Mary Stuart Masterson Biography

Fast Facts

• Her directorial debut film, "The Cake Eaters," won the Audience Award for Best Feature at the Ashland Independent Film Festival in 2007
• Won the award for Best Supporting Actress from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures for her work on the 1989 film "Immediate Family․"
• Studied Anthropology at New York University for eight months
• Attended Stagedoor Manor, a summer theater camp, as a teenager, which also hosted the likes of Robert Downey Jr․, Zach Braff, Mandy Moore, and Jon Cryer
• Worked with Sean Penn and Christopher Walken on the 1986 film "At Close Range," which she considered inspiring and a "really big deal․"
• Quote: "(On stage vs․ screen acting): "Ultimately it's the same thing․ Whether it's comedy or drama, film or stage or musical theatre, it all comes from the same place․""
• Quote: "I hate being referred to as a female director․ Obviously I'm female, but being a good director has nothing to do with gender or what genitalia you do or don't have․"
• Quote: "(On her career highlights): "When you're doing something, that's your highlight! But I feel like I've had a chance to learn from everything, good or bad that I've done․""
• Best known for her roles in dramatic comedies like "Fried Green Tomatoes" and "Benny & Joon," and often plays tough, tomboy characters
• In her first film appearance, in the 1975 film "The Stepford Wives," she played the daughter to her real-life father, Peter Masterson