Maura Tierney

In The Iron Claw (2023), Doris Von Erich gets up from the breakfast table when the men start talking. Maura Tierney says almost nothing, while Holt McCallany’s Fritz ranks his sons and tells them their positions can change. We were unsettled by her departure because she gives us no reassurance about what Doris understands or will tolerate. Sean Durkin leaves that question open, and Tierney resists making the silence easier to read.

The dry side of her work found a regular home in NewsRadio (1995–1999), where she played Lisa Miller. ER (1994) gave her a longer dramatic commitment as Abby Lockhart: she joined in 1999 and stayed through 2009, playing a nurse who became a doctor. She has recalled doing 16 pages of ER in one take, which fits her preference for long scenes and ensemble work. We rate the programme highly because the hospital work feels difficult and the people doing it remain fallible. Its crowded storytelling can be tiring, but that is a worthwhile price for spending time with this ensemble.

The Affair (2014–2019), in which she played Helen Solloway, continued the substantial television work. Her film roles often offer less room, especially when she is cast as a mother or someone else’s support. In Twisters (2024), she plays Cathy, another supporting part. Its storms are frightening, but a familiar script keeps stopping for the characters to be sad.

Durkin makes good use of her restraint in The Iron Claw, allowing Doris to remain hard to read. Yet we wanted more time with her, and the film’s habit of hurrying through grief limits what such careful acting can do. Lily James’s Pam speaks her mind and brings a welcome lightness; Tierney has to keep us interested in someone who withdraws. She does, without supplying a tidy explanation for the woman’s behaviour. For Tierney with time to develop a character, choose her stretch of ER.