Evelyn 'Grams' Ryan on 'Dawson's Creek'

Mary Beth Peil | Biography

Professional Opera Singer

• By Reena Chikanbanjar
• Original : March 02, 2022

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Mary Beth Peil is an American actress best known as Evelyn 'Grams' Ryan in the WB romantic teen drama series Dawson's Creek.

Who is Mary Beth Peil?

Mary Beth Peil is a stage and screen actress born on 25 June 1940 in Davenport, Iowa. 

A graduate of Northwestern University, Peil began her career as an opera singer and won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 1964.

After performing in operas for many years, Peil transitioned to the musical theater in 1983, appearing in Kiss Me, Kate at Minnesota Opera. 

The same year, she made her Broadway debut, portraying the role of Anna opposite Yul Brynner in the production of The King and I. She was nominated for a 'Tony Award' for her portrayal in 1985.

Peil went on to appear on Broadway, including in the productions of Nine (2003), Sunday in the Park with George (2008), Les Liaisons Dangereuses (2016), and Anastasia (2017).

Also Read About - Laura Bailey - Voice Actor & 'Last Of Us 2'

Peil made her film debut in the 1992 film Jersey Girl, and her first television series role was on Law & Order in 1994. 

She made a breakthrough with her outstanding performance as Evelyn' Grams' Ryan on Dawson's Creek (1998-2003). She also played Jackie Florrick in the television series The Good Wife (2009-2016).

'Dawson's Creek'

Created by Kevin Williamson, Dawson's Creek is a romantic drama television series, which premiered on 20 January 1998.

It followed the lives of four high school teenagers as they helped each other cope with adolescence in a small coastal town named Capeside. The series starred James Van Der Beek as Dawson Leery, Katie Holmes as Joey Potter, Joshua Jackson as Pacey Witter, and Michelle Williams as Jen Lindley.

Peil was introduced as Jen's grandmother and Dawson's neighbor, Evelyn 'Grams' Ryan. 

As Jen's guardian, deeply religious Grams tried to guide young Jen to a straight-living, but it often led them to conflict. Also, Grams was always there to help and offer grandmotherly advice to Jen, and there was a close relationship between them. 

Also, a retired nurse, Grams, was shown caring for her comatose husband, Gramps, who wakes from his coma briefly but dies in the final episode of the first season. Grams gradually began to move on and date again.

Grams became Peil's most memorable classic character, which earned her a legion of fans. She appeared regularly on Dawson's Creek until the show ended after six seasons in 2003.

Married/Husband

Peil was married to her now long divorced ex-husband, a clarinetist Jerry Kirkbride. She tied the knot with Kirkbride at age 27, and they were married for 22 years. In an interview with The Daily Beast in 2018, Peil said she and Kirkbride separated after ten years for a year and a half, then reunited for another decade before their final split.

I said, 'We'll take it a day at a time.' Then another 10 years went by, and a lot happened in those years for me. In the year and a half we had separated I realized I could raise a family on my own. I didn't need to be married. So when we got back together again, I paid more attention to what I needed. He paid more attention to what the family and what he needed.

Peil further said she and Kirkbride realized there was no need to be married anymore as they got older, and their marriage died 'a natural end.'

Following the end of their marriage, Kirkbride remarried his second wife, while Peil remained single.

Peil has two children with her ex-husband, one son, Michael, and one daughter, Gwyneth. She also has two grandchildren, Olivia and Sydney.