Amy Ryan

A gifted supporting actress, Amy Ryan proved herself more than capable at a myriad of character portrayals in many genres. A longtime stage presence and a budding onscreen talent, possessing one of those lived-in, ordinary faces, Ryan was often cast as the reliable housewife, mother or girlfriend. But as a port authority cop Beadie Russell on HBO's gritty series "The Wire" (2002-08), she was able to spread her wings and flaunt her aptitude for East Coast drawls. But New York theater aficionados finally had an emerging talent to cheer for in the movies, as the rising star received a breakout role in a big Hollywood production and Ben Affleck's directorial debut, the Boston-set crime drama "Gone Baby Gone" (2007), which earned Ryan a bevy of awards and an Academy Award nomination. From there, she again displayed her ability to portray on-the-edge characters in "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" (2007), before turning to comedy as the romantic interest to Michael Scott (Steve Carell) in several seasons of "The Office" (NBC, 2005-13). She went on to portray a psychoanalyst on the critics' favorite "In Treatment" (HBO, 2008-2010) and played the wife of a struggling wrestling coach in the indie drama "Win Win" (2011), underscoring her ability to portray a wide variety of roles.