Elizabeth Marvel

Elizabeth Marvel is an American actress whose prominent roles include Det. Nancy Parras on "The District," Solicitor General Heather Dunbar on "House of Cards," and President Elizabeth Keane on "Homeland." Marvel was born in Orange County, California, and was raised in Mohnton, Pennsylvania. She trained at the Interlochen Arts Academy, and then the Juilliard School. Since the early 1990s she has appeared in off-Broadway plays.

Marvel appeared in many stage productions throughout her career. Her first professional role was as Isabella in "Measure for Measure" at Canada's Stratford Festival in 1992. She has won Obie Awards for her work in "Thérèse Raquin and Misalliance" (1998), "A Streetcar Named Desire" (2000) and "Hedda Gabler" (2005). She returned to the role she originated Off-Broadway of Brooke Wyeth in "Other Desert Cities," which was played by Rachel Griffiths in its Broadway premiere. In 2009, for her performance in "Fifty Words," she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play.

Marvel first gained widespread attention on television, with her four seasons playing the regular role of Nancy Parras in the CBS series "The District." She played a variety of guest and recurring roles on "Lights Out," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Nurse Jackie," "Person of Interest," "30 Rock," "The Good Wife," and "The Newsroom." In film, Marvel has appeared in "Burn After Reading" (2008), directed by the Coen brothers, and in "True Grit" (2010), as the adult Mattie Ross. She appeared in "The Bourne Legacy" (2012), "Lincoln" (2012), and "Hyde Park on Hudson" (2012).

In 2013, she was cast as lead in the CW family drama pilot "Blink," opposite John Benjamin Hickey. She was noted for portraying Heather Dunbar in Netflix's political drama "House of Cards." In 2016, she was cast as President-elect Elizabeth Keane for the sixth and seventh seasons of Showtime drama series "Homeland," and had a recurring role in Netflix's critically acclaimed series "Unbelievable."