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Ann Cusack

Ann Cusack has built the kind of screen career that rewards attentive viewers. Moving comfortably between film and television, comedy and drama, she has become a familiar presence without being confined to one kind of role. Born in New York City on May 22, 1961, Cusack was raised in Evanston, Illinois. Acting was part of the family landscape: her father, Dick Cusack, was an actor, producer and writer, while her siblings include actors Joan and John Cusack. Ann trained alongside Joan and John at Evanston’s Piven Theatre Workshop and also studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Her first film role arrived in 1992 with A League of Their Own, in which she played Shirley Baker. She later appeared in the 1996 comedy Multiplicity and had a small role in Grosse Pointe Blank, starring John and Joan Cusack. Other film work includes What Planet Are You From?, Accepted, where she played Diane Gaines, and Ace Ventura Jr: Pet Detective, in which she appeared as Melissa Robinson Ventura. In 2016, she played Donna Dent in Clint Eastwood’s Sully, starring Tom Hanks. Television has given Cusack an especially wide field. She replaced Anita Barone on The Jeff Foxworthy Show and starred in the Lifetime series Maggie. Her guest work stretches across comedies, procedurals, medical dramas and science fiction, including Frasier, Ally McBeal, Grey’s Anatomy, Boston Legal, Bones, Criminal Minds, Private Practice, Castle and Star Trek: Enterprise. She also appeared in The Lost Room and the opening episode of Fargo’s second season. Cusack brought another thread to Better Call Saul as Rebecca Bois, Chuck’s ex-wife, first appearing in the second season and returning in the third. It is a fitting example of her career: a supporting role given weight through careful placement within a larger ensemble. Across decades of screen work, Cusack has consistently found a place in stories built around strong casts and sharply defined characters.