FS.

ABOUT FINNERTY

Actor. Writer. Producer. And lover of truth and tacos.

 
 
 

BACK STORY.

Finnerty, as an extremely shy kid, was talked into taking a speech and drama class in junior high by her parents to help her with her fear of public speaking. It worked. Sort of.

She went on to receive her BA from California State University Fullerton and was classically trained with an MFA from the graduate program at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. While at ACT she lived aboard a 32 foot sailboat called “Elysium” across the bay in Alameda.

Upon graduating, she sold the boat and moved to New York City. Shortly after her arrival, she was offered the role of Denise McCarthy on The Sopranos directed by Mike Figgis.

Finnerty went on to do over 40 commercials while working in NYC on and off Broadway. Some of those credits include The White Chip, Dot (directed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman), Brighton Beach Memoirs, Almost Maine, and the Drama Desk nominated production of Lost in Yonkers. Finnerty has performed at top regional theaters around the country and was given the Elliot Norton Award (Best Actress) for her performance as Ms Calvin in The Shape She Makes at A.R.T. and the Emerging Master of Cinema Award from the Academy Award Qualifying RiverRun International Film Festival.

Although Finnerty has a love of the theater, her truthful and intimate acting style has always lent itself to work in front of the camera.

Her favorite role to date is the complicated role of inmate Beth Hoefler on the final two seasons of Orange Is The New Black.

 

Finnerty went on to do over 40 commercials while working in NYC on and off Broadway.

Some of those credits include:

  • The White Chip (directed by Tony-nominated Sheryl Kaller)

  • Dot (directed by 5x Tony Award winner Susan Stroman)

  • Brighton Beach Memoirs (directed by Tony Award winner David Cromer)

  • Almost Maine (directed by Gabriel Barre)

  • the Drama Desk nominated production of Lost in Yonkers (directed by Jenn Thompson)

Awards:

  • the Elliot Norton Award (Best Actress) for her performance as Ms Calvin in The Shape She Makes at A.R.T.

  • the Emerging Master of Cinema Award from RiverRun International Film Festival

 
 
 

Other television credits include:

  • The Time Travelers Wife

  • Blue Bloods

  • The Blacklist

  • Person Of Interest

  • Sneaky Pete

  • Bored to Death

  • The Big C

  • Louie

Select film roles include:

  • La Cocina (dir: Alonso Ruizpalacios)

  • Bad Education (dir: Corey Finley)

  • Francis Ha (dir: Noah Bombach)

  • Morning Glory (dir: Roger Michel)

  • Away We Go (dir: Sam Mendes)

 
 

  • "Finnerty Steeves is one of my favorite American actors."

    - TERRY TEACHOUT, WALL STREET JOURNAL

  • “Finnerty Steeves is a dark-haired actress with a marvelously expressive face, a body that can crumple almost to the point of disappearing and a deceptively genial way with a comic take.”

    SYLVIANE GOLD, THE NEW YORK TIMES

  • “Finnerty Steeves is absolutely heartbreaking!"

    JENNIFER FARRAR, ASSOCIATED PRESS

  • “Steeves mastery of this role is breathtaking, and calls to mind the great comediennes such as Imogene Coca and Carol Burnett.”

    LARRY MURRAY, BERKSHIRE ON STAGE

  • “Ms. Harris and Ms. Steeves permeate the characters with complex layers of painful experience.”

    DAVID ROONEY, THE NEW YORK TIMES

  • "Ms. Steeves has written a terrific script."

    RED CARPET CRUSH

  • “Ms Steeves’s stingingly true-to-life performance is the best I’ve seen by an American actor in an Ayckbourn play.”

    TERRY TEACHOUT, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

  • "Her writing is smart, particular, and human."

    MORGAN ROBERTS, IN THEIR OWN LEAGUE

  • "She captures emotion in ways that often Hollywood does not."

    KYLE BAIN, FILM THREAT

 

PRODUCING AND WRITING

MARSHA’S DAUGHTER PRODUCTIONS

"before/during/after" is Finnerty’s first feature as a writer/producer under her new production company Marsha's Daughter Productions. Despite the film being completed during the pandemic, “before/during/after” won top honors at all of the festivals it participated in including the “Industry Choice Award” at Dances With Films, “Best of the Fest” at Greenpoint Film Festival, “Best Ensemble Cast” at San Diego International Film Festival, “Programmers Choice Award” at Naples International Film Festival and the only US feature film to be programmed at St John’s International Women’s Film Festival.

In May of 2021, Finnerty was presented with the “Emerging Master of Cinema Award” from the Academy Award qualifying RiverRun International Film Festival (past recipients include Michael Shannon, Melanie Lynskey, Debra Granik, Killer Films (Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler), Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, Jeff Nichols, Ramin Bahrani, David Gordon Green, and Paul Schneider).

 
 
 

In February 2021 “before/during/after” was released by Gravitas Ventures in the US and Canada and distributed internationally by Artist View Entertainment.

“before/during/after” is currently rated 100% on Rotten Tomatoes!