The popular television show Major Crimes starred Mary McDonnell whose character in the show was one of the most liked and appreciated as it was close to the character’s close resemblance to one of the major characters in The Closer.

She played the role of Sharon Ryder who was decided to be killed off around the end of season 6 where she was initially declared to be suffering from heart disease. In spite of the producers deciding to kill off the character, the fans of the show have been heartbroken just like the fictional characters of the series.

McDonnell has several awards against her name such as the Obie Award and also was nominated for some prestigious awards such as the Saturn Award, Primetime Emmy Awards, and the Golden Globe Awards as many as two times for each of these awards.

She had been working in the theatre and entertainment industry for over 21 years and made a breakthrough with Stands With A Fist where she portrayed the role of the adopted daughter of Kicking Bird for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

She debuted on television with the soap opera As The World Turns in 1980 and was critically acclaimed for playing her part.

Married to Randle Mell in 1984, the couple was together for 37 years until their split in 2021, the reasons for which have not been disclosed so far. The couple has two children who they are co-parenting currently and don’t seem to be very public about it.

Why did Mary McDonnell Leave “Major Crimes”?

Mary McDonnell did not leave Major Crimes of her own will but was bound to do so as her character was killed off in the ninth episode of season six. This decision was not taken in a positive way by the fans of the show who liked Sharon’s character and were expecting her to have a happy married life with detective Andy, at least as far as the show is concerned.

The other characters seemed distraught by the death of Sharon’s character, especially Sharon’s husband without a doubt. The creator of the show James Duff explained that the character of Sharon needed to be killed off to make her team go to the final battle against the villain alone and rely only on the teachings and guidance left by their captain whose tragic end left them all distraught and lost. He felt this would test the characters and see the extent of their learning from their late captain.

At the end of the season, the rest of the characters were left to fend for themselves as the villain took on the entire team. Duff went on to reveal that the network would soon be canceling the show because of which he thought the audience would need to be made to come to terms with the fact that the show is almost over.

He felt that the character should get the attention it deserves for which it needed to leave before anybody else and would give the show the classic touch of the hero leaving his people to fight alone and rely only on what the hero taught them.

What is Mary McDonnell doing Now?

After the series Major Crimes ended in 2018, Mary McDonnell has been busy with several other projects. There is no doubt about her talent as she has been nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in the Emmy awards nominations after which she started acting for the role of Sharon Ryder in Major Crimes which was a spin-off of The Closer that ended in 2012. Her role in Major Crimes started soon after The Closer ended and was a direct link to the popular drama series.

Mary McDonnell today is preparing for her upcoming movies and is currently occupied with shooting for her film projects. However, there was a rumor in the early months of this year that Mary Mcdonnell is no more. This news spread across the social media platforms as her fans were extremely concerned about her well-being. As time passed, it was made clear that Mary is fine and doing good and the fans do not have anything to be worried about, at least not regarding her health for now.

Where is Mary McDonnell Now?

Mary McDonnell acted in several movies that included Dances with Wolves, Independence Day, Margin Call, Scream 4, and Passion Fish among several others. For now, no movies or projects by Mary McDonnell have been officially announced yet but the fans are looking forward to her upcoming projects in the coming months and years. With her credibility, it is no doubt that she will soon be seen in a few movies and television series.