Robin Weigert
Robin Weigert, born on July 7, 1969, in Washington, DC, is a notable American actress recognized for her dynamic performances across stage and screen. She comes from a family with significant ties to psychology, as her grandmother was among the first psychoanalysts in the U.S. Weigert graduated from Brandeis University with a degree in drama and later honed her craft at New York University. Her early career included appearances in various Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, where she gained critical acclaim, particularly for her role in "Madame Melville."
Weigert rose to prominence with her portrayal of Calamity Jane in HBO's critically acclaimed series "Deadwood," which earned her an Emmy nomination. Her television career has spanned many popular series, including "Life," "Sons of Anarchy," and "Jessica Jones," alongside notable film roles in "The Good German," "Concussion," and "Bombshell." She has also returned to the stage in productions like "Angels in America" and "How to Transcend a Happy Marriage." Currently residing in Los Angeles, Weigert balances her artistic endeavors with personal interests, including playing poker. Her extensive and varied body of work showcases her significant talent and versatility as an actress.
Subject Terms
Robin Weigert
Actor
- Born: July 7, 1969
- Birthplace: Washington, DC
Contribution: Robin Weigert is an Emmy-nominated actor best known for her role as Calamity Jane on the HBO western drama Deadwood.
Background
Robin Weigert was born on July 7, 1969, in Washington, DC. Her grandmother, Edith Weigert, was one of the first psychoanalysts in the United States, and her father followed in his mother’s footsteps. Growing up, Weigert attended Sidwell Friends School, a private Quaker school in Bethesda, Maryland.
After graduating from Sidwell in 1987, Weigert attended Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in drama. She then moved to New York City to attend New York University. After completing the school’s graduate program in drama and earning a master’s degree, Weigert began acting in New York’s theater circuit.
Career
Weigert appeared in several Broadway and Off-Broadway plays in the late 1990s and early 2000s, including productions of Noises Off and Madame Melville in 2001. Critics praised her performance in the latter, and she was nominated for a 2001 Drama Desk Award for outstanding featured actress in a play. Also in 2001, Weigert had a supporting role in a Central Park production of The Seagull by Anton Chekhov. The production featured accomplished actors Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline and was directed by famed film director Mike Nichols.
Though she had already appeared in bit parts in various television movies and little-seen feature films, Weigert soon began to land more high-profile roles, beginning in 2003 with Nichols’s miniseries Angels in America, which was based on the Tony Kushner play. She also made her second appearance in Law & Order, having debuted on the show in 1999. The following year, in 2004, Weigert guest starred in episodes of the television shows NYPD Blue, Judging Amy, and Without a Trace and began a recurring role in the series Cold Case.
However, Weigert’s biggest success of the year was her appearance as Calamity Jane on the HBO western drama series Deadwood. The show, a historical fiction that focuses on the town of Deadwood, South Dakota, in the latter part of the nineteenth century, gave Weigert her first taste of mainstream success. Her character of Calamity Jane, who is based on the real historical figure, is a resilient, unrefined gunfighter who rode with the famous Wild Bill Hickok.
Deadwood earned nearly universal acclaim from critics, who praised its sets, costumes, and actors. Weigert herself received glowing reviews, and in 2004, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series. Though Deadwood performed well with critics, it did not meet HBO’s ratings expectations, and the show was canceled in 2006 after three seasons.
Following Deadwood’s cancellation, Weigert guest starred in episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Unit, Numb3rs, and Lost. She then began appearing as Lieutenant Karen Davis in the NBC drama Life, which premiered in fall 2007. Although she was only a main cast member for the first season, she did return to reprise her character in one episode of season 2. Weigert continued her film work during this time, with roles in The Good German (2006), Things We Lost in the Fire (2007), and Synecdoche, New York (2008), among others. She also made a steady stream of television appearances in the late 2000s and early 2010s, with guest turns on such shows as ER, United States of Tara, Private Practice, and The Mentalist and a third appearance on the original Law & Order.
In 2010, Weigert went back to New York for the Off-Broadway revival of Angels in America. That year, she also appeared in several episodes of TNT’s medical drama Hawthorne and landed a recurring role on the FX drama Sons of Anarchy. Weigert returned to film in 2012 with a supporting role in The Sessions. The same year, she began starring in the pay-per-view web series Chasing the Hill, about a Democratic representative (Weigert) campaigning for reelection. She also starred in a Los Angeles production of Jon Robin Baitz’s play Other Desert Cities, which ran from December 2012 to January 2013, and the critically lauded independent film Concussion (2013).
After Weigert had a presence in a recurring guest role in the NBC series Chicago P.D. in 2014, she played Wendy Ross-Hogarth in seven episodes of the Netflix series Jessica Jones and appeared in the films Mississipi Grind and Take Me to the River in 2015. After then having a role in six episodes of the short-lived A&E series Damien and appearing in the film Pushing Dead, she continued to work in both television and film in 2017, playing Heather Myles for six episodes of the ITV miniseries Fearless and landing roles in the films Please Stand By and New Money. That same year, she became a part of the hugely popular HBO series Big Little Lies, which is based on the book of the same name by Liane Moriarty, and joined the cast of the Off-Broadway play How to Transcend a Happy Marriage. Following a turn as Verena Baptist in the AMC series Dietland and an appearance in the dramatic film Cold Brook in 2018, she was able to reprise her role as therapist Amanda Reisman for the second season of Big Little Lies in addition to having a part in the film Bombshell in 2019.
Impact
With her formal dramatic acting training behind her, Weigert built a successful stage career before earning widespread acclaim for her role on Deadwood. Her many and varied roles demonstrate her range and skill as an actor and her constant willingness to try new things.
Personal Life
Weigert lives in Los Angeles and enjoys playing poker.
Principal Works
Television
Deadwood, 2004–6
Life, 2007–8
Sons of Anarchy, 2010, 2012, 2013
Chasing the Hill, 2012–13
Jessica Jones, 2015
Fearless, 2017
Big Little Lies, 2017–19
Film
The Good German, 2006
Things We Lost in the Fire, 2007
Synecdoche, New York, 2008
The Undying, 2009
The Sessions, 2012
Concussion, 2013
Take Me to the River, 2015
New Money, 2017
Bombshell, 2019
Stage
Madame Melville, 2001
The Seagull, 2001
Angels in America, 2010
Other Desert Cities, 2012
How to Transcend a Happy Marriage, 2017
Bibliography
Gray, Margaret. “Robin Weigert Taps Brooke Wyeth’s Mind in Other Desert Cities.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 8 Dec. 2012. Web. 9 Aug. 2013.
Knegt, Peter. “Sundance 2013: Robin Weigert on Playing a Lesbian Housewife Gone Wild in Concussion.” Indiewire. SnagFilms, 25 Jan. 2013. Web. 9 Aug. 2013.
Weigert, Robin. “Object: Desire—An Interview with Robin Weigert, This Year’s Festival Breakthrough.” Interview by Eric Hynes. Sundance Film Festival. Sundance Inst., 22 Jan. 2013. Web. 9 Aug. 2013.
Weigert, Robin. “Deadwood’s Robin Weigert Sounds Off.” Interview by Caryn Midler. People. Time, 9 June 2006. Web. 9 Aug. 2013.
Weigert, Robin. “Deadwood: Up Close with Calamity Jane.” Interview by Joseph Hudak. TV Guide. CBS Interactive, 11 Aug. 2006. Web. 9 Aug. 2013.