Cara Buono
Cara Buono

Cara Buono

Born: March 1, 1971 (55 years)
The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Born in The Bronx, New York, Buono was raised in a blue-collar family and decided at an early age to make acting her life's ambition. At 11, she showed her connection to her family's work ethic by answering a casting call ad for Harvey Fierstein's "Spookhouse" and landing the role, without any assistance from her family or other adults. Buono began landing roles on television and the New York stage while in her teens and early twenties, and earned a Daytime Emmy nomination as a young victim of sexual abuse in Abby, My Love (1991) (CBS, 1991), which aired as part of the CBS Schoolbreak Special (1984). She soon graduated to minor roles in Stephen Gyllenhaal's Waterland (1992), with Jeremy Irons and Ethan Hawke; as an illegal immigrant in The Cowboy Way (1994), with Woody Harrelson and Kiefer Sutherland; and in Noah Baumbach's much-loved indie comedy, Kicking and Screaming (1995), which reunited her with her "Abby, My Love" co-star, Josh Hamilton. While cultivating her acting career, Buono also graduated from Columbia University with a double major in English and political science in 1995, which she earned in just three years. After graduation, Buono concentrated largely on character roles in independent films and on television. She was the wife and confidante of prison guard Robert Sean Leonard, who served as an earpiece for monstrous 1930s criminal Carl Panzram (James Woods) in Killer: A Journal of Murder (1995), before playing an accident-prone opera singer in love with a young man (Gibson Frazier) with Jazz-Era affectations in the offbeat Man of the Century (1999). She soon added behind-the-camera credits to her expanding resume, including writer/director on the short, Baggage (1997), with Liev Schreiber and Minnie Driver, and served as co-producer and star of the comedy, Two Ninas (1999), about a pair of similarly monikered women (Buono and Amanda Peet) who fell for a very unlucky man. She continues to write and co-wrote "When the Cat's Away" (1999), with Brad Anderson, and wrote an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's first novel, "This Side of Paradise". Buono's screen credits grew more obscure at the launch of the new millennium - art house and film festival circles saw the lesbian drama, Chutney Popcorn (1999), Attention Shoppers (2000), Happy Accidents (2000) with Marisa Tomei and Vincent D'Onofrio. She soon turned to television for wider exposure, and earned it through supporting roles on high profile series like Third Watch (1999) and The Sopranos (1999). In 2007, she joined the cast of the cult favorite, The Dead Zone (2002) (USA, 2002-2007) as Sheriff Anna Turner, who investigated the death of her predecessor (Chris Bruno). During this period, Buono maintained her screen career in features as varied as Ang Lee's Hulk (2003), playing David Banner's mother, who was killed by his genetically-induced rage, and Beer League (2006), and Artie Lange's hapless lay-about love interest. In 2010, she appeared as the divorced mother of Kodi Smit-McPhee in Let Me In (2010), the critically-praised American remake of the Swedish vampire movie, Let the Right One In (2008). That same year, she landed her most widely seen role-to-date on Mad Men (2007), playing Dr. Faye Miller. For her efforts, Buono received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2011.

Movies Directed (1)
Movies as Actor (45)
The Debut

The Debut

as Cassie

Dec 3, 2026

Jane

Jane

as Linda Carson

Jun 19, 2026

One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5

One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5

as Self - Karen Wheeler

Jan 11, 2026

Things Like This

Things Like This

as Margie Kitlin

May 16, 2025

V13

V13

as Ida

Apr 3, 2025

Queen of the Ring

Queen of the Ring

as Bertha Burke

Mar 7, 2025

In Fidelity

In Fidelity

as Holly Ayker

Nov 4, 2024

Always, Already

Always, Already

as Cara

Apr 8, 2024

The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story

The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story

as Debra

Feb 11, 2023

She Came from the Woods

She Came from the Woods

as Heather McCalister

Feb 10, 2023

Monsters and Men

Monsters and Men

as Stacey

Sep 22, 2018

The Bad Seed

The Bad Seed

as Angela

Sep 9, 2018

All Saints

All Saints

as Aimee Spurlock

Aug 25, 2017

Half the Perfect World

Half the Perfect World

as Sonia

Aug 26, 2016

Emily & Tim

Emily & Tim

as Emily (Segment 3)

Aug 29, 2015

Paper Towns

Paper Towns

as Mrs. Jacobsen

Jun 18, 2015

A Good Marriage

A Good Marriage

as Betty Pike

Oct 3, 2014

The Discoverers

The Discoverers

as Nell

May 16, 2014

Drew Peterson: Untouchable

Drew Peterson: Untouchable

as Kathleen Savio

Jan 29, 2014

Modern Love

Modern Love

as Nicky

Oct 10, 2012

Let Me In

Let Me In

as Owen's Mother

Oct 1, 2010

Betrayed

Betrayed

as Amy Waite

May 14, 2010

Cthulhu

Cthulhu

as Dannie

Aug 22, 2008

The Unquiet

The Unquiet

as Julie Bishop

Jan 27, 2008

Beer League

Beer League

as Linda

Sep 15, 2006

From Other Worlds

From Other Worlds

as Joanne

Oct 29, 2004

Hulk

Hulk

as Edith Banner

Jun 19, 2003

Chutney Popcorn

Chutney Popcorn

as Janis

Jan 11, 2001

Two Ninas

Two Ninas

as Nina Cohen

Dec 1, 2000

Attention Shoppers

Attention Shoppers

as Claire Suavez

Sep 21, 2000

Takedown

Takedown

as Christina Painter

Mar 15, 2000

Happy Accidents

Happy Accidents

as Bette

Jan 25, 2000

Man of the Century

Man of the Century

as Virginia Clemens

Oct 29, 1999

In a Class of His Own

In a Class of His Own

as Sherry Donato

Oct 17, 1999

Deep in My Heart

Deep in My Heart

as Young Gerry Cummins

Feb 14, 1999

River Red

River Red

as Rachel

Nov 6, 1998

Next Stop Wonderland

Next Stop Wonderland

as Julie

Aug 21, 1998

Killer: A Journal of Murder

Killer: A Journal of Murder

as Esther Lesser

Sep 6, 1996

Kicking and Screaming

Kicking and Screaming

as Kate

Oct 6, 1995

The Cowboy Way

The Cowboy Way

as Teresa Salazar

Jun 3, 1994

Victim of Love: The Shannon Mohr Story

Victim of Love: The Shannon Mohr Story

as Tracey Lien

Nov 9, 1993

The Perfect Woman

The Perfect Woman

Oct 16, 1993

In the Line of Duty: Ambush in Waco

In the Line of Duty: Ambush in Waco

May 23, 1993

Waterland

Waterland

as Judy Dobson

Aug 21, 1992

Gladiator

Gladiator

as Dawn

Mar 6, 1992