Maggie Baird

Maggie May Baird (born March 29, 1959) is an American actress, voice artist and screenwriter. She is the mother of musicians Finneas and Billie Eilish.

Maggie Baird
Baird in an interview in 2014
Born
Maggie May Baird[1][2]

(1959-03-29) March 29, 1959
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Utah (BFA)
Occupation
  • Actress
  • voice artist
  • screenwriter
Years active1981–present
Spouse(s)
Patrick O'Connell
(m. 1995)
Children

Baird grew up in Colorado performing music, and studied theater and dance at the University of Utah, before moving to New York City where she performed on Broadway. She made her television debut in 1981 in the soap opera Another World and her film debut in An Innocent Man (1989). Baird continued to act in television and film after moving to Los Angeles in 1991, and became a member and teacher at The Groundlings, a troupe and Improvisational theatre school. She acted in 2000s television series such as Bones, The X-Files and Six Feet Under. In 2009, Baird released her debut studio album, We Sail. In 2013, Baird wrote and starred in her own film, Life Inside Out. In 2016, she edited the music video for "Six Feet Under" for her daughter, Billie Eilish.

Life and career

Baird was born and raised in Fruita, Colorado where she learned the piano and guitar as a teenager.[3][4][5] She graduated from Fruita Monument High School in 1977.[3] She studied theater and dance at University of Utah before later moving to New York City where she performed in the 1985 revival of The Iceman Cometh on Broadway, and several Off-Broadway shows.[6][4] She made her debut television appearance in 1981, playing a supporting role in the American soap opera Another World,[7] before spending nine months touring with The Heidi Chronicles in 1990, where she played the role of one of Heidi's friends.[8][9] She played a bigger role of Taylor Baldwin in the soap opera As the World Turns in 1987 before making her film debut as the role of Stacy in An Innocent Man in 1989.[10]

In 1991, Baird moved to Los Angeles, California, where she acted in television and film productions such as L.A. Law, Murphy Brown, Walker, Texas Ranger and Picket Fences.[4] From 1994 to 2000, Baird was a member and teacher at The Groundlings, an Improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school in Los Angeles.[11] While at The Groundlings, Baird taught and performed with actors such as Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, becoming McCarthy's first improv teacher.[12]

Baird has been a voice actress in video games such as the Mass Effect series, the Saints Row series, the EverQuest II series, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Rogue Galaxy and Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption. Some of her notable acting roles during the 2000s are Sandra Hicks in Bones in 2009, Sharon Pearl in The X-Files in 2000 and Andrea Kuhn in Six Feet Under in 2005.[13]

In March 2009, Baird released her debut studio album We Sail, an eleven-track country record.[7][14] Baird wrote, co-produced, acted and provided the soundtrack for the film Life Inside Out which was released in October 2013. The film, which explores the relationship between a mother and son through music, features Baird's real-life son Finneas. Gary Goldstein from Los Angeles Times wrote "A beautiful demonstration of a mother's love concludes this special little film on a hugely touching note."[15]

In 2016, Baird edited the music video for the US gold-certified song "Six Feet Under" by her daughter, Billie Eilish.[16]

Personal life

Baird and her daughter Billie Eilish in Atlanta in November 2018

In 1995, she married American actor Patrick O'Connell, whom she had met while performing in Alaska [4][17] and welcomed her son Finneas two years later.[4]

Baird later welcomed daughter, Billie Eilish in Highland Park, Los Angeles in December 2001, where they currently live as of January 2021.[17][18] She and her husband decided to homeschool their children, with Baird stating: "Homeschooling allows us to let them do the things that they really love to do and not have a giant academic schedule on top of it.[4][7]

In 2019, she joined her daughter Billie Eilish on her international When We All Fall Asleep arena tour.[19]

Filmography

Baird (left) with her son Finneas O'Connell at the 2014 Palm Beach International Film Festival

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1981 Another World Rhonda Sadowski 3 episodes
1987 As The World Turns Taylor Baldwin Episode dated December 24, 1987
1992 L.A. Law Rachel Malone Episode: "Back to the Suture"
1994 Walker, Texas Ranger Jessica Ann Pritchard Episode: "The Reunion"
Picket Fences Marjorie Engrams 3 episodes
1996 The Naked Truth French Filmmaker's Wife Episode: "Hollywood Honours Male Prostitute"
Chicago Hope Gloria Neal Episode: "A Day in the Life"
1998 Buddy Faro Episode: "Get Me Cody Swift"
L.A. Doctors Episode: "Leap of Faith"
1999 Crashbox Verity Voice
Friends Casting Director No. 2 Episode: "The One Where Joey Loses His Insurance"
Jack & Jill Donna Episode: "Fear and Loathing in Gotham"
2000 JAG Vera Duke Episode: "Surface Warfare"
Cover Me Christy Ann Harnick Episode: "In Plain Sight"
Curb Your Enthusiasm Couple #1 Episode: "AAMCO"
The X-Files Sharon Pearl Episode: "Invocation"
2001 The West Wing Ms. Carney, Network News President #3 Episode: "The Black Vera Wang"
2002 Birds of Prey Mother 2 episodes
2003 Charmed Doctor Episode: "The Day The Magic Died"
The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire Episode: "Little Girl Lost"
2005 Six Feet Under Andrea Kuhn Episode: "A Coat of White Primer"
Everwood Mrs. Harcourt Episode: "Put on a Happy Face"
2008 The Starter Wife Blair Episode: "The Remains of the Snow Day"
2009 Bones Sandra Hicks Episode: "Double Trouble in the Panhandle"
2011 Days of Our Lives Female T.V. Voice Episode #1.11586
2013 See Dad Run Hippie Mom Episode: "See Dad Host a Play Group"

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1989 Roe vs. Wade
An Innocent Man Stacy
1995 Siringo Blanche
White Dwarf Scarred Cultist
1999 Michael Jordan: An American Hero
The Big Split Tracy's Mom
2000 Dropping Out Waitress
Running Mates Newscaster #2
2001 Maniac Rebecca
2004 Sake Bottle Battle Cathy Gaffney Short film
2005 Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School Linda Sue
2006 Eragon Addtional voices
2011 Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Additional voices Short film
2013 Life Inside Out Laura Written, co-produced, soundtrack
2016 I Am Be Demeter Short film

Video games

Year Title Role
1999 Battlezone II: Combat Commander Female Ensemble
2000 Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption Anezka
2004 EverQuest II
2005 Rogue Galaxy Amni Rhyza
EverQuest II: Desert of Flames
2006 Saints Row Stilwater's Resident
2008 Saints Row 2 Various
2010 Mass Effect 2 Samara
2012 Mass Effect 3
2013 Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Additional voices

Discography

Title Album details
We Sail
  • Released: March 30, 2009[14]
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming

Awards and nominations

Year Organization Award Work Result Ref.
2013 Heartland International Film Festival Chrystal Heart Award for Dramatic Feature Life Inside Out Won [20]
Chrystal Heart Award for Best Premiere
2014 Phoenix Film Festival Cox Audience Award [21][22]
Best Picture Nominated
San Luis Obispo International Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Won [23]

References

  1. Baird, Maggie May. "ASCAP Ace Search". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  2. "Maggie May Baird (@maggiembaird) • Instagram photos and videos". maggiembaird [confirmed account]. Instagram. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  3. Mawdsley, Melinda (May 15, 2015). "Fruita grad's indy film garners acclaim". Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  4. Paeff, Colleen (June 22, 2012). "Meet Maggie Baird". How Many Homeschoolers Does it Take to Make a Movie?. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  5. "Maggie Baird: Folk from Los Angeles, CA". ReverbNation. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  6. "Maggie Baird Theatre Credits, News, Bio and Photos". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  7. Gomez, Jasmine (September 16, 2019). "Here's Everything You Need to Know About Billie Eilish's Parents and Brother, Finneas". Seventeen. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  8. Allman, Kevin (October 16, 1990). "The Party Chronicles: a First-Night Fete". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  9. Rose, Lloyd (March 22, 1991). "STAGE REVIEW : Ladies of the '80s". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  10. "Maggie Baird". TV Guide. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  11. "Maggie Baird". The Groundlings Theatre & School. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  12. Marine, Brooke (July 31, 2019). "Billie Eilish Isn't Allowed to Drink Soda". W Magazine. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  13. Cirisano, Tatiana (March 27, 2019). "Sibling Revelry: Finneas, Billie Eilish's Brother & Co-Writer, Steps Out". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  14. "We Sail by Maggie Baird", Apple Music, retrieved December 2, 2019
  15. Goldstein, Gary (October 17, 2014). "Review: When it's 'Life Inside Out,' they turn to music". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  16. "Billie Eilish - Six Feet Under", Billie Eilish [confirmed account], YouTube, June 30, 2016, retrieved December 3, 2019
  17. Eells, Josh (July 31, 2019). "Billie Eilish and the Triumph of the Weird". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  18. Barlow, Eve (September 5, 2019). "The Highs and Lows of Being Billie Eilish". ELLE. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  19. Borison, Susan (September 23, 2019). "Q & A with Maggie Baird: Now You're Known As "Billie Eilish's Mom"". Your Teen Magazine. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  20. "2013 Heartland Film Festival Concludes with Special Presentation of "The Book Thief," Announces Audience Choice & Best Premiere Award Winners". Heartandfilm.org. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  21. "2014 Award Winners Announced!". Phoenix Film Festival. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  22. "Maggie Baird: Awards". IMDb. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  23. Linn, Sarah (March 8, 2014). "Jeff Bridges accepts King Vidor award at SLO Film Festival". The Tribune. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
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