Marcia Gay Harden

Marcia Gay Harden, born on August 14, 1959, in La Jolla (California), was the third child of five. She was the daughter of Beverly (Bushfield), was a homemaker and her dad, Thad Harold Harden was a soldier. She began to develop an interest in theater while staying with her family in Greece as well as attending shows in Athens. Harden went on to study at American universities in Europe, then returned to the US after 1983 to continue her education at University of Texas. She earned an MFA from NYU and began acting professionally. Miller's Crossing was the Coen Brothers humorous homage to the 1990 film about gangsters, Miller's Crossing. Although Harden appeared in movies in the year 1986 (in the lesser-known The Imagemaker), she was a sexy woman in the film as her debut mainstream role. Harden's sultry portrayal of Verna who was a mysterious, attractive moll, was praised by critiques. Harden worked hard as an actor supporting the character, playing Ava Gardner in Sinatra (92), the television biopic from Frank Sinatra.