This movie brought her high recognition; however, it was not just another good supporting role in one of the movie stars' vehicles – it was much better than this as it demonstrated not just Mastrantonio's talent, but her professionalism as a performer who managed to bring into her performance such qualities as poise, intelligence, and realism.
Mastrantonio continued starring in movies such as Once Around (1991), The Perfect Storm (2000), as Linda Greenlaw, the real-life swordfishing captain, and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), as Marian. She starred in The Abyss (1989), which needed an actress able to act in demanding technical circumstances and who could give a big-budget movie some human feeling; Lindsey Brigman in this movie became an important part of the tension caused by impressive special effects and helped the viewer to understand the plot much better. In addition, this movie was directed by one of the most successful modern directors, James Cameron.
Across the movies mentioned above, Mastrantonio managed to create a unique screen image that became typical for her in the future: the role of an intelligent woman, full of emotions that she can suppress and that become visible to her viewers. This style helped the actress successfully change the genres of her performances, as each movie of Mastrantonio is full of credibility and reality.
Television and later works
Besides starring in a number of great films, Mastrantonio has taken part in the television serial Blind Justice. It helped the actress show that her style works in the new format and that she is perfect at working in TV as the screen actress who knows how to work with any script and what kind of style an actress should use there. It allows one to see Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's career style clearly: she always preferred the roles allowing her to create believable characters rather than those requiring her just to be decorative in front of camera. It was why this actress was respected among movie lovers of the 1980s-1990s era. Despite the fact that Mastrantonio has become a specialist in playing such characters as independent women able to show emotions despite difficulties around them, she successfully acted in many different genres of cinema, such as The Color of Money, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Abyss, The Perfect Storm, and so on.