Mercedes Ruehl

Mercedes Ruehl is an American theater, television, and film actor. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1992 for The Fisher King, and the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play in 1991 for Lost in Yonkers. She also received Tony Award nominations for The Shadow Box (1995) and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? (2002). Her other film appearances include Big (1988), Married to the Mob (1988), Lost in Yonkers (1993) and Last Action Hero (1993).

In 2009, Ruehl returned to the Broadway stage in Manhattan Theater Club's production of Richard Greenberg's The American Plan playing the role of Eva Adler. The production opened at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre and the limited engagement ran From January 22 until March 22. In his rave review in The New York Times, Ben Brantley called Ruehl's performance "masterly". Ruehl next appeared in the drama/horror film What Ever Happened to Barker Daniels?, which was released in 2009. In January 2012, Ruehl starred in Sarah Treem's play The How and The Why, directed by Emily Mann at McCarter Theatre of Princeton University.

Ruehl appeared in the role of Ma in Harvey Fierstein's revamped and renamed revival of his play Torch Song Off-Broadway at Second Stage Theater. The play began previews on September 26, and opened officially on October 19, 2017. The production later transferred to Broadway and was recently nominated for a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, Drama League Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play and Best Costume Design in a Play.