Frances Louise McDormand wasn't always known by her now-famous actress name. She was actually born Cynthia Ann Smith on June 23, 1957. After graduating from Bethany College in West Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre in 1979, McDormand went on to study at Yale School of Drama. She earned her Master of Fine Arts degree in 1982 (just a few years before our previous headshot superstar, Chris Noth in 1985). And like Noth, Frances McDormand's commitment to higher education in the field of acting paid off well.
She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1988's "Mississippi Burning". And in 1996, she was nominated for, and won, the Academy Award for Best Actress after playing the role of police chief Marge Gunderson in the movie "Fargo". In more recent projects, she co-stars along with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and John Malkovich in the 2008 film "Burn After Reading". And in 2011, she starred alongside John Malkovich again in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon".