Elizabeth McGovern

American actress

Person · Open Library

Born: 1961-07-18
Works: 2

Top works

Mathematics Journal
The Scarlet Letter Lib/E

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Acting · Evanston, Illinois, USA

Elizabeth McGovern (born July 18, 1961) is an American film, television, and theater actress. In 1980, while studying at Juilliard, McGovern was offered a part in her first film, Ordinary People, in which she played the girlfriend of troubled teenager Timothy Hutton. The following year she completed her education as an actress at the American Conservatory Theatre and at The Juilliard School,…

Known for

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale — Cora Crawley2025
Downton Abbey Celebrates the Grand Finale — Self2025
Talamasca: The Secret Order — Helen2025
And Mrs. — Margaret2024
Downton Abbey: A New Era — Cora Crawley2022
The Chaperone — Norma2019
Downton Abbey — Cora Crawley2019

Article

Elizabeth Lee McGovern (born July 18, 1961) is an American actress. She has received three Screen Actors Guild Awards, as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Satellite Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, among numerous other career plaudits and honors.

Born in Evanston, Illinois on July 18, 1961, McGovern spent most of her early life in Los Angeles. After attending the American Conservatory Theater and the Juilliard School, she made her feature film debut in Ordinary People (1980). For her role as Evelyn Nesbit in the film adaptation of Ragtime (1981), she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She subsequently had lead roles in a number of major studio films, including Once Upon a Time in America (1984), She's Having a Baby (1987), The Bedroom Window (1987), The Handmaid's Tale (1990), and The Wings of the Dove (1997).