Zoe Perry

Zoe Perry
Born (1983-09-26) September 26, 1983 (age 41)
Alma materBoston University
Northwestern University (BA)
OccupationActress
Years active1992–present
Spouse
Gab Taraboulsy
(m. 2021)
Parents
RelativesZoe Akins (grand-aunt)
Hugo Rumbold (grand-uncle)[1]

Zoe Perry (born September 26, 1983)[2] is an American actress. She was a regular on the CBS sitcom Young Sheldon as Mary Cooper, a character earlier portrayed by her mother Laurie Metcalf on The Big Bang Theory. Perry's performance as Mary Cooper earned a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination. Perry also had recurring roles on The Family (2016) and Scandal (2017).

Early life

[edit]

Perry was born in Chicago to actors Laurie Metcalf and Jeff Perry.[2][3] Her first television roles were two appearances as Jackie Harris (as seen in flashback) on the ABC sitcom Roseanne, the character portrayed by her mother.[4] Her parents, however, did not want her to pursue acting until she became an adult, fearing the effect of stress.[5] Perry said that she was too shy to act in high school, but began performing at Northwestern University as a way to make friends after transferring from Boston University.[6][5]

Career

[edit]

After graduating, Perry moved to New York to search for television work, landing small roles on series such as Law & Order: Criminal Intent, but homesickness brought her back to California, where she found theater work.[6] In 2013, she performed in The Other Place on Broadway alongside her mother.[6] In 2015, she performed alongside her father and Kevin McKidd in Eugene O'Neill's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Anna Christie at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble in West Los Angeles.[7]

Perry appeared in nine episodes of the ABC thriller The Family in 2016.[8] In 2017, she had a recurring role on the ABC political thriller Scandal, starring her father.[4][9] The same year, she was cast on Young Sheldon, a spin-off of the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, as a younger version of Mary Cooper (Sheldon Cooper's mother). It was the same character her mother had played on 14 episodes of The Big Bang Theory.[4] Despite her family link to the character, she received the role through an audition.[4][9] She reprised the role of Mary Cooper on Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, which premiered on CBS on October 17, 2024.

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
2008 Deception Secretary #1 [8]
The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond Mathilde [10]
2011 Turkey Bowl Zoe
2014 Everyday Miracles Maxine
2016 No Pay, Nudity Renie [11]

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1992, 1995 Roseanne Young Jackie Harris 2 episodes
2006 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Wendy Episode: "Vacancy"
Conviction Audrey Knowles 2 episodes
2006, 2008, 2010 My Boys Waitress 4 episodes
2007 Cold Case Melinda Levy '82 Episode: "Justice"
2008 Private Practice Lisa Episode: "Equal & Opposite"
2009 Ave 43 Janet 2 episodes
2012 Grey's Anatomy Katy Noonan Episode: "Beautiful Doom"
2013 Second Shot Krystal Munson Episode: "If It Ain't Fix, Don't Break It"
2016 The Family Jane 9 episodes
2016 NCIS Harpers Ferry Police Officer Kristen Fields 2 episodes
2017 Liv and Maddie Marlow Episode: "Tiny House-A-Rooney"
Scandal Samantha Ruland Recurring role (season 6); 9 episodes
2017–2024 Young Sheldon Mary Cooper Main role; 141 episodes
2024–present Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage Recurring role

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2019 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Young Sheldon Nominated

Theater

[edit]
Year Title Role Venue
1992 My Thing of Love. N/A Steppenwolf Theatre Company
1998 Pot Mom Lorraine Steppenwolf Theatre Company
2006 The Late Christopher Bean Susan Haggett The Actors Company Theatre Studio
2010 The Lieutenant of Inishmore Mairead Mark Taper Forum
2010 The Autumn Garden Sophie Tuckerman The Antaeus Company
2011 End Days Rachel Stein Odyssey Theatre Ensemble
2011 Peace in Our Time Lilly Blake The Antaeus Company
2012–2013 The Other Place The Women Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
2013 Good Television Brittany Atlantic Theater Company
2014 The Way West Manda Steppenwolf Theatre Company
2015 Anna Christie Anna Odyssey Theatre Ensemble
2015 I'll Get You Back Again Staged Reading Steppenwolf Theatre Company

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Hooper, Michael. "Laurie Metcalf biodata". WCHS-TV. Archived from the original on November 8, 2005. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  2. ^ a b ""Today's Briefings"". Chicago Tribune. September 27, 1983. p. 16. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  3. ^ Metz, Nina (December 26, 2017). ""Zoe Perry plays her mother Laurie Metcalf on 'Young Sheldon'...sort of"". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on October 13, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d Dowling, Amber (June 22, 2017). "'Young Sheldon': How Zoe Perry Plans to Walk in Her Mother's Emmy-Nominated Shoes". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Gomez, Patrick (September 15, 2017). "Inside the Crazy Family Connection Between the Stars Playing Sheldon's Mom on Big Bang Theory & Young Sheldon". People. Archived from the original on October 13, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c Gilbert, Ryan (January 17, 2013). "The Other Place's Zoe Perry on the 'Surreal' Joy of Co-Starring on Broadway With Her Mom, Laurie Metcalf". Broadway. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  7. ^ King, Susan (January 21, 2015). "'Anna Christie' a new stage in Jeff Perry, daughter Zoe's relationship". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 12, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Zoe Perry". TV Guide. Archived from the original on October 6, 2017. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  9. ^ a b Abrams, Natalie (April 29, 2017). "The Big Bang Theory spinoff star Zoe Perry on emulating her mom, Laurie Metcalf". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 19, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  10. ^ "'The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond' from 'Lost' Tennessee Williams Screenplay: Q&A with Director Jodie Markell". Alt Film Guide. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  11. ^ "'No Pay, Nudity': Film Review". Hollywood Reporter. November 11, 2016. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
[edit]