Maura Therese Tierney (Boston, Massachusetts, February 3, 1965) is an American actress.
Tierney was born and raised in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. Her mother, Pat, is a real estate broker in Boston. Her father, Joseph Tierney, was a prominent Boston politician who served on the Boston City Council for 15 years. Tierney is of Irish descent. She attended Notre Dame Academy in Hingham, Massachusetts, where her studies included drama and led to her appearance at the Boston Globe Drama Festival. After graduation, she attended New York University and majored in dance, but changed her major to drama. She resides in New York City and Los Angeles.
After appearing in several plays, she moved to Los Angeles, California and in 1987 got her first break in a role in Walt Disney's made-for-TV film Student Exchange. Tierney's first starring role in a film was in a low-budget, independently-produced film called Dead Women in Lingerie, shot in 24 days. Tierney continued winning small roles in film and television, though it was not until her leading role in NewsRadio from 1995 –1999 that she received regular national exposure.
Tierney played Nurse Abigail "Abby" Lockhart on ER, a character that began as a guest appearance as an OB nurse in November 1999, then expanded in February of 2000 to a full-time regular part as an ER nurse. Within a year, her work on ER had earned her an Emmy Award nomination, recognition she credits to a "juicy" story arc featuring her and Sally Field. In October 2008, Maura Tierney made her final appearance on the series after nearly 10 seasons on the show.
In 2004, Tierney won the second season tournament of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown against Lauren Graham. The show was hosted by Dave Foley, who was her co-lead and romantic interest in NewsRadio. She returned to the stage in May 2006 in an appearance opposite Eric McCormack in the off-Broadway U.S. premiere of Some Girl(s).[6] She also appeared in the 2008 films Semi-Pro, Baby Mama, The Go-Getter and Finding Amanda. Maura is currently in previews in the off-Broadway play "Three Changes" with Dylan McDermott. The play officially opened September 16, 2008.
Tierney married actor-director Billy Morrissette in February 1993, after the two met on the set of a never-aired television series. She filed for divorce 13 years later, citing irreconcilable differences.