With a desire to strengthen her craft even further, she applied to the masters program at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and won a full scholarship. Having experienced some success in Washington, Harden moved to Manhattan and had some luck landing small TV and independent film roles. area, she became active in regional Theater and earned Helen Hayes awards in 19 for productions of "Crimes of the Heart" and "The Miss Firecracker Contest." Upon the family's return to the United States, she transferred to the University of Texas in Austin, where she earned a BA in Theater Arts in 1983. Shortly thereafter, she began attending college in Munich, Germany, appearing onstage in rather heavy material for a newcomer, including works by Albee and Chekhov. She was overcome during a visit to the historic Parthenon, and while standing at the foot of the ancient stage, she suddenly became determined to join the legacy of thousands of years of dramatic arts. Intending to enter diplomatic service, Harden changed her plans while the family was living in Greece. Harden spent a peripatetic childhood, changing her identity all the time she would later admit that she even pretended to be a boy for a time while living in Japan.
14, 1959, one of five children born to a U.S.
Whether the script called for a devoted wife, glamorous movie star, or religious zealot, Harden's name was frequently at the top of casting agents' wish lists, maintaining her status as one of film's busiest supporting actresses, who was willing to venture into TV for the right role. Following her "Pollock" win, Harden became an in-demand central player in acclaimed dramas like "Space Cowboys" (2000), "Mystic River" (2003) and "Into the Wild" (2007), although such genre fare as the adaptation of the Stephen King novella "The Mist" (2007) also proved easily within the versatile actress' wheelhouse. She began her career playing the gun-toting moll Verna Bernbaum in the Coen Brothers' ode to 1930s gangsters films, "Miller's Crossing" (1990) prior to earning Tony nominations for performances in stage productions that included Tony Kushner's "Angels in America" in 1993. Academy Award-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden took home an Oscar statuette for her portrayal of artist Lee Krasner in the biopic "Pollock" (2000), although by then the raven-haired actress - who often drew comparisons to screen goddess Ava Gardner - had already earned a solid reputation on Broadway.