After making her name on the New York stage, McDonnell began booking TV and film roles in the early 1980s. Able to exude intelligence and compassion, the actress was well used in a series of roles, notably as a white woman raised by American Indians in 1990's Dances With Wolves and as a paraplegic soap star in 1992's Passion Fish, earning Oscar nods for both performances. In her forties, she looked to the small screen for more fruitful parts, and turned in a slew of solid performances in myriad TV movies. A recurring role on ER as a do-gooder in denial (an Emmy-nominated role) sparked her interest in series television, and in 2003 she landed the plum part of a reluctant president on the lauded revamp of Battlestar Galactica. In 2009, she began appearing on The Closer as a headstrong police captain who goes toe-to-toe with Kyra Sedgwick's character. Off camera, McDonnell is married to fellow actor Randle Mell, and the pair have two children.