Zoe Perry followed in the footsteps of her famous parents — Laurie Metcalf and Jeff Perry — and pursued a career in Hollywood.
After meeting as theater students in Illinois, Metcalf and Perry wed in 1983. In September of that same year, they welcomed their first and only child together, daughter Zoe. Though Metcalf and Perry divorced in 1986, their passion for the arts influenced their daughter’s future career path in Hollywood.
Perry and Metcalf both got their start in the theater before pivoting to careers in television and film. Metcalf is best known for her long-standing role as Jackie Harris in Roseanne and its spinoff, The Conners, as well as for portraying Marion McPherson in Lady Bird. Meanwhile, Perry is recognized for his roles as Inspector Harvey Leek in Nash Bridges and Cyrus Beene in Scandal.
Despite her parents’ successful careers in Hollywood, Zoe’s own pursuit of acting didn’t happen until she was in college. She began in the theater before moving to New York, where she appeared in several small TV roles. Her most recognized role comes from portraying Mary Cooper in Young Sheldon, a role that her mom originated in The Big Bang Theory.
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She cites her childhood exposure to the Steppenwolf Theater Company and the set of Roseanne with her parents as a driving force behind her ultimate career path. She told Entertainment Tonight in June 2018, “I was just so grateful that that passion they have for theater translated to me, because I always loved seeing it. Growing up and to be able to do it now is such a pleasure as well.”
From their days in the theater to their award-winning performances on-screen, here’s everything to know about Zoe Perry’s parents, Laurie Metcalf and Jeff Perry.
Her parents met through the theater
While Metcalf was studying at Illinois State University — where she earned her bachelor of arts in theater in 1976 — she met fellow theater students Perry, Terry Kinney and Gary Sinise in addition to John Malkovich, Glenne Headly and Joan Allen, according to The New York Times.
In 1974, Perry, Kinney and Sinise co-founded the Chicago-based Steppenwolf Theatre Company. They began performing in a church in Highland Park before moving their productions to a nearby space in Immaculate Conception Catholic School, per the organization’s website.
Perry, Kinney and Sinise went on to recruit more actors as founding members, including Metcalf, Moira Harris and Malkovich. Over the next decade, the group earned national and international attention for their plays, earning their first of 10 Tony Awards in 1985.
She is the only daughter of Metcalf and Perry
Metcalf and Perry wed in 1983 and divorced in 1986 when Zoe was only 2. The former couple eventually moved on to their second marriages and expanded their families.
The actress married her second husband, fellow Roseanne costar Matt Roth, in 2005. She and Roth welcomed three children together before their divorce was finalized in 2014. Metcalf gave birth to their first child together, son Will Theron Roth, in 1993. Their second child, daughter Mae Akins Roth, was welcomed via surrogate in 2005. They also fostered their third child, son Donovan Roth, in 2006 and eventually adopted him.
Perry married his second wife, Linda Lowy, in 1989. The couple share one child, daughter Leah Perry.
Despite the couple splitting up after three years of marriage and moving on with different partners, Zoe commends her parents and stepparents for remaining supportive and keeping the families close.
She told the New York Post in April 2008, “My stepmom reminded me of a conversation she had with my mom early on, who said, ‘Well, we’re a family,’ and that generosity sort of bred. So I have four amazing parents who support me!”
Metcalf described her relationship with Lowy as “solid and strong,” adding, “There’s not really a term for it, but I love her, so I call her my sister-in-law.”
Metcalf and Perry are celebrated actors
From Steppenwolf Theatre Company to television and the silver screen, Metcalf and Perry have forged storied careers in Hollywood as actors.
After spending nearly 20 years of his career at the theater company, Perry began to focus on acting in TV and film roles. One of his most memorable characters was Bryce Hunter in Wild Things, and he also made appearances in The West Wing, Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Prison Break and Inventing Anna.
Metcalf spent the early years of her career in theater as well, including Steppenwolf productions, one of which brought her to New York for an off-Broadway production of Balm in Gilead. She went on to appear in film and television, including a short-lived stint as a feature player on Saturday Night Live for a single episode in 1981.
After a string of movie roles, Metcalf rose to prominence for starring in Roseanne, earning her several Primetime Emmy Awards nominations. She portrayed Jackie Harris for all 10 seasons of the original show and reprised her role for its spinoff, The Conners.
In 2018, Metcalf received an Academy Awards nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Greta Gerwig’s film Lady Bird. In addition to her Tony Award nods for her roles in Hillary and Clinton, Misery, The Other Place and November, she won best actress in a play for her performance in A Doll’s House, Part 2 and best featured actress in a play for Three Tall Women.
