| Maura Tierney | |
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Date of birth | February 3, 1968 |
| Birth place | Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| ER | |
| Character | Abby Lockhart |
| Seasons | 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15 |
| First episode | "Great Expectations" |
| Last episode | "Shifting Equilibrium" |
| Credits | 189 episodes (see below) |
Maura Tierney (born Maura Lynn Tierney on February 3, 1968, in Boston, Massachusetts) is an actress known for her role as Nurse and later Dr. Abby Lockhart on "ER" from Season 6 to Season 15.
She began her role in sixth season episode "Great Expectations" as a guest star and became a regular in the episode "Abby Road" in that season. Maura reprised the role in fifteenth and final season episode "Shifting Equilibrium".
Maura is also known for her role as Lisa Miller in the NBC sitcom NewsRadio from 1995 to 1999. She also had roles in the films Primal Fear (1996), Liar Liar (1997), Primary Colors (1998), Force of Nature (1999), Instinct (1999), Insomnia (2002) and Welcome to Mooseport (2004).
Trivia
- Her mother Pat is a real estate agent and her late father Joseph was a prominent Boston politician who had served on the Boston City Council for 15 years.
- Is the eldest of three children.
- Attended Notre Dame Academy in Hingham, Massachusetts.
- Studied drama at NYU where she starred in various university plays.
- Received her BFA degree in Theatre Studies
- Honed her skills at the Circle in the Square Theater School, but didn't complete her studies.
- Moved to Los Angeles in 1987 to pursue her acting career.
- Married Billy Morrisette in February of 1993. They met in 1988 after they were both fired from the production set of the television sitcom series "The Ralph Macchio Project" (which never aired). They separated in March of 2006 and divorced in July of 2006.
- Lists "Frasier" and "The Sopranos" as her favorite TV shows.
- She once lived in New York's Hell's Kitchen and sold t-shirts door-to-door in college dormitories.
- Is of Irish Catholic descent.
- Diagnosed her husband's appendicitis attack by using her "ER" textbook.
- Owns a black pug named Rose-Kennedy.
- Was cast in the role of Nurse Abby Lockhart without an audition.
- Wrote an article in the spring 2001 issue of "Flaunt" entitled "Rudy Giuliani : A Fascist? You Be The Judge."
- Maura is close friends with former ER co-star Laura Innes.
- Upon joining ER, Maura was reunited with her former NewsRadio co-star Khandi Alexander, who portrays Jackie Robbins (Peter Benton's sister).
- In the season 13 episode “Crisis of Conscience”, Andy Dick guest stars as Abby Lockhart’s patient, marking another NewsRadio reunion.
- As of 2008, Maura divides her time between New York and Los Angeles.
- In 2008, Maura was listed fifth in Forbes' list of "Prime-Time TV's 20 Top-Earning Women," with earnings for the fiscal year 2007-2008 totaling $7.5 million.
- In July of 2009, Maura underwent surgery to remove a tumor from her breast. She later had a breast mastectomy.
- Maura had to leave the NBC series "Parenthood" after discovering that she had breast cancer. Promotional items with her were already released by NBC to promote the show in 2009. Production had to be pushed back due to Maura's leave. She was eventually replaced by Lauren Graham.
ER Awards
- Nominated for a 2001 TV Guide Award for "Supporting Actress of the Year in a Drama Series" for "ER."
- Nominated for a 2001 Screen Actors Guild Award for "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series" along with the rest of the cast of "ER."
- Nominated for a 2003 Golden Satellite Awards for "Best Performance by an Actress in a Series, Drama" for "ER."
- Nominated for a Prism Award for "Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline" for "ER" in 2003 and 2008.
- Nominated for a 2007 Prism Award for "Performance in a Drama Series Episode."
- Nominated for a 2001 Primetime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series" for "ER."