Elizabeth McGovern first appeared in the episode: "The Girl from Somewhere" of the American teen drama series ‘California Fever’ in 1979. The following year, she made her big-screen debut in the American psychological drama film ‘Ordinary People,’ directed by Robert Redford. The film saw critical acclaim upon release and became a recipient of 4 ‘Academy Awards.’ ‘Ordinary People’ was also a major commercial success and grossed over $90 million on a budget of $6.2 million. In 1981, she portrayed ‘Evelyn Nesbit’ in the American drama film ‘Ragtime,’ directed by Miloš Forman. The film received a positive response from critics and scored an approval rating of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. McGovern also received the ‘Academy Award’ and ‘Golden Globe Award’ nominations for her performance in the film. She next appeared in films like ‘Lovesick’ (1983), ‘Once Upon a Time in America’ (1984), ‘Racing with the Moon’ (1984), ‘Native Son’ (1986), ‘The Bedroom Window’ (1987), and ‘She's Having a Baby’ (1988). In 1989, she starred as ‘Donna McCarty’ in the American neo-noir crime thriller film ‘Johnny Handsome,’ directed by Walter Hill. The film saw mixed reviews upon release and was a box office disappointment.
She was next seen in the 1990 Volker Schlöndorff-directed dystopian film ‘The Handmaid's Tale.’ The film received a lukewarm response from critics. That same year, she also appeared in the American black comedy film ‘A Shock to the System’, directed by Jan Egleson. Even though the film opened to positive reviews, it failed to achieve success at the box office. She continued to star in films like ‘King of the Hill’ (1993), ‘Me and Veronica’ (1993), ‘The Favor’ (1994), ‘Wings of Courage’ (1995), ‘The Wings of the Dove’ (1997), ‘The Misadventures of Margaret’ (1998), ‘The House of Mirth’ (2000), ‘Buffalo Soldiers’ (2001), ‘The Truth’ (2006), and ‘Inconceivable’ (2008). In 2010, she was seen playing the role of ‘Mrs. Lizewski’ in the black comedy superhero film ‘Kick-Ass’ directed by Matthew Vaughn. The film was a critical and commercial success. That same year, she joined the main cast of the British historical drama television series ‘Downton, Abbey’ created by Julian Fellowes. She portrayed ‘Cora, Countess of Grantham’ in the series which earned her several award nominations, including the ‘Golden Globe Award’ and ‘Primetime Emmy Award’ nominations. The show ran for 6 seasons and aired its final episode in 2015.
McGovern was also appeared in films like ‘Cheerful Weather for the Wedding’ (2012), ‘Unexpected’ (2015), ‘Woman in Gold’ (2015), ‘Showing Roots’ (2016), ‘The Wife’ (2017), ‘The Commuter’ (2018), and ‘The Chaperone’ (2018). She was last seen in the 2019 historical drama film ‘Downton Abbey’ where she reprised her role as ‘Cora, Countess of Grantham.’ The film earned wide praise from critics and was a phenomenal box office success.
