Maggie Baird
{{Short description|American actress (born 1959)}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Maggie Baird in 2014.png
| alt =
| caption = Baird in an interview in 2014
| birth_name = Maggie May Baird{{Cite web|url=https://ascap.com/repertory#ace/writer/572310670/BAIRD%20MAGGIE%20MAY|title=ASCAP Ace Search|last=Baird|first=Maggie May|publisher=American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)|access-date=November 2, 2019|archive-date=November 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102012654/https://www.ascap.com/repertory#ace/writer/572310670/BAIRD%20MAGGIE%20MAY|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://instagram.com/maggiembaird|title=Maggie May Baird (@maggiembaird) • Instagram photos and videos|website=maggiembaird [confirmed account]|publisher=Instagram|language=en|access-date=December 2, 2019|archive-date=May 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501054225/https://www.instagram.com/maggiembaird/|url-status=live}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|3|29}}
| birth_place = Fruita, Colorado, U.S.
| alma_mater = University of Utah (BFA)
| occupation = Actress, singer-songwriter
| years_active = 1981–present
| spouse = {{marriage |Patrick O'Connell|1995}}
| children = {{ubl|Finneas O'Connell|Billie Eilish}}
| relatives = Brian Baird (brother)
}}
Maggie May Baird (born March 29, 1959){{cite news|url=https://people.com/music/billie-eilish-shares-birthday-tribute-mom-maggie-baird|title=billie eilish shares birthday tribute mom maggie baird|last=Hatcher|first=Kirsty|work=People|date=March 30, 2023|access-date=April 3, 2023|archive-date=March 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330132629/https://people.com/music/billie-eilish-shares-birthday-tribute-mom-maggie-baird/|url-status=live}} is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She grew up in Colorado performing music, and studied theater and dance at the University of Utah, before moving to New York City, where she performed on Broadway. She made her television debut in 1981 in the soap opera Another World and her film debut in the 1989 feature An Innocent Man.
Baird continued to act in television and film after moving to Los Angeles in 1991, and became a member and teacher at the Groundlings, a troupe and improvisational theatre school. She acted in 2000s television series such as Bones, The X-Files and Six Feet Under, and provided the voices of Samara in the video game series Mass Effect, and various characters in the Saints Row game series. In 2009, Baird released her debut studio album, We Sail.
Baird married Patrick O'Connell in 1995, with whom she has two children: musicians Finneas O'Connell and Billie Eilish. She wrote and co-starred with her son Finneas in the 2013 film Life Inside Out, which garnered Baird critical acclaim for her performance. In 2016, she edited the music video for "Six Feet Under" for her daughter Billie.
Early life
Maggie May Baird was born on March 29, 1959 to Edith "Edie" (Shaw) and William "Bill" Norton Baird.{{Cite web |date=2012-10-25 |title=brian baird |url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/reps/baird.htm |access-date=2024-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025071410/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/reps/baird.htm |archive-date=October 25, 2012 }}{{Cite web |title=Maggie Baird - Latest News, Updates, Photos and Videos {{!}} Yahoo |url=https://www.yahoo.com/topics/maggie-baird/ |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=www.yahoo.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |date=2001-02-21 |title=Obituary for Bill Baird, 1927-2001 |pages=16 |work=The Daily Sentinel |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43119797/obituary-for-bill-baird-1927-2001/ |access-date=2023-02-13}} Baird was born and raised in Fruita, Colorado. Baird learned the piano and guitar as a teenager.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gjsentinel.com/entertainment/movies/fruita-grad-s-indy-film-garners-acclaim/article_ccee8e17-354d-5e6f-9bea-ce78518aa3f7.html|title=Fruita grad's indy film garners acclaim|last=Mawdsley|first=Melinda|date=May 15, 2015|website=Grand Junction Daily Sentinel|language=en|access-date=December 22, 2019|archive-date=December 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222214342/https://www.gjsentinel.com/entertainment/movies/fruita-grad-s-indy-film-garners-acclaim/article_ccee8e17-354d-5e6f-9bea-ce78518aa3f7.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Paeff |first=Colleen |date=June 22, 2012 |title=Meet Maggie Baird |url=http://howmanyhomeschoolers.blogspot.com/2012/06/welcome.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203063109/http://howmanyhomeschoolers.blogspot.com/2012/06/welcome.html |archive-date=December 3, 2019 |access-date=December 2, 2019 |website=How Many Homeschoolers Does it Take to Make a Movie?}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.reverbnation.com/maggiebairdmusic|title=Maggie Baird: Folk from Los Angeles, CA|website=ReverbNation|language=en|access-date=December 2, 2019|archive-date=December 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191208195137/https://www.reverbnation.com/maggiebairdmusic|url-status=live}} Her older brother is politician Brian Baird. She graduated from Fruita Monument High School in 1977. While Baird was in her 20s, her mother died following a heart attack.{{Cite web |last=Remy-Milora |first=Valerie |date=2013-10-01 |title=Scrumptious Mom Maggie Baird - October 2013 |url=https://scrumptiousmoms.com/scrumptious-mom-maggie-baird-october-2013/ |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=Scrumptious Moms: Vibrantly Healthy Moms Living Life to the Fullest |language=en-US}} Her father also died in 2001 after battling idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Baird studied theater and dance at the University of Utah before later moving to New York City.
Career
Baird made her debut television appearance in 1981, playing a supporting role in the American soap opera Another World.{{cite web|last1=Gomez|first1=Jasmine|title=Here's Everything You Need to Know About Billie Eilish's Parents and Brother, Finneas|url=https://www.seventeen.com/celebrity/music/a29073914/billie-eilish-parents-family-siblings/|website=Seventeen|access-date=December 21, 2019|date=September 16, 2019|archive-date=April 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200405060706/https://www.seventeen.com/celebrity/music/a29073914/billie-eilish-parents-family-siblings/|url-status=live}} After moving to New York City, she performed in the 1985 revival of The Iceman Cometh on Broadway, and several Off-Broadway shows.{{Cite web |title=Maggie Baird Theatre Credits, News, Bio and Photos |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Maggie-Baird/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719123045/https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Maggie-Baird/ |archive-date=July 19, 2020 |access-date=2020-12-20 |website=broadwayworld.com |language=en}} After several years in New York City, Baird was cast in a play that took place in Anchorage, Alaska, where she met her future husband, Patrick O'Connell on set. In 1991, Baird moved to Los Angeles, California, where she acted in television and film productions such as L.A. Law, Murphy Brown, Walker, Texas Ranger and Picket Fences before spending nine months touring with The Heidi Chronicles in 1990, where she played the role of one of Heidi's friends.{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-10-16-vw-2422-story.html|title=The Party Chronicles: a First-Night Fete|last=Allman|first=Kevin|date=October 16, 1990|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=December 2, 2019|archive-date=December 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203063058/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-10-16-vw-2422-story.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1991/03/22/theater/015f0a51-8c60-44ce-9047-a40230040ee9/|title=STAGE REVIEW : Ladies of the '80s|last=Rose|first=Lloyd|date=March 22, 1991|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=December 2, 2019|archive-date=December 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203111601/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1991/03/22/theater/015f0a51-8c60-44ce-9047-a40230040ee9/|url-status=live}} She played Taylor Baldwin on the soap opera As the World Turns in 1987 before making her film debut as Stacy in An Innocent Man in 1989.{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/maggie-baird/credits/163461/|title=Maggie Baird|website=TV Guide|access-date=December 22, 2019|archive-date=December 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223030009/https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/maggie-baird/credits/163461/|url-status=live}}File:Maggie Baird and Finneas O'Connell receive Best Feature at PBIFF 2014.jpg, promoting Life Inside Out in 2014|left]]
From 1994 to 2000, Baird was a member and teacher at the Groundlings, an improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school in Los Angeles.{{Cite web|url=https://www.groundlings.com/people/maggie-baird|title=Maggie Baird|website=The Groundlings Theatre & School|language=en|access-date=December 2, 2019|archive-date=December 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216062143/https://www.groundlings.com/people/maggie-baird|url-status=live}} While at the Groundlings, Baird taught and performed with actors such as Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, becoming McCarthy's first improv teacher.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/billie-eilish-fun-facts-no-soda-list|title=Billie Eilish Isn't Allowed to Drink Soda|last=Marine|first=Brooke|date=July 31, 2019|website=W Magazine|language=en|access-date=December 22, 2019|archive-date=June 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628185517/https://www.wmagazine.com/story/billie-eilish-fun-facts-no-soda-list|url-status=live}} Baird has been a voice actress in video games such as the Mass Effect series, the Saints Row series, the EverQuest II series, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Rogue Galaxy and Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption.{{cite web|last1=Priestman|first1=Chris|title=Billie Eilish's Mom Was in Saints Row and Mass Effect 2|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/billie-eilishs-mom-was-in-saints-row-and-mass-effect-2|website=IGN|date=February 6, 2020|access-date=June 4, 2021|archive-date=June 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604071012/https://www.ign.com/articles/billie-eilishs-mom-was-in-saints-row-and-mass-effect-2|url-status=live}}
Some of her notable acting roles from the 2000s to 2010s are Sharon Pearl in The X-Files in 2000, Sandra Hicks in Bones in 2009, Andrea Kuhn in Six Feet Under in 2005, and the asari Samara from the original Mass Effect trilogy.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8504254/finneas-oconnell-interview-billie-eilish-brother-co-writer|title=Sibling Revelry: Finneas, Billie Eilish's Brother & Co-Writer, Steps Out|last=Cirisano|first=Tatiana|date=March 27, 2019|magazine=Billboard|access-date=December 2, 2019|archive-date=April 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200403043743/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8504254/finneas-oconnell-interview-billie-eilish-brother-co-writer|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Bailey|first=Dustin|date=February 4, 2020|title=Billie Eilish's mom was in Mass Effect|url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/mass-effect-2/samara-billie-eilish|access-date=June 4, 2021|website=PCGamesN|archive-date=June 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604071014/https://www.pcgamesn.com/mass-effect-2/samara-billie-eilish|url-status=live}} In March 2009, Baird released her debut studio album We Sail, an eleven-track country record.{{Citation|title=We Sail by Maggie Baird|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/we-sail/312480211|work=Apple Music|language=en-us|access-date=December 2, 2019|archive-date=December 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202205108/https://music.apple.com/us/album/we-sail/312480211|url-status=live}}
Baird wrote, co-produced, acted and provided the soundtrack for the film Life Inside Out which was released in October 2013. The film, which explores the relationship between a mother and son through music, features Baird's real-life son Finneas. Gary Goldstein from Los Angeles Times wrote "A beautiful demonstration of a mother's love concludes this special little film on a hugely touching note."{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-life-inside-out-review-20141017-story.html|title=Review: When it's 'Life Inside Out,' they turn to music|last=Goldstein|first=Gary|date=October 17, 2014|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=December 2, 2019|archive-date=March 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324042907/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-life-inside-out-review-20141017-story.html|url-status=live}}
In 2016, Baird edited the music video for the US gold-certified song "Six Feet Under" by her daughter, Billie Eilish.{{Citation|title=Billie Eilish - Six Feet Under|date=June 30, 2016|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ0iq10ULNA|work=Billie Eilish [confirmed account]|via=YouTube|language=en|access-date=December 3, 2019|archive-date=January 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200105212508/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ0iq10ULNA|url-status=live}} Baird portrayed Zach Galifianakis's sister in a deleted scene from the 2019 film Between Two Ferns: The Movie.{{Cite web|url=https://www.beyondfashionmagazine.com/culture/movies/costume-designer-erica-rice-on-dressing-all-the-celebs-in-between-two-ferns-the-movie/|title=Costume Designer Erica Rice on Dressing All The Celebs In 'Between Two Ferns: The Movie'|website=Beyond Fashion Magazine|date=October 31, 2019|language=en-US|access-date=May 20, 2021|archive-date=May 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521002433/https://www.beyondfashionmagazine.com/culture/movies/costume-designer-erica-rice-on-dressing-all-the-celebs-in-between-two-ferns-the-movie/|url-status=live}}
In 2020, amid the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Baird, with the help of her two children, launched Support + Feed, a nonprofit organization that aims to provide plant-based meals to those suffering from food insecurity.{{Cite web|url=https://lamag.com/food/billie-eilish-goat-mom-maggie-baird-support-feed-the-planet|title=Meet Maggie Baird: Billie Eilish's GOAT Mom on a Mission to Support + Feed the Planet|website=Los Angeles|date=November 22, 2024|language=en-US|access-date=August 20, 2024|archive-date=August 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820070025/https://lamag.com/food/billie-eilish-goat-mom-maggie-baird-support-feed-the-planet|url-status=live}}
Personal life
File:Billie Eilish and Maggie Baird Nov 2018.png in Atlanta in November 2018]]Baird is a hobby musician and has recorded two CDs, including We Sail, which is available on ITunes. Baird was a teacher for Music Together for six years and made music a substantial part of her children's lives.{{Cite web |title=Music Together: Creating a Musical Home Life (and a Global Pop Star!): An Interview With Maggie Baird |url=https://www.musictogether.com/parents/maggie-baird |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=Music Together}}
In 1984, Baird met actor Patrick O'Connell while on the set of a play in Anchorage, Alaska.{{Cite web |last=LaCroix |first=Emy |date=11 March 2024 |title=All About Billie Eilish's Parents, Maggie Baird and Patrick O'Connell |url=https://people.com/music/all-about-billie-eilish-parents/ |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=Peoplemag |language=en}} After 11 years of dating, Baird and O'Connell married in 1995.{{Cite magazine |last=Eells |first=Josh |date=July 31, 2019 |title=Billie Eilish and the Triumph of the Weird |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/billie-eilish-cover-story-triumph-weird-863603/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200421061041/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/billie-eilish-cover-story-triumph-weird-863603/ |archive-date=April 21, 2020 |access-date=December 2, 2019 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Mishra |first=Akanksha |date=3 May 2024 |title=What did Billie Eilish's parents do? All about Maggie Baird and Patrick O'Connell |url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/us/music/what-billie-eilish-s-parents-do-all-maggie-baird-patrick-o-connell |access-date=25 July 2024 |website=Sportskeeda}} On July 30, 1997, Baird gave birth to the couple's first child, Finneas O'Connell.{{Cite web |title=Finneas O'Connell: 18 facts about the singer-songwriter and Billie Eilish's brother |url=https://www.capitalfm.com/news/music/finneas-oconnell/age/ |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=Capital |language=en}} On December 18, 2001, Baird gave birth to the couple's second child, Billie Eilish O'Connell, in Highland Park, Los Angeles.{{Cite magazine |title=Billie Eilish {{!}} Biography, Music & News |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/billie-eilish/ |access-date=2024-07-26 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}} Baird and O'Connell decided to homeschool their children, with Baird stating: "Homeschooling allows us to let them do the things that they really love to do and not have a giant academic schedule on top of it."
Both of their children are successful singer-songwriters, music producers, and actors.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-19 |title=Billie Eilish {{!}} Biography, Songs, What Was I Made For, & Awards {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Billie-Eilish |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=Britannica |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Sager |first=Jessica |date=16 July 2024 |title=All About Billie Eilish's Brother Finneas and Their Sibling Bond |url=https://people.com/all-about-billie-eilish-brother-finneas-8598180 |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=Peoplemag |language=en}} Baird and O'Connell have been supportive of both Eilish and Finneas's careers. As of 2021, they reside in Highland Park, Los Angeles.{{Cite web |last=Barlow |first=Eve |date=September 5, 2019 |title=The Highs and Lows of Being Billie Eilish |url=https://www.elle.com/culture/a28872999/billie-eilish-interview-october-2019-elle-cover/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191130153459/https://www.elle.com/culture/a28872999/billie-eilish-interview-october-2019-elle-cover/ |archive-date=November 30, 2019 |access-date=December 2, 2019 |website=ELLE |language=en-US}}
While talking about her own religion in 2020, Eilish described her family, which includes Baird, as not religious.{{Cite web |last=Harmata |first=Claudia |date=2020-07-20 |title=Billie Eilish Reveals She Was Once 'Super Religious' Even Though Her Family Wasn't: 'It Was Weird' |url=https://people.com/music/billie-eilish-was-super-religious-even-though-family-wasnt/ |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=People |language=en}}
Filmography
= Television =
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year !Title !Role ! class="unsortable" |Notes |
| 1981
|Rhonda Sadowski |Recurring |
| 1987–1988
|Taylor Baldwin |Recurring |
| 1992
|Rachel Malone |Episode: "Back to the Suture" |
| rowspan=2|1994
|Jessica Ann Pritchard |Episode: "The Reunion" |
| Picket Fences
|Marjorie Engrams |3 episodes |
| rowspan=2|1996
|French Filmmaker's Wife |Episode: "Hollywood Honours Male Prostitute" |
| Chicago Hope
|Gloria Neal |Episode: "A Day in the Life" |
| rowspan=2|1998
| |Episode: "Get Me Cody Swift" |
| L.A. Doctors
| |Episode: "Leap of Faith" |
| rowspan=3|1999
|Verity |Voice |
| Friends
|Casting Director No. 2 |Episode: "The One Where Joey Loses His Insurance" |
| Jack & Jill
|Donna |Episode: "Fear and Loathing in Gotham" |
| rowspan=4|2000
|JAG |Vera Duke |Episode: "Surface Warfare" |
| Cover Me
|Christy Ann Harnick |Episode: "In Plain Sight" |
| Curb Your Enthusiasm
|Couple #1 |Episode: "AAMCO" |
| The X-Files
|Sharon Pearl |Episode: "Invocation" |
| rowspan="2" |2002
|Ms. Carney, Network News President #3 |Episode: "The Black Vera Wang" |
| Birds of Prey
|Mother |2 episodes |
| rowspan=2|2003
|Doctor |Episode: "The Day The Magic Died" |
| The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire
| |Episode: "Little Girl Lost" |
| rowspan=2|2005
|Andrea Kuhn |Episode: "A Coat of White Primer" |
| Everwood
|Mrs. Harcourt |Episode: "Put on a Happy Face" |
| 2008
|Blair |Episode: "The Remains of the Snow Day" |
| 2009
|Sandra Hicks |Episode: "Double Trouble in the Panhandle" |
| 2011
|Female T.V. Voice |Episode #1.11586 |
| 2013
|Hippie Mom |Episode: "See Dad Host a Play Group" |
= Film =
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year !Title !Role ! class="unsortable" |Notes |
| rowspan=2|1989
| |TV movie |
| An Innocent Man
|Stacy | |
| rowspan=2|1995
|Siringo |Blanche | |
| White Dwarf
|Scarred Cultist | |
| rowspan=2|1999
|Michael Jordan: An American Hero |Reporter |TV movie |
| The Big Split
|Tracy's Mom | |
| rowspan=2|2000
|Dropping Out |Waitress | |
| Running Mates
|Newscaster #2 | |
| 2001
|Rebecca | |
| 2004
|Sake Bottle Battle |Cathy Gaffney |Short film |
| 2005
|Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School |Linda Sue | |
| 2006
|Additional voices | |
| 2011
|Additional voices |Short film |
| 2013
|Laura |Written, co-produced, soundtrack |
| 2016
|I Am Be |Demeter |Short film |
| 2021
|Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry |Herself |Documentary |
= Video games =
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year !Title !Role |
| 1999
|Battlezone II: Combat Commander |Female Ensemble |
| 2000
|Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption |Anezka |
| 2004
| |
| rowspan=2|2005
|Amni Rhyza |
| EverQuest II: Desert of Flames
| |
| 2006
|Stilwater's Resident |
| 2008
|Various |
| 2010
|rowspan=2|Samara |
| 2012 |
| 2013
|Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII |Additional voices |
Discography
Awards and nominations
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{IMDb name}}
- {{IBDB name}}
- {{Discogs artist}}
{{Finneas O'Connell}}
{{Billie Eilish}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baird, Maggie}}
Category:20th-century American actresses
Category:21st-century American actresses
Category:Actresses from Colorado
Category:Actresses from Los Angeles
Category:American acoustic guitarists
Category:American country singer-songwriters
Category:American drama teachers
Category:American stage actresses
Category:American television actresses
Category:American video game actresses
Category:American voice actresses
Category:American women country singers
Category:Country musicians from Colorado
Category:People from Mesa County, Colorado
Category:Singer-songwriters from California