LOS ANGELES (AP) -February 4, 2008
That's what happens when you do your job as well as Ryan did in
"Gone Baby Gone," in which she plays the mother of all neglectful
mothers - boozy, promiscuous, corrosively foul-mouthed and out
either doing drugs or transporting them when she should be home
with her darling 4-year-old daughter.
The role has vaulted Ryan from acclaimed stage performer and TV
regular to movie star, earning her an Academy Award nomination as
supporting actress among her many film honors this season.
Ryan dominated "Gone Baby Gone," Ben Affleck's directing
debut. Coming out on DVD Feb. 12, the movie features Ryan as
Helene, a low-class mom who displays shocking callousness and
duplicity amid a media circus over the abduction of her daughter.
Along with the Oscar honor, the role earned Ryan
supporting-actress nominations for the Golden Globes and the Screen
Actors Guild Awards, plus prizes from many key critics groups.
Ryan grew up in Queens and attended New York's High School of
the Performing Arts. She began working in theater, TV and film,
landing recurring parts on such TV shows as "The Wire" and "I'll
Fly Away."
Her big-screen career has surged since last fall, when she
followed "Gone Baby Gone" with roles in Steve Carell's "Dan in
Real Life" and Sidney Lumet's "Before the Devil Knows You're
Dead."
Ryan, who is in her late 30s but declined to give her precise
age.
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