Life and career

Monk was born in Middletown, Ohio. She was voted "best personality" by the graduating class at Wheaton High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. She graduated from Frostburg State University in 1973. In 1975, Monk received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

Monk garnered first attention in theatrical circles as one of the co-writers and co-stars of the 1982 musical Pump Boys and Dinettes. She has won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for performance in Redwood Curtain (1993). She also was nominated an Tony Award for roles in Picnic (1994), Steel Pier (1997), and Curtains (2007). In 2000, she has won Obie Award for The Time of the Cuckoo.

Monk has appeared in over 30 films as of early 1990s. She made her film debut in the movie version of Prelude to a Kiss, playing Aunt Dorothy. She later appeared in The Bridges of Madison County and The Devil's Advocate. On television, she has won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for recurring performance as Katie Sipowicz in the ABC series, NYPD Blue. She also guest-starred on Law & Order, Desperate Housewives, The Closer, and Girls. Monk had a recurring roles in A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001-2002), Grey's Anatomy (2006-2011), and Damages (2007-2012).

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1992	Prelude to a Kiss	Aunt Dorothy
1993	For Love or Money	Mrs. Wegman
1993	Fearless	Alison
1994	Quiz Show	Kintner's Secretary
1995	Redwood Curtain	Geneva	Television film
1995	The Bridges of Madison County	Madge
1995	Jeffrey	Mom
1995	Reckless	Therapist
1996	Bed of Roses	Lewis' Mom
1996	Mrs. Winterbourne	Lieutenant Ambrose
1996	The Substance of Fire	Martha Hackett
1996	The First Wives Club	Jilted Lover
1996	Extreme Measures	Dr. Judith Gruszynski
1997	KnitWits	Catherine	Short film
1997	In & Out	Mrs. Lester
1997	The Devil's Advocate	Pam Garrety
1997	Ellen Foster	Aunt Nadine	Television film
1998	Bulworth	Helen
2000	Center Stage	Nancy
2003	Briar Patch	Officer Avon
2003	The Music Man	Mrs. Paroo	Television film
2003	Milwaukee, Minnesota	Edna Burroughs
2003	Eloise at the Plaza	Maggie	Television film
2003	Eloise at Christmastime	Maggie	Television film
2004	Palindromes	Mama Sunshine
2005	Dark Water	Dahlia's Teacher
2005	The Producers	Lick Me-Bite Me
2007	The Savages	Nancy Lachman
2008	The Great Buck Howard	Doreen
2009	Love and Other Impossible Pursuits	Laura
2011	Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas!	Petunia	Television film
2012	One for the Money	Mrs. Plum
2012	The Brass Teapot	Trudy
2013	Ass Backwards	Pawn Shop Owner
2013	Reaching Home	Janet	Short film
2014	This Is Where I Leave You	Linda

Television

• A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001-02) — Member of the repertory cast, performing various roles in "The Doorbell Rang", "Disguise for Murder", "Over My Dead Body", "Too Many Clients" and "The Silent Speaker"
• Law & Order - 1994 as Kathleen O'Brien, 2002 as Dr. Madelyn Stahl & 2005 as Judge G. Proctor
• NYPD Blue - 1999 Emmy Award in role of Katie Sipowicz
• Grey's Anatomy - Louise O'Malley (seasons 3-8)
• Notes from the Underbelly
• Desperate Housewives - in season 3 episode "Children and Art"
• Damages - Denise Parsons
• Frasier 2003 Season 11 episode "No Sex Please We're Skittish"
• Glee 2009 season 1 episode "Acafellas"
• Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas!
• White Collar 2012 season 3 episode "Pulling Strings"
• Girls 2014 season 3 episodes 1 & 2
• Mozart in the Jungle (2014 - present) — Betty
• Mercy Street (2016 - present)

Stage

Broadway Pump Boys and Dinettes - 1982 (also co-author and co-director) Prelude to a Kiss - 1990 Nick & Nora - 1991 Redwood Curtain - 1993 - Tony Award Picnic - 1994 Company - 1995 Steel Pier - 1997 - Tony Award nomination Ah, Wilderness! - 1998 Thou Shalt Not - 2001 Chicago - 2005 Curtains - 2007 - Tony Award nomination Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - 2012

Off-Broadway The Time of the Cuckoo - Obie Award Ancestral Voices The Seagull Death Defying Acts Three Hotels Oil City Symphony - 1986 (co-author, Drama Desk Award) Assassins

[ Source: Wikipedia ]