---
name: "Mariel Hemingway"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/mariel-hemingway"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "22 November 1961"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 54
updated: "2026-09-16T14:24:15.426560+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Mariel Hemingway

Actor. Born 22 November 1961 in Mill Valley, California, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 22 November 1961, Mill Valley, California, USA
- **Active:** 1979–1987
- **Also known as:** Mariel Hadley Hemingway

## Fi1m on Mariel Hemingway

> Mariel Hemingway is most persuasive when she lets a feeling register without explaining it. We value the directness that gives *Manhattan* its warmth, though her presence alone is no guarantee of a worthwhile film.

In *Manhattan* (1979), Mariel Hemingway lets Tracy speak plainly while the people around her explain themselves at length. That directness is the strongest reason to watch her: she gives a feeling its due without insisting that we admire the acting. We warmed to Tracy because Hemingway makes her feelings matter amid so much clever conversation. The contrast can be uncomfortable for the other characters, whose fluency does not make them equally affecting.

Woody Allen gives her the space she needs, and alongside Diane Keaton she supplies much of the warmth that keeps the film worth an evening. Gordon Willis's black-and-white photography does plenty to make its increasingly solemn romance appealing, sometimes more than the writing deserves. Hemingway needs less assistance: Tracy's directness makes us care when the film's encouragement to indulge everyone else becomes harder to accept. Our reservations about *Manhattan* concern that romance, rather than the performance that helps us through it.

The move into leading roles in the early 1980s also brought more physically demanding work. In *Personal Best* (1982), she plays the athlete Chris Cahill; in Bob Fosse's *Star 80* (1983), Dorothy Stratten. Both parts required physical commitment, and neither suggests an actor content to keep repeating Tracy. Those roles give a fuller sense of her choices than Tracy alone can.

Her presence is not enough to recommend *Superman IV: The Quest for Peace* (1987), in which she plays Lacy Warfield. Sidney J. Furie's sequel is hampered by weak effects, muddled storytelling and tired romantic comedy. We would not use a film this muddled to make a general case against her acting, but there is no reason to start here.

The later career is less prominent, taking in the television series *Civil Wars* (1991–1993) and a supporting part in *The Contender* (2000). Screen work became less frequent after the late 1990s, though she has continued to act into the 2020s. For a first encounter, we would choose *Manhattan* and listen to Tracy rather than the people who think they have more to say.

## Biography

Mariel Hemingway is an American actress. She made her film debut at the age of 14 in *Lipstick* (1976), appearing alongside her sister Margaux, and received a Golden Globe nomination for the role.

Hemingway is best known for her performance as Tracy in Woody Allen's *Manhattan* (1979), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Other film credits include *Personal Best* (1982), *Star 80* (1983), *Superman IV: The Quest for Peace* (1987), *Deconstructing Harry* (1997) and *The Contender* (2000). She has also appeared in television series such as *Roseanne* and *Law & Order*.

She is the granddaughter of writer Ernest Hemingway.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *Superman IV: The Quest for Peace* (1987), Fi1m 30, as Lacy Warfield — [page](https://film.one/film/superman-iv-the-quest-for-peace.md)
- *Manhattan* (1979), Fi1m 78, as Tracy — [page](https://film.one/film/manhattan.md)

## Also known for

- *Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult* (1994), Mariel Hemingway (uncredited)
- *Deconstructing Harry* (1997), Beth Kramer
- *Tales from the Crypt* (1989), Miranda Singer (segment "Loved to Death")
- *Law & Order* (1990), Ashley Jones
- *Roseanne* (1988), Sharon
- *Bad Moon* (1996), Janet Harrison
- *The Contender* (2000), Cynthia Lee
- *Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films* (2014), Elizabeth Anderson (archive footage) (uncredited)

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/mariel-hemingway