In August 1972, Nelligan launched her professional stage career as a "funny and convincing" Corie in the
Bristol Old Vic production of
Barefoot in the Park by
Neil Simon. In the Bristol Old Vic studio space in the following April she took the role of Leila in
The Screens, an abridgement by
Howard Brenton of
Jean Genet's savage
Les Paravents. On television, she appeared in a regular role in the British television series
The Onedin Line. In 1974, she was invited to London to play the part of Jenny in
David Hare's play
Knuckle at the
Comedy Theatre, followed by a season with the
National Theatre playing Ellie in
Heartbreak House. 1975 saw her appear opposite
Anthony Hopkins in the televised play
The Arcata Promise followed by the televised theatrical version of
The Count of Monte Cristo that featured an all-star cast of British and American actors. That same year her first feature-length film
The Romantic Englishwoman was released. In 1977, again with the National Theatre, Nelligan gave a "stunning" performance as Marianne, opposite
Stephen Rea, in
Horváth's
Tales from the Vienna Woods directed by
Maximilian Schell. Also in 1977, she played the part of Rosalind in
As You Like It, directed by
Trevor Nunn, opposite
Peter McEnery in
Stratford-upon-Avon and the following year in London. This she followed with
Plenty, another play from David Hare, at the National Theatre, for which she received the 1978 "Best Actress"
Evening Standard Theatre Award, with a runner-up position as "Best Actress in a New Play" in that season's
Oliviers. She was cast in a similar role, playing opposite
Bill Paterson, in Hare's
BAFTA-award-winning companion play
Licking Hitler, for BBC television. Again on screen, in 1978 Nelligan played the part of Isabella in the
BBC Television Shakespeare production of
Measure for Measure, a performance that led the
New York Times to describe her as providing "the image of idealized faultlessness". In 1979, she was the female lead alongside
Frank Langella and
Laurence Olivier in
Dracula. In 1981, she starred opposite fellow Canadian
Donald Sutherland in
Eye of the Needle, a wartime espionage thriller based on the
Ken Follett best-selling novel. Two years later Nelligan moved to New York City, where she earned nominations for the
Tony Award as Best Actress in a Play three times and one Featured Actress in a Play between 1983 and 1989 for the five
Broadway plays in which she appeared. In 1991, Nelligan won a
BAFTA for "Best Actress in a Supporting Role" for her performance in
Frankie and Johnny. For her performance in the 1991 film
The Prince of Tides she was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Between 1987 and 2004, she was nominated for five
Gemini Awards for her performances in Canadian television mini-series and films and won twice, both in 1993. In 1996, she played the wife of
James Mink in the
CBS television film
Captive Heart: The James Mink Story. ==Personal life==