Mary Mara, Star of Ray Donovan and Lost, Dies at 61 After Drowning Accident

By Adam Barnhardt

Mary Mara, actor of leading TV programs such as Ray Donovan and Lost, died over the weekend after drowning in New York's St. Lawrence River. Reports (via TMZ) say the actor was visiting her sister in Cape Vincent, New York and jumped in the river to exercise. She was 61.

A native of Syracuse, New York, Mara made her acting debut in 1989's Blue Steel. In the early 1990s, Mara landed multi-episode roles in Law & Order and NYPD Blue before making a sizable entrance on NBC's ER. After a nine-episode stint on the medical drama, Mara was cast a lead in Nash Bridges over the span of the show's first two seasons.

The actor juggled film and television over the next three decades, earning credits in film's like K-PAX and Prom Night while also appearing in genre shows like Star Trek: Enterprise, Nip/Tuck, Dexter, and Lost.

Mara studied at Yale, earning a master's at the university's prestigious School of Drama. She also briefly dipped her toes into stage acting, appearing opposite Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer in Twelfth Night in 1989.

In a statement released by the New York State Police on Monday, officials say no signs of foul play were found during an initial investigation.

"When Troopers, along with Cape Vicent Fire and Ambulance arrived on the scene, they discovered a female deceased in the St. Lawrence River.  The victim has been identified as 61-year-old Mary T. Mara from Cape Vincent, NY," the statement reads in part. "The preliminary investigation suggests the victim drowned while swimming. The victim's body showed no signs of foul play and was transported to the Jefferson County Medical Examiner's Office pending an autopsy to determine an official cause of death. The investigation is continuing."

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