Later that year she joined the national tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I as Anna Leonowens opposite Yul Brynner, and continued with that production when it opened on Broadway on January 7, 1985.

She is best known for her roles in the main casts of two television series: as Evelyn 'Grams' Ryan in Dawson's Creek (1998–2003) and Jackie Florrick in The Good Wife (2009–2016).

Her notable film credits include portraying Jack Lemmon's love interest in The Odd Couple II (1999), and performances in The Stepford Wives (2004), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Mirrors (2008), Maladies (2012), and Collateral Beauty (2016).

[5][8][9] In 1965 Peil was the featured soprano soloist in a concert honoring Risë Stevens with the California Chamber Symphony at The Beverly Hilton.

[10] That same year she performed the role of Pamina in The Magic Flute with conductor Thomas Scherman and the Little Orchestra Society at Philharmonic Hall.

[11] In 1966 she was the soprano soloist in performances of Christian Ignatius Latrobe's Dies Irae at the Early American Moravian Music Festival at Salem College.

[23] Peil made a transition into musical theatre with the Minnesota Opera, performing the title role of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate in 1983.

In May 1983 she was cast in a national tour as the twelfth and final Anna Leonowens opposite Yul Brynner's monarch of Siam in a revival of The King and I.

[35] In 1993 Peil moved back to New York City after divorcing Jerry Kirkbride with whom she had raised two children, Gwyneth and Michael, in Leonia, New Jersey.

She portrayed Felice, the love interest of Felix (played by Jack Lemmon), in the 1999 comedy film The Odd Couple II.

[39] In 1994 she starred in three one act plays by Edward Albee presented collectively under the tile Sand by the Signature Theatre Company: Box (1968), The Sandbox (1960), and Finding the Sun (1983).

[48] Peil played evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson and First Lady Lou Henry Hoover in a 1998 off-Broadway revival of the Irving Berlin – Moss Hart revue As Thousands Cheer at the Greenwich House Theater.

[53] After Dawson's Creek ended in 2003, Peil portrayed Helen Devlin in Frank Oz's 2004 film The Stepford Wives with Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, and Bette Midler.

Her other recent film credits include Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers (2006), the thriller Mirrors (2008), Maladies (2012), Contest (2013), Collateral Beauty (2016), The Song of Sway Lake (2018), and Here and Now (2018).

[55] On the stage, Peil portrayed Eleanor Roosevelt in the 2004 off-Broadway revival of Michael John LaChiusa First Lady Suite at The Connelly Theater.

[59] In 2006 she created the role of Clare in the world premiere of Joan Vail Thorne's The Things You Least Expect at the George Street Playhouse.

[60] That same year she starred as Celeste Albaret in the world premiere of Mary Zimmerman's monodrama M. Proust with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago.

[62] In 2008 Peil appeared as the Old Lady and Blair Daniels in the Roundabout Theatre Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's musical Sunday in the Park with George.

[63] Starting in October 2010 she appeared in the original Broadway cast of the Lincoln Center Theater production of the musical Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, which is based upon the movie of the same name.

Peil appeared in Stephen Sondheim's Follies on Broadway in the role of Solange LaFitte, alongside Bernadette Peters and Elaine Paige, starting in August 2011.

[68] In 2013 Peil starred alongside Jeff Goldblum and Laurie Metcalf in the world premiere of Bruce Norris's Domesticated at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center.

Based on the 1997 animated film, Anastasia has music and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty and a book by Terrence McNally.