Mary Nell Steenburgen was born on February 8, 1953, in Newport, Arkansas, to Nellie Mae Wall, a school-board secretary, and Maurice Hoffman Steenburgen, a freight-train conductor for the Missouri Pacific Railroad12. Growing up in a modest household, Steenburgen developed a love for the arts at a young age. Her mother enrolled her in dance lessons when she was just four years old, and young Mary soon found herself performing for hospitalized veterans and on local television programs3.

Steenburgen's passion for performing arts continued to grow throughout her childhood and teenage years. She was an avid reader and often acted out scenes from books or movies, either alone or with friends3. Her first stage appearance came as a high school senior at North Little Rock's Northeast High School, where she portrayed Emily in "Our Town"3. This early exposure to theater sparked a lifelong passion that would eventually lead her to pursue acting professionally. After graduating high school in 1971, Steenburgen briefly attended Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, before moving to New York City in 1972 to study acting at the prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre42.

Mary Steenburgen's breakthrough role came in 1978 when Jack Nicholson cast her as the female lead in his Western comedy film "Goin' South"12. Nicholson discovered Steenburgen in the reception room of Paramount's New York office and offered her the role of Julia Tate Moon, a spinster who saves Nicholson's character from the gallows by marrying him123. Despite the film's limited success, Steenburgen's performance was highly praised, earning her a Golden Globe nomination and launching her career in Hollywood4.

• The role was Steenburgen's professional acting debut after studying at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse5.

• Her performance in "Goin' South" led to another leading role in the science fiction film "Time After Time" (1979), further establishing her as a rising talent15.

• Steenburgen has credited Nicholson with jumpstarting her career, stating, "I do owe pretty much everything" to him for this opportunity2.

Mary Steenburgen's career reached new heights with her role as Lynda Dummar in Jonathan Demme's 1980 film "Melvin and Howard." Her portrayal of the go-go dancer married to the hapless dreamer Melvin Dummar earned her critical acclaim and industry recognition12. For this performance, Steenburgen won both the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture1.

The film, inspired by the real-life story of Melvin Dummar's alleged encounter with Howard Hughes, showcased Steenburgen's ability to bring depth and charm to her character3. Her win at the 53rd Academy Awards ceremony solidified her status as a rising star in Hollywood and opened doors to more diverse and challenging roles in the years that followed2. This early success in her third film role set the stage for a long and varied career in both film and television.