Molly Parker [ 1 ] born June 30, is a Canadian actress, writer, and director. She garnered critical attention for her portrayal of a necrophiliac medical student in the controversial drama Kissed She subsequently starred in the television thriller Intensity before landing her first major American film role in the drama Waking the Dead In the early s, Parker had lead roles in several films, including Max , Pure , and Nine Lives She subsequently appeared in the post-apocalyptic thriller The Road , and the independent drama Trigger In , she appeared as a recurring guest star in the sixth season of Dexter , before being cast as politician Jacqueline Sharp on the Netflix series House of Cards in Her subsequent film roles include the drama American Pastoral and two Netflix-produced features: the crime drama Small Crimes , and the Stephen King adaptation both She also starred in Errol Morris 's docudrama miniseries Wormwood.
She began acting in local productions at age She played the daughter of Margarethe Cammermeyer , a lesbian military officer, in the television film Serving in Silence , opposite Glenn Close and Judy Davis. Beginning in , she was cast in the surrealist Canadian sitcom Twitch City , which aired for two seasons. Parker's first major American film was the drama Waking the Dead , in which she co-starred with Billy Crudup and Jennifer Connelly , playing the socialite girlfriend of a political candidate.
In , Parker appeared opposite Keira Knightley in the drama film Pure , portraying a mother suffering from heroin addiction. Also in , Parker married her first husband, writer and director Matthew Bissonette, [ 20 ] and was one of the executive producers of his debut feature film Looking for Leonard. Parker portrayed the role for the series' three seasons, which saw a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Ensemble in In , Parker starred in the CBS show Swingtown , a s-set relationship drama, which aired for one season.
The following year, she guest-starred in one episode of Party Down , [ 29 ] and subsequently appeared in a supporting role in the post-apocalyptic thriller The Road , playing a woman trying to survive after an apocalyptic event. In , Parker starred in the Canadian police procedural Shattered , which also aired for a single season, and had a lead role in the independent drama Trigger , opposite Tracy Wright , in her final film appearance before her death.
Parker followed this with more television work, starring as Abby McDeere on the thriller series The Firm , an adaptation of the John Grisham novel and its film adaptation.
