I thought she looked like a total MILF, but she sounded like she had had a stroke recently. Or like her face was so full of Botox or WTFE that she couldn’t move enough to properly enunciate. Just constantly slurring.
Wow. Looking at the Thread Title, I honestly thought this was going to be a “How has her appearance not changed at all?” Thread.
I always thought when she was younger she looked older than she was (but beautiful) then she just stopped aging.
She had a “Sexy Older Woman” thing going on when she was younger than any age to which that term should apply (she is older than me, so she’s always been an older woman but even as an adolescent I would not apply the category “Sexy Older Woman” to a woman younger than mid-to-late-forties).
In Parenthood and Back to the Future III I’d place her at 45 at least even though she was only about 36. In What’s Eating Gilbert Grape she came off as about 20 years older than Johnny Depp even though she is only 10 years older than him. I would have guessed her to be about 50 in that movie- she was 40.
Now, normally, attributing advanced age to a woman implies that she is unattractive. To the contrary, I always found her very sexy- it’s just that she had always seemed older to me than she actually was. The 40 year old who I thought was a 50 year old in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? I thought she was a ridiculously sexy 50 year old. Damn, did my 18 year old self want to do her!
In Elf she actually was 50, and I thought she seemed late-forties to 50. Today, she’s approaching 60- and I still think she seems late-forties to 50. I’ve pretty much thought she looked the same age for the past 25 years: Older than her actual age 25 years ago / Younger than her actual age now.
The only major difference I see is straight hair instead of curly hair (I think the straight hair is much more flattering for her).
It could be the hair. And by the way, what in the hell is wrong with Macauley Culkin (in the link up thar by Sampiro)?
Coincidentally I saw the The Help last night and I had not realized that Mary S. was in it. She looked fantastic as usual, although I did notice that the camera kept its distance from her. She was almost always in a wide shot except for maybe one phone conversation, which was a medium shot. No close-ups, so I could examine these alleged cheek implants.*
*I think it’s not implants, just weight fluctuation.
Completely agree. I’ve always had a thing for Mary (glad to know I’m not the only one!).
I would not be at all surprised if she’s had some work done, but if so it’s good work, and she definitely hasn’t overdone it like a lot of women I can think of.
It’s pretty clear to me she’s had her cheeks and forehead done, at least, but she doesn’t have that evil clown look. The work is very good.
I’ve always found her attractive and I still do.
This article from 2009 interviews several cosmetic surgeons about Steenburgen and the consensus seems to be that she has not had any facial surgery, but has made good use of Botox injections and possibly had some work on her breasts (which, judging by the picture in that article, are pretty impressive for a woman in her late 50s. Heck they’d be impressive in her late 30s).
Maybe the life has drained out of her knowing she was the backup plan for Whoopi Goldberg.
Look, the woman let Larry David live in her house for months on end when his marriage was breaking up. She has got to be a saint.
Her and Jane Seymour should have some sort of “who’s the hottest woman close to 60” contest…they’re both very attractive, have obviously kept care of their bodies, and have probably had a small amount of work done, and done well. It’s sad that too many older actresses go full on, balls-to-the-wall (ovaries-to-the-wall?) like Joan Rivers or what have you.
She’s also been married to Ted Danson since '95, so, yeah.
And reading her bio on wikipedia - I had totally forgotten she won the Oscar in 1980 for Melvin and Howard. So we should be referring to her as “Academy Award Winner Mary Steenburgen.”
Wow, she is in a few years of my mom’s age, but she looks like she is within a few years of MY age. It’s making me feel like a slacker.
Looking back at photos from earlier in her career, I think she has always looked younger than her actual age, so she must have some good genes in addition to whatever work she has had done.
Before the 30 Rock episode, I most recently noted her in 4 episodes of Bored to Death where she played Ted Danson’s love interest. (Real creative casting there, folks.)
She was clearly recognizable to me. I always thought of her as being a big “different” in looks, but not in a bad way. People with different looks tend to have that difference become more apparent as they age. That’s what I’m seeing.
So long as it’s effective, who cares if casting is creative?
John Slattery and Talia Balsam are married to each other and they were effective as a married couple on Mad Men
I must be the only person who think she’s a terrible actress. An Oscar? Unbelievable. Watching 30 Rock, I thought at first she must be some non-actress, famous-person-I-don’t-know cast in the role for yuks which escaped me. I don’t hate her or anything—I’m probably sounding like I do. I’m mostly incredulous. 
Major ditto.
She played a MILF in ‘My Life as a House’ where she had a lingerie shot and she was smoking hot. That was about a decade ago, but she’s been hot for a long time.
I recently rewatched Joan of Arcadia, and I can confidently say that either she’s had her boobs done or whoever did her cutlet/duct tape combo that night is an artist with talents verging on the magical.
If it’s the former, I ain’t mad at her for it. And I’ll agree with everyone who’s said that if she’s had work done, it’s exceptionally good work. She looks amazing.
We get full backside nudity in My Life as a House- yummy.
Broken Link: http: //www. Mary Steenburgen :: Celebrity Movie Archive
We got a lingerie scene (or, “sexy undergarments” if I’m misusing the term lingerie) as recently as 2008 in Stepbrothers. Damn did I want to be Richard Jenkins on that day of filming!
I had always thought that she was a pretty mousy looking woman. Her role as Nixon’s mom surely didn’t change that any. However, the link in the OP amazes me. She never looked that good in her life, and now, close to 60, she looks killer.
Being married to Ted Danson must be a transforming event!