She made her Broadway debut in the 1972 revival of Much Ado About Nothing and appeared in her first film in 1976 in All the President's Men.
For her role in the 1984 film Places in the Heart, she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
She also had a leading role in the 1987 film House of Games, which was directed by her then-husband David Mamet.
In 1996, she received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for "Between Mother and Daughter", a CBS Schoolbreak Special episode.
As Crouse has said: "In our family, the work ethic was held up as some kind of byword ... At any hour, somebody's typewriter was going.
"[7] After graduating from the Chapin School in 1966[8] and Radcliffe College in 1970,[7] Crouse began her performing career as a modern and jazz dancer, but she soon switched to acting and made her Broadway debut in Much Ado About Nothing in 1972.
Crouse's film career began in 1976, with small roles in television and theatrical movies.
Crouse was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 1984 movie Places in the Heart.
Notable roles include a recurring portrayal of Kate McBride, a lesbian police officer on Hill Street Blues during its sixth season in 1986.
[12] Crouse is also known for her role in the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where she was a recurring supporting cast member playing Professor Maggie Walsh.
Crouse has also guest-starred on Alias, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Columbo, Criminal Minds, Law & Order, ER, Millennium, and NYPD Blue.