Marcia Gay Harden

Marcia Gay Harden, born on August 14, 1959, in La Jolla (California), was the third daughter of five. The mother of her child, Beverly (Bushfield) had been a domestic worker, and her father Thad Harold Harden, was an active soldier. Her family often relocated. When they lived in Greece her interest grew with theater and went to Athens shows. Harden began her studies in Europe at American institutions and then moved to the US, where she completed her education at the University of Texas. In 1983, Harden earned her MFA from NYU. Miller's Crossing was the Coen Brothers comedy that cleverly paid homage to the 1990 gangster movie, Miller's Crossing. Although Harden was in films as early as 1986 (in the lesser-known The Imagemaker), she appeared as a seductive female lead in her first role in the mainstream. Harden was praised for her seductive performance as Verna. Harden was later cast in supporting role. She played Ava Gardner, a TV biopic about Frank Sinatra.