Cynthia Geary
Cynthia Geary is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Shelly Tambo on the television series Northern Exposure, which earned her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
Early life and career
Cynthia Geary was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, the youngest of four children born to John Hart Geary and Shirley Hester, Geary attended Jackson Preparatory School and the University of Mississippi, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in vocal performance.Her acting career began with a series of national commercials, including spots for Coca-Cola and General Motors. She soon had numerous guest starring roles on a variety of television programs, made-for-television movies and independent films, including a small part in Smoke Signals, a film based on the short stories of Native American author Sherman Alexie. Geary played the mother of the Olsen twins in their 1992 made-for-TV movie To Grandmother's House We Go, appeared in the 1997 movie When Time Expires, and is the female lead in 8 Seconds. She received Primetime Emmy nominations—two years in a row --for Best Supporting Actress, based on her role in Northern Exposure, an ensemble comedy set in rural Alaska. She voiced the character of Katia Anderson in the second game of the Professor Layton video game series, Professor Layton and the Diabolical/Pandora's Box.
Beginning in 2022, she starred for 2 seasons in the American Pureflix television series Going Home. In 2024, she recurs in the Netflix series Penelope as the title character's mother. She also filmed the independent movie Inheritance.