Actor Lia Mortensen passed away at the age of 57. She lost her battle on Wednesday at Northwestern Hospital.
Birth of a Star
Mortensen was born on June 15, 1965. She was raised in Evanston and the daughter of two prominent academics at Northwestern University. In 2010, her father, Dale T. Mortensen, won a Nobel Prize in economics.
She graduated from Indiana University in 1987. Afterward, Mortensen moved back to the Chicago area to start her acting career. While she appeared on screen occasionally, she mainly performed in the Chicago theater. Additionally, her ex-husband, Si Osborne, said she received “her Equity card at age 24 and never looked back.”
Acting Career
In 1996, she helped put the Remy Bumppo Theatre Company on the map. In the company’s first show, Mortensen played a neurotic character named Ruth in “Night and Day.” Throughout the show, Ruth’s subconscious thoughts fueled Tom Stoppard’s playwright.
In the 1990s and 2000s, Mortensen constantly worked in leading roles in Chicago’s nonprofit theaters. She played Saly Talley in Lanford Wilson’s “Talley’s Folly” in 2002.
In 2007, she performed in Goodman Theatre’s production of Steve Scott’s “Rabbit Hole.” Many believe she gave her most wrenching stage performance of her career in this play. Mortensen portrayed a mother who lost a young child and had to navigate a new life under unimaginable circumstances.
Moreover, she was also seen in “The Big Meal,” “Macbeth,” “Faith Healer,” and many more. Mortensen performed in the films “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (2010), “Blink,” “Resurrecting McGinns,” and “Soul Sessions.” Her talents were also seen in “Shameless,” “Chicago Med,” “Chicago Fire,” “The Onion,” “Chicago Code,” and “Family Practice.”
She Will Be Missed
Her daughter, Jesse Mortensen, said that her mother didn’t “want people to be sad. She just wants smiles. What’s the quote my dad likes? Take a good look, for her like will not soon be seen again.”
In addition, her mother Beverly and her daughters Jesse and Ozzy Osborne are her survivors. Also mourning her death are her partners Marisol Garcia and Lily Turner.
https://twitter.com/ShayShayShotgun/status/1666871837836312576
By Sheena Robertson
Sources:
Chicago Tribune: Lia Mortensen dies at 57, an actor known for her deep and fearless work on Chicago stages
Goodman Theatre: LIA D. MORTENSEN
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Inset Image Courtesy of Richie Diesterheft‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
