Mary 'Mare' Megan Winningham is an actress and songwriter who has appeared in nearly 100 TV shows and feature films. She began her career in 1976 as a singer, and starred in numerous and diverse film roles before hitting it big as one of the original Brat Pack in 'Joel Schumacher' .
Children: Riley Mapel (1981-2005), Patrick "Paddy" Mapel and Jack Mapel (b. 1985), Calla Louise Mapel , and Happy Atticus Mapel (born 1988).
Her TV debut at age 16 was on "The Gong Show" .
She is also a folk singer-songwriter with a couple of albums.
Went to Chatsworth High School in Los Angeles with Val Kilmer and Kevin Spacey. During their senior year, Kevin played von Trapp and Mare played Maria in a school production of "The Sound of Music." Upon hearing of their Oscar nominations in 1996, Winningham sent a telegram to Spacey saying: "Captain von Trapp - congratulations on your nomination - Maria."
When she appeared as a contestant on TVs "The Gong Show" (c. 1978), she was introduced as Sharon Shamus by host Chuck Barris. She played guitar and sang the Lennon & McCartney song "Here, There and Everywhere." And no... she did not get gonged. The panel loved her.
Learned American Sign Language for her role as Maggie in Love Is Never Silent .
Is the only brat packer ever to be nominated for an Academy Award (for Georgia ).
She played a virgin in the movie St. Elmos Fire while she was pregnant.
Along with Claude Rains (for Mr. Skeffington ), Vanessa Redgrave (for Julia ), Kate Winslet (for Iris (2000/I) , and Philip Seymour Hoffman (for The Master ), she is one of the few performers to be nominated for an Supporting Oscar for playing the title role in a movie. As of 2013, Redgrave is the only one to win.
Was one of the nine original members of the 1980s "brat pack," along with Judd Nelson , Andrew McCarthy , Anthony Michael Hall , Demi Moore , Rob Lowe , Molly Ringwald , Emilio Estevez , and Ally Sheedy.
Though born an Irish Catholic, in 2000, Winningham felt her spiritual life was lacking, and, based on a recommendation from a friend, in November 2001, she signed up for a class given by Rabbi Neal Weinberg at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, California. On March 3, 2003, she converted to Judaism and became a member of two Conservative synagogues, Temple Beth Am in Los Angeles and Temple Knesset Israel in Hollywood, California.
Winningham attended Andasol Avenue Elementary School in Northridge, California. Her favorite subjects included drama. She also signed up for guitar lessons at a local park, and by the 6th grade, was, in her view, "pretty good." It was at this time that she adopted the nickname "Mare." She attended Patrick Henry Junior High School, taking the extended drama option, and on summer vacations, she studied drama at CSUNs Teenage Drama Workshop.
Winningham was raised in Northridge, California, with three brothers and one sister. Her father was the Chairman of the Department of Physical Education at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), and her mother was an English teacher and college counselor at a local high school. She credits her first interest in acting to seeing an interview with Kym Karath (who played Gretl in The Sound of Music ) on Art Linkletter s television show "House Party" (1952) when she was five or six years old.
Oldest child, son Riley Mapel, committed suicide on August 14, 2005.
She is the oldest member of the Brat Pack.
Met first husband, A. Martinez while both acted in "The Young Pioneers" . Their marriage in 1981 lasted only a few months. She married her second husband, Bill Mapel, the same year.
Sister of musician Patrick Winningham who fronted "The New Breed" band featured in sister Mares breakthrough movie St. Elmos Fire .
Did not attend the 1980 Emmy Awards ceremony, where she won a best supporting actress award for Amber Waves , due to an actors strike which boycotted the event. She did attend the ceremony when she won her second Emmy in the same category for George Wallace .
Has been friends with Jennifer Jason Leigh since meeting at a summer camp in their teens. Winningham has acted in three movies written by Leighs mother, Barbara Turner : Freedom (her character being loosely based on Turners daughter Carrie Ann Morrow ), Eye on the Sparrow , and her Oscar-nominated role in Georgia , acting opposite Leigh.
Met second husband, Bill Mapel, while working on the TV movie Freedom . A former carnival worker, he was working as a technical advisor on the carnival scenes of the movie.
As of 2016, she has released four pop/folk albums: "What Might Be" , "Lonesomers" , "Refuge Rock Sublime" and "Whats Left Behind".
