According to New York State Police, actress Mary Mara drowned in the St. Lawrence River in Cape Vincent, New York, on Sunday.
She was best known for her roles in Nash Bridges, ER, Law & Order: SVU, Nip/Tuck, and dozens of other TV shows and movies. She was 61.
According to a press release from the State Police, Mary Mara was discovered in the river early on Sunday after Cape Vincent Fire and Ambulance received a call about a probable drowning.
According to an initial investigation, she drowned while swimming in the river. There were no signs of an assault, according to the police, and an autopsy will be performed to establish the official cause of death. The inquiry is still ongoing.
According to a family source, Mary Mara was staying at her sister Martha Mara’s summer residence near Syracuse, outside of Cape Vincent Village. The property faces the river.
Mara made her acting debut in the 1989 film The Preppie Murder. She went on to play a variety of roles in film and television, as well as on stage in Los Angeles and off-Broadway.
But she is best known for her role as Inspector Byrn Carson in the CBS police drama Nash Bridges, starring Don Johnson and Cheech Marin.
She excelled in nuanced interpretations of frequently problematic individuals.
On the NBC drama ER, she played the compassionate, destitute hooker and single mother Loretta Sweet in a recurring role.
Mara is survived by her stepdaughter Katie Mersola, sister Martha Mara, another sister Susan Mara, her brother-in-law Scott Dailey, and a nephew Christopher Dailey.
