Mary Mara, ‘ER’ and ‘West Wing’ Actor, Dead at 61 in Apparent Drowning

Mary Mara, an actor known for her roles on ER and Law & Order, has died. She was 61.

Mara’s death was reported by the New York State Police, who shared that she died in an apparent drowning in Cape Vincent, NY, on Sunday (June 26). Her body was found by paramedics in the St. Lawrence River, according to a press release, which states that a “preliminary investigation suggests [Mara] drowned while swimming.”

Police do not suspect foul play at this time; an investigation into her death is ongoing.

Mara’s manager, Craig Dorfman, confirmed her death to CNN, stating, “Mary was one of the finest actresses I ever met. I still remember seeing her onstage in 1992 in Mad Forest off Broadway. She was electric, funny, and a true individual. Everyone loved her. She will be missed.”

Mara was an accomplished character actor with roles on popular series like Ally McBeal, The Practice, The West Wing, Star Trek: Enterprise, Monk, Nip/Tuck, Bones, Lost and Dexter. Her more recent roles include appearances on Shameless, Ray Donovan, Criminal Minds and Doubt.

While Mara appeared in dozens of TV shows, she was also featured in films like Mr. Saturday Night, Love Potion No. 9 and Prom Night. Her most recent credit is listed on IMDb as the 2020 film Break Even.

Mara was also a stage actor. According to her IMDb biography, she starred alongside Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Goldblum and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in a New York Shakespeare Festival production of Twelfth Night. She also starred in productions of Kindertransport, Dream of a Common Language and Mad Forest for the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York. Mara received an MFA from the Yale School of Drama.

She is survived by her stepdaughter, Katie Mersola; her sister, Martha Mara; her sister, Susan Mara, and brother-in-law, Scott Dailey; and her nephew, Christopher Dailey, according to Deadline.