Meg Foster

Last updated
Meg Foster
Meg Foster 2013.jpg
Foster at Phoenix Film Festival in 2013
Born (1948-05-10) May 10, 1948 (age 76) [1] [2]
Alma mater Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre
OccupationActress
Years active1968–present
Known for
Spouse Stephen McHattie

Meg Foster (born May 10, 1948) is an American film and television actress. Some of her many roles were in the 1979 TV miniseries version of The Scarlet Letter , and the films Ticket to Heaven , The Osterman Weekend, and They Live . She also starred as Christine Cagney in the first season of Cagney & Lacey .

Contents

Early years

Foster was born in Reading, Pennsylvania to David and Nancy (née Adamson) Foster on May 10, 1948, [2] and grew up in Rowayton, Connecticut with four siblings: sisters Gray, Jan, and Nina, and brother Ian. [3] [4] [5] She studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York. [6]

Career

In 1968, Foster acted in a Cornell Summer Theatre production of John Brown's Body. [7] Later in the same year, she was in the off-Broadway production of The Empire Builders. [8]

When Loretta Swit was unable to reprise her television-film role of Detective Christine Cagney when the film was adapted into the Cagney & Lacey TV series, Foster took on the role for the short first season of only six episodes. [9] Foster was replaced by Sharon Gless for the remainder of the series. Entertainment columnist Dick Kleiner wrote in August 1982 about Foster's being dropped from the show: "It isn't a pretty story, no matter who you talk to. Meg was so hurt and distraught that she still isn't talking. But she told friends that she felt as though she had been hit by a truck." [10] Kleiner's story implied that Foster's dismissal from the show had cost her other opportunities. "Until that news spread," he wrote, "she was an in-demand actress." [10]

Foster worked throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. She guest-starred in numerous TV shows including two episodes of Hawaii Five-O (1973 and 1976), The Six Million Dollar Man season two episode "Straight on 'til Morning" (1974), Three for the Road (1975), and the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season four episode "The Muse" (1996).

Foster in 1974 Meg Foster 1974.JPG
Foster in 1974

Other TV shows include Bonanza , The Twilight Zone , The F.B.I. , Here Come the Brides , Storefront Lawyers , Barnaby Jones , Murder, She Wrote , Miami Vice , Mannix , The Cosby Show , Quantum Leap , ER . She also portrayed Hera in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess .

She also appeared in films throughout the 1980s, beginning with a role as a woman who worked in the games in a travelling carnival in Carny , starring Jodie Foster, Gary Busey and Robbie Robertson; the villainous Evil-Lyn in the big-screen version of Masters of the Universe ; and Holly in the John Carpenter film They Live , with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.

Personal life

Foster was married to Canadian actor Stephen McHattie, but they divorced sometime before 2013. [11]

As to Foster's striking pale-blue eyes being dubbed "the eyes of 1979" by Mademoiselle magazine, Foster stated she didn’t think her eyes were that distinctive. [12] [13] However, some film and television producers had Foster wear contact lenses to change her eye color as they considered her natural eyes distracting. [13]

Filmography

Films

YearTitleRoleNotes
1970 Adam at 6 A.M. Joyce
1971 The Todd Killings
1972 Thumb Tripping Shay
1974 Welcome to Arrow Beach Robbin Stanley
1978 A Different Story Stella Cooke
1980 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Katrina Van Tassel
1980 Carny Gerta
1981 Ticket to Heaven IngridNominated—Genie Award for Best Performance by a Foreign Actress
1983 The Osterman Weekend Ali Tanner
1985 The Emerald Forest Jean Markham
1986 The Wind Sian Anderson
1987 Masters of the Universe Evil-Lyn
1988Riding FastSara
1988 They Live Holly Thompson
1989 Leviathan Ms. Martin
1989 Relentless Carol Dietz
1989 Blind Fury Lynn Devereaux
1989 Stepfather II Carol Grayland
1990 Tripwire Julia
1990 Jezebel's Kiss Amanda Faberson
1990Back StabSara Rudnick
1991 Diplomatic Immunity Gerta Hermann
1991Future KickNancy
1992 Project Shadowchaser Sarah
1992 Dead On: Relentless II Carol Dietz
1993Hidden FearsMaureen Dietz
1993 Best of the Best 2 Sue MacCauley
1994 Oblivion Stell Barr
1994 Shrunken Heads Maureen "Big Moe"
1994 Immortal Combat Quinn
1994Lady in WaitingCarrie
1995The Killers WithinLaura Seaton
1995Undercover HeatMrs. V.
1996 Oblivion 2: Backlash Stell Barr
1997 Space Marines Commander Lasser
1998Lost ValleyMary-Ann Compton
1998The Man in the Iron Mask Queen Anne of France Not to be confused with the other The Man in the Iron Mask 1998 film, which featured Anne Parillaud as Anne
1998 Spoiler Woman #1
1999 The Minus Man Irene
2003Being with EddieElinorShort film
2004Coming Up EasyMom
2011 25 Hill Audrey Gibbs
2011SebastianGloria
2012 The Lords of Salem Margaret Morgan
2016 Three Days in August Maggie
2016 31 Venus Virgo
2017 Teen Titans: The Judas Contract Mother Mayhem Voice
2017 Jeepers Creepers 3 Gaylen Brandon
2018A ReckoningDiane Maple
2018Any Bullet Will DoMa Whitman
2018 Overlord Chloe's Aunt
2019Investigation 13Layla Parrish
2020 There's No Such Thing as Vampires Sister Frank
2022 Hellblazers Mary
TBDHaunted: 333Momma McDonaldPost-production

Television films

YearTitleRole
1971 The Death of Me Yet Alice
1973 Sunshine Nora
1974Things in Their SeasonJudy Pines
1975Promise Him AnythingMarjorie
1976 James Dean Dizzy Sheridan
1977Sunshine ChristmasNora
1979 The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne
1980 Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones Jean Richie
1983Desperate IntruderJoanna Walcott
1984Best Kept SecretsShari Mitchell
1987DesperateDorymae
1988Betrayal of SilenceJulie
1992 To Catch a Killer City Attorney Linda Carlson
1997 Deep Family Secrets Ellen

Television series

YearTitleRoleNotes
1969 NET Playhouse PraxithiaEpisode: "The Prodigal"
1970 Here Come the Brides Callie MarshEpisode: "Two Worlds"
1970 The Interns SharonEpisode: "Eyes of the Beholder"
1970 Mod Squad CoraEpisode: "Who Are the Keepers, Who Are the Inmates?"
1971 Mod Squad CarolynEpisode: "Death of a Nobody"
1971Men at LawBarbara MillettEpisode: "Hostage"
1971 Bonanza Mrs. Evangeline WoodtreeEpisode: "The Silent Killer"
1971 Dan August Em Jackson2 episodes
1971 The F.B.I. Marcy BrownEpisode: "The Recruiter"
1972 The F.B.I. Marcy BrownEpisode: "A Second Life"
1972 Young Dr. Kildare RebeccaEpisode: "The Legacy"
1972 The Sixth Sense Carey EversEpisode: "Gallows in the Wind"
1972 Mannix SheilaEpisode: "A Game of Shadows"
1972 Medical Center Carol McKinnonEpisode: "Conflict"
1972 Circle of Fear Julie BarnesEpisode: "At the Cradle Foot"
1973 Circle of Fear Penny WisemanEpisode: "Spare Parts"
1973 Cannon Linda MorrowEpisode: "Come Watch Me Die"
1973 Barnaby Jones Doris TalbotEpisode: "A Little Glory, a Little Death"
1974 Barnaby Jones GlendaEpisode: "A Cold Record for Murder"
1974 Barnaby Jones Gina NelsonEpisode: "Blueprint for a Caper"
1973 Hawaii Five-O NinaEpisode: "The Child Stealers"
1974 Medical Center CassieEpisode: "Web of Intrigue"
1974 The F.B.I. Paula TaylorEpisode: "The Animal"
1974 The Six Million Dollar Man MinoneeEpisode: "Straight on 'till Morning"
1975 Sunshine Nora13 episodes
1975 The Streets of San Francisco Nancy Elizabeth MellonEpisode: "Trail of Terror"
1975 Bronk Margaret LewisEpisode: "Short Fuse"
1975 Three for the Road Patti HardyEpisode: "The Albatross"
1975 Baretta LolaEpisode: "Ragtime Billy Peaches"
1975 Baretta StellaEpisode: "Count the Days I'm Gone"
1976 Hawaii Five-O Anne WaringEpisode: "Double Exposure"
1977 Washington: Behind Closed Doors Jennie Jamison6 episodes
1977 Police Story NancyEpisode: "Trigger Point"
1982 Cagney & Lacey Det. Chris Cagney6 episodes - first cancelled season
1985 The Twilight Zone JennyEpisode: "Dreams for Sale"
1985 Murder, She Wrote Del ScottEpisode: "Joshua Peabody Died Here... Possibly"
1987 Miami Vice Alice CarsonEpisode: "Contempt of Court"
1988 Miami Vice Alice CarsonEpisode: "Blood & Roses"
1988 The Cosby Show Diane HemmingsEpisode: "Trust Me"
1989 Midnight Caller Annie DriscollEpisode: "Wait Until Midnight"
1989 The Hitchhiker DeirdreEpisode: "The Martyr"
1990–91 The Trials of Rosie O'Neill D.A. Deb Grant3 episodes
1990 The Young Riders Mary LouEpisode: "Decoy"
1991 Shannon's Deal Eva MelvilleEpisode: "Trouble"
1992 Reasonable Doubts Anna DareEpisode: "Moment of Doubt"
1992 Quantum Leap Laura Fuller3 episodes
1994 Fortune Hunter Georgia AppletonEpisode: "Millennium"
1995 ER Mrs. RoseEpisode: "Make of Two Hearts"
1996 Murder, She Wrote Laura KerwinEpisode: "The Dark Side of the Door"
1996 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine OnayaEpisode: "The Muse"
1996 Mr. & Mrs. Smith AthenaEpisode: "The Kidnapping Episode"
1998–99 Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Hera 2 episodes
1999 Sliders Col. Margaret BurkeEpisode: "Slide by Wire"
2000 Xena: Warrior Princess HeraEpisode: "God-Fearing Child"
2013 Hjem MinaEpisode: "#2.7"
2013–16 Pretty Little Liars Carla Grunwald5 episodes
2013–14 Ravenswood Carla Grunwald7 episodes
2015 The Originals Josephine LaRue5 episodes
2016 Baskets ThelmaEpisode: "Cowboys"
2017 Twin Peaks CashierEpisode: "Part 3"
2024 Masters of the Universe: Revolution Motherboard (voice)4 Episodes [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loretta Swit</span> American actress (born 1937)

Loretta Jane Swit is an American stage and television actress known for her character roles. Swit is best known for her portrayal of Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on M*A*S*H, for which she won two Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Blondell</span> American actress (1906–1979)

Rose Joan Blondell was an American actress who performed in film and television for 50 years.

<i>Cagney & Lacey</i> American police procedural television series (1982–1988)

Cagney & Lacey is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from March 25, 1982, to May 16, 1988. The show is about two New York City police detectives who lead very different lives: Christine Cagney is a career-minded single woman, while Mary Beth Lacey is a married working mother. The series is set in a fictionalized version of Manhattan's 14th Precinct. The pilot movie had Loretta Swit in the role of Cagney, while the first six episodes had Meg Foster in the role. When the show was revived for a full-season run, Gless portrayed the role for six consecutive years. Each year during that time, one of the two lead actresses won the Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Drama, a winning streak matched only once since in any major category by a show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyne Daly</span> American actress (born 1946)

Ellen Tyne Daly is an American actress whose six-decade career included many leading roles in movies and theater. She has won six Emmy Awards for her television work, a Tony Award, and is a 2011 American Theatre Hall of Fame inductee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Gless</span> American actress (born 1943)

Sharon Marguerite Gless is an American actress known for her television roles. She portrayed Maggie Philbin on Switch (1975–78), Sgt. Christine Cagney in the police procedural drama series Cagney & Lacey (1982–88), and played the title role in The Trials of Rosie O'Neill (1990–92). She was Debbie Novotny in the Showtime cable television series Queer as Folk (2000–2005) and Madeline Westen on Burn Notice (2007–2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Van</span> American actor and dancer (1928–1980)

Robert Jack Stein, known by his legalized stage name Bobby Van, was a musical actor and dancer, best known for his career on Broadway, in films and television from the 1950s through the 1970s. He was also a game show host and panelist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marj Dusay</span> American actress (1936–2020)

Marjorie Ellen Mahoney Dusay was an American actress known for her roles on American soap operas. She was especially known for her role as Alexandra Spaulding on Guiding Light, a role she played on and off from 1993 through the show's 2009 cancellation, as well as Jean Faircloth, the wife of Douglas MacArthur, in the 1977 movie MacArthur.

Leslie Ackerman is an American actress.

Diane Shalet was an American Broadway and television character actress. She was perhaps best known for her recurring role as Ms. Hawkins in the drama Matlock. She made a guest appearance on The Monkees in the season-two episode, "The Fairy Tale", as the Fairy of the Locket.

Karen Arthur is an American television and film director, producer, and actress. She directed more than 40 feature and made-for-television movies, miniseries, and television series. In 1985 she become the first woman to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series.

<i>The Scarlet Letter</i> (miniseries) 1979 television series

The Scarlet Letter is a 1979 miniseries based on the 1850 novel of the same name by Nathaniel Hawthorne: it aired on WGBH from March 3, 1979 to March 24, 1979. The series is four episodes long, 60 minutes each. Part 2 won the 1979 Emmy Award for Outstanding Video Tape Editing for a Limited Series or Special for film editors Ken Denisoff, Janet McFadden, and Tucker Wiard.

Barbara Corday is an American television executive, writer and producer known for co-creating the television series Cagney & Lacey.

Terry Louise Fisher is an American former TV screenwriter and producer. During her career, she won three Primetime Emmy Awards from seven nominations.

Barbara Rhoades is an American actress, known primarily for her comedy and mystery roles, especially as lady bandit Penelope Cushings in The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968) with Don Knotts.

Kathleen Lloyd is an American actress and musician known for her role as the female lead in The Missouri Breaks (1976), opposite Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson. She also appeared in the horror films The Car (1977) and It Lives Again (1978).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Tolsky</span> American actress (1943–2022)

Susan Gaye Tolsky was an American actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Tolsky began acting in high school and later studied nursing at the University of Texas at Austin before switching her major to theater. In 1967, she relocated to Hollywood and made her television debut on the sitcom The Second Hundred Years. Within a year, she earned a main role on the ABC comedy Western series Here Come the Brides (1968–1970) as Biddie Cloom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Belford</span> American actress

Christine Belford is an American former television and film actress. She has sometimes been credited as Christina Belford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sian Barbara Allen</span> American television actress

Sian Barbara Allen is an American former actress who mainly appeared on television throughout the 1970s. A native of Reading, Pennsylvania, Allen studied at the Pasadena Playhouse before appearing in her first screen role on the series O'Hara, U.S. Treasury in 1971. She went on to appear in numerous television series in the ensuing years, including recurring appearances on The Waltons, Gunsmoke, and Ironside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Stuart</span> American actress (1930–2011)

Barbara Stuart was an American actress.

References

  1. Ward, Jack (1993). "Meg Foster". Television Guest Stars: An Illustrated Career Chronicle for 678 Performers of the Sixties and Seventies. McFarland & Company. p. 187. ISBN   978-0-89950-807-8.
  2. 1 2 Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 14-20 (May 9, 2017). APNews. Accessed 2023-01-27.
  3. "Paid Notice: Deaths Foster, Nancy Adamson". The New York Times. 16 March 2006. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  4. "The Fosters of Ridgewood Drive". Rowaytonkids. Archived from the original on November 26, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  5. "Meg Foster interview". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  6. "'Brown's Body' Continues". The Ithaca Journal. New York, Ithaca. July 20, 1968. p. 25. Retrieved August 13, 2018 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  7. "'Brown's Body' Set at Cornell". The Ithaca Journal. New York, Ithaca. July 13, 1968. p. 25. Retrieved August 13, 2018 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  8. Davis, James (October 2, 1968). "Don't Miss Abstruse Theater -- If You Can". Daily News. New York, New York City. p. 49. Retrieved August 13, 2018 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  9. Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. pp. 151–152. ISBN   978-0-7864-6477-7.
  10. 1 2 Kleiner, Dick (August 22, 1982). "Story behind Meg's ouster". Longview News-Journal. Texas, Longview. p. 8 - F. Retrieved August 13, 2018 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  11. Stephen McHattie profile, nytimes.com; accessed October 13, 2014.
  12. "Just call her old blue eyes". Daily News. Kentucky, Bowling Green. April 4, 1979. p. 14-B. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  13. 1 2 Christy, Marian (March 29, 1979). "Meg Foster: 'We act every day of our life'". The Boston Globe. Massachusetts, Boston. p. 21. Retrieved August 13, 2018 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  14. "'Masters of the Universe' Alum Meg Foster to Return to Franchise for Netflix Animated Series". 14 May 2023.