Madeleine Stowe (born August 18, 1958) is an American actress. She appeared mostly on television before her role in the 1987 crime-comedy film Stakeout. She went on to star in the films Revenge (1990), Unlawful Entry (1992), The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Blink (1993), 12 Monkeys (1995), The General's Daughter (1999), and We Were Soldiers (2002). For her role in the 1993 independent film Short Cuts, she won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress.
From 2011 to 2015, Stowe starred as Victoria Grayson, the main antagonist of the ABC drama series Revenge. For this role, she was nominated for the 2012 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. She also played Ingrid Kersh in the HBO series It: Welcome to Derry.
Early life and education Madeleine Stowe was born at the Queen of Angels Hospital in Los Angeles, California, on August 18, 1958, the first of three children. She was raised in Eagle Rock, a section of Los Angeles. Her father, Robert, was a civil engineer from Oregon, while her mother, Mireya (née Mora Steinvorth), came from a prominent family in Costa Rica.
Stowe's father suffered from multiple sclerosis, and she accompanied him to all his medical treatments.
Acting career
Early years Stowe began her career performing on stage at the Solaris, a Beverly Hills theater, where a movie agent saw her in a play and got her several offers of appearances in TV and films. In 1978, she made her debut in an episode in the police drama series Baretta, followed by a string of TV work, with guest appearances on The Amazing Spider-Man, Barnaby Jones and Little House on the Prairie. In 1978, she played a leading role as Mary in the television movie, The Nativity (1978). She starred in two NBC miniseries: Beulah Land (1980) and The Gangster Chronicles (1981), which starred Brian Benben, her future husband. She also starred in several television films, such as Amazons (1984) and Blood & Orchids (1986). In 1984, she was featured in the music video for JD Souther's song "Go Ahead and Rain"
Breakthrough and film career
In 1987, Stowe appeared in her first breakthrough role in the feature film Stakeout with Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez. The film debuted at number one at the U.S. box office. In 1988, she played a leading role in Ciro Durán's film Tropical Snow, with David Carradine. She co-starred with Mark Harmon in the comedy Worth Winning, with Kevin Costner in the 1989 thriller Revenge, and opposite Jack Nicholson in 1990 in The Two Jakes. She played a leading role in the 1991 independent film Closet Land.Closet Land (1990), AllRovi.
In 1992, she appeared opposite Kurt Russell in the crime drama Unlawful Entry. That same year, Stowe played Cora Munro in The Last of the Mohicans, which also starred Daniel Day-Lewis. Her critically acclaimed performance in the film, which grossed more than $75 million worldwide, elevated Stowe from supporting player to an A-list movie star. The next year, director Robert Altman cast Stowe in his ensemble film Short Cuts, where she gave one of her most acclaimed screen performances as the wife of a compulsively lying and adulterous police officer played by Tim Robbins. She won the National Society of Film Critics Awards for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe Award and a Volpi Cup for Best Ensemble Cast for her performance in the movie. She also made a cameo appearance in Stakeout sequel Another Stakeout. The following year, Stowe played a leading role as a blind musician in the thriller Blink, in the neo-noir thriller China Moon, and in the Western Bad Girls. The year after that, she played Kathryn Railly, a sympathetic psychiatrist, in Terry Gilliam's dystopian science fiction film 12 Monkeys. Stowe received a Saturn Awards nomination for this performance.
In 1994, Stowe was named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World". In 1995, Stowe was chosen by Empire magazine as one of the "100 Sexiest Stars in Film History".
2000-present Stowe postponed her acting career in 1996 to concentrate on her family life. She settled for several years in a Texas ranch, with her daughter May and husband Brian Benben. In 1998, she came back with The Proposition and Playing by Heart, and then The General's Daughter, opposite John Travolta in 1999. In 2001, she starred in the science-fiction box office bomb Impostor. In 2002, she played Julia Moore in the war film We Were Soldiers with Mel Gibson, and the box office flop action-comedy Avenging Angelo opposite Sylvester Stallone. In 2003, she starred in the thriller Octane as Senga Wilson, a single mother trying to save her teenage daughter (Mischa Barton) from a bizarre cult obsessed with blood and cars.
Stowe's onscreen appearances became increasingly rare in the 2000s, as she focused on motherhood. She occasionally appeared in some TV productions, such as Saving Milly, an adaptation of Morton Kondracke's book of the same name, of a woman diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Stowe starred in the not-picked-up Fox pilot Southern Comfort about a woman who takes over her mobster husband's business when he gets sent to prison. In 2007, she appeared in the recurring role of Dr. Samantha Kohl in Jeff Goldblum's detective drama Raines on NBC, a mid-season replacement. The series was canceled after two months. In 2009 she starred in the Lifetime movie, The Christmas Hope.
In 2011, Stowe announced her return and began playing Victoria Grayson, the glamorous and powerful matriarch of the Grayson family, on ABC's television drama series Revenge. It debuted on September 21, and was picked up for a full season by ABC on October 13. Stowe's portrayal of the character received critical praise, and she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama for this role. In April 2012, she was listed at No. 5 in People magazine's annual Most Beautiful Woman list. The series ended in 2015 after four seasons and 89 episodes.
In May and June 2016, Stowe guest hosted primetime films on Turner Classic Movies, appearing in dozens of wraparounds on the channel. In 2019, she returned to acting starring as actress Margot Weston in the Netflix musical drama series, Soundtrack. The series was canceled after one season.
In 2025, Stowe stars in the HBO supernatural horror television series It: Welcome to Derry which is based on Stephen King's novel It (1986) and serves as a prequel to the films It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019).
In 2026, Stowe stars as the conniving, wealthy heiress, Gertrude Payne in the Netflix crime drama miniseries I Will Find You adapted from Harlan Coben's 2023 novel of the same name.
Personal life In 1982, Stowe married Brian Benben, whom she had met on the set of the NBC miniseries The Gangster Chronicles the previous year. Together they have one daughter, born in 1996. Before living in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, they lived on a ranch west of Austin, near Fredericksburg, Texas. , Stowe resides in Memphis, Tennessee in the Midtown historic district of Chickasaw Gardens.
In 2008, Stowe traveled to Haiti and helped found Artists for Peace and Justice. She serves on the board of directors of the foundation.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes1981Gangster WarsRuth Lasker1987StakeoutMaria McGuire1988Tropical SnowMarina1989Worth WinningVeronica Briskow 1990Revenge Mireya MendezLillian Bodine1991Closet LandVictim 1992Unlawful EntryKaren CarrCora Munro 1993Another StakeoutMaria McGuireUncredited cameoShort CutsSherri Shepard 1994China MoonRachel MunroBlinkEmma BrodyBad GirlsCody Zamora199512 MonkeysKathryn Railly 1998The PropositionEleanor BarretPlaying by HeartGracie1999Warr. Off. Sara Sunhill2001ImpostorMaya Olham 2002We Were SoldiersJulia MooreAvenging AngeloJennifer Barrett Allieghieri2003OctaneSenga Wilsonaka Pulse
Television Year Title Role Notes 1978BarettaAnnaEpisode: "The Marker"Maria CalderonEpisode: "Escort to Danger"Mary, mother of JesusMovieHetty HutterMovie1979Barnaby JonesDianeEpisode: "School of Terror" 1980Beulah LandSelma Kendrick DavisMiniseriesLittle House on the PrairieAnnie CraneEpisode: "Portrait of Love" 1981Trapper John, M.D.CassieEpisode: "Creepy Time Gal"Ruth LaskerMiniseries1984AmazonsDr. Sharon FieldsMovie1986Blood & OrchidsHester Ashley MurdochMovie2002Isabel Amberson MinaferMovie2005Saving MillyMilly MartinezMovie2006Southern ComfortCharlottePilot2007RainesDr. Samantha Kohl5 episodes2009Patricia AddisonMovie 2011–2015 Revenge Victoria Grayson 89 episodes201612 MonkeysLillianEpisode: "Memory of Tomorrow" 2019 Soundtrack Margot Weston 10 episodes 2021 Eli Roth's History of Horror Herself Docuseries; episode: "Infections" 2025 It: Welcome to Derry Ingrid Kersh / Periwinkle 6 episodes 2026 I Will Find You Gertrude Payne 5 episodes
Awards and nominations Year Association Category Work Result 1993 Venice Film Festival Special Volpi Cup for Best Ensemble CastShort Cuts 1994 National Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe Awards Special Award for Ensemble Cast 1996 Sci-Fi Universe Magazine, USA Best Actress in a Genre Motion Picture12 Monkeys Saturn Awards Best Actress 2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Favorite Supporting Actress - SuspenseThe General's Daughter ALMA Awards Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film 2003 American Veterans Center Best Actress We Were Soldiers 2005 Imagen Awards Best Actress Saving Milly 2012 Golden Globe Awards Best Actress – Television Series DramaRevenge Dorian Awards Television Performance of the Year ALMA Awards Favorite TV Actress – Drama 2013TV Guide AwardsFavorite Villain 2014 Keck School of Medicine of USCHumanitarian Award
References
External links
Madeleine Stowe at People.com