Margaret 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.
Early years Foster was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, to David and Nancy (née Adamson) Foster on May 10, 1948,Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 14-20 (May 9, 2017). APNews. Accessed 2023-01-27. and grew up in Rowayton, Connecticut, with four siblings: sisters Gray, Jan and Nina, and brother Ian. Her father was of Scotch-Irish ancestry and her mother was of English ancestry. She studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York.
Career
In 1968, Foster acted in a Cornell Summer Theatre production of John Brown's Body. Later in the same year, she was in the off-Broadway production of The Empire Builders.
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. 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." 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."
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). Other TV shows in which she appeared include: Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, The F.B.I., The Streets of San Francisco, Here Come the Brides, Storefront Lawyers, Barnaby Jones, Murder, She Wrote, Miami Vice, Mannix, The Cosby Show, Quantum Leap, ER. She 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 traveling 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; the callous Martin in Leviathan, starring Peter Weller and Richard Crenna, and Holly in the John Carpenter film They Live, with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.
Personal life Foster married Canadian actor Stephen McHattie in 1979, but they divorced sometime before 2013.
As to Foster's striking pale blue eyes being dubbed "the eyes of 1979" by Mademoiselle magazine, Foster stated she did not think her eyes were that distinctive. Some film and television producers had Foster wear contact lenses to change her eye color, as they considered her natural eyes distracting.
Filmography Films Year Title Role Notes 1970 Adam at 6 A.M. Joyce 1971 The Todd Killings 1972 Thumb Tripping Shay 1974 Welcome to Arrow Beach Robbin Stanley 1978 Stella Cooke 1980 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Katrina Van Tassel Carny Gerta 1981 Ticket to Heaven Ingrid Nominated—Genie Award for Best Performance by a Foreign Actress 1983 Ali Tanner 1985 Jean Markham 1986 Sian Anderson 1987 Masters of the Universe Evil-Lyn 1988 Riding Fast Sara They Live Holly Thompson 1989 Leviathan Ms. Martin Relentless Carol Dietz Blind Fury Lynn Devereaux Stepfather II Carol Grayland 1990 Tripwire Julia Jezebel's Kiss Amanda Faberson Back Stab Sara Rudnick 1991 Diplomatic Immunity Gerta Hermann Future Kick Nancy 1992 Project Shadowchaser Sarah Dead On: Relentless II Carol Dietz 1993 Hidden Fears Maureen Dietz Best of the Best 2 Sue MacCauley 1994 Oblivion Stell Barr Shrunken Heads Maureen "Big Moe" Immortal Combat Quinn Lady in Waiting Carrie 1995 Laura Seaton Undercover Heat Mrs. V. 1996 Oblivion 2: Backlash Stell Barr 1997 Space Marines Commander Lasser 1998 Lost Valley Mary-Ann Compton Queen Anne of FranceNot to be confused with the other The Man in the Iron Mask 1998 film, which featured Anne Parillaud as Anne Spoiler Woman #1 1999 Irene 2003 Being with Eddie Elinor Short film 2004 Coming Up Easy Mom 2011 25 Hill Audrey Gibbs Sebastian Gloria 2012 The Lords of Salem Margaret Morgan 2016 Three Days in August Maggie 31 Venus Virgo 2017 Teen Titans: The Judas Contract Mother Mayhem Voice Jeepers Creepers 3 Gaylen Brandon 2018 A Reckoning Diane Maple Any Bullet Will Do Ma Whitman Overlord Chloe's Aunt 2019 Investigation 13 Layla Parrish 2020 There's No Such Thing as Vampires Sister Frank 2022 Hellblazers Mary TBD Haunted: 333 Momma McDonald Post-production
Television films Year Title Role 1971 The Death of Me Yet Alice 1973 Sunshine Nora 1974 Things in Their Season Judy Pines 1975 Promise Him Anything Marjorie 1976 James Dean Dizzy Sheridan 1977 Sunshine Christmas Nora 1979 The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne 1980 Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones Jean Richie 1983 Desperate Intruder Joanna Walcott 1984 Best Kept Secrets Shari Mitchell 1987 Desperate Dorymae 1988 Betrayal of Silence Julie 1992 To Catch a Killer City Attorney Linda Carlson 1997 Deep Family Secrets Ellen
Television series Year Title Role Notes1969NET PlayhousePraxithiaEpisode: "The Prodigal"1970Here Come the BridesCallie MarshEpisode: "Two Worlds"SharonEpisode: "Eyes of the Beholder"Mod SquadCoraEpisode: "Who Are the Keepers, Who Are the Inmates?"1971CarolynEpisode: "Death of a Nobody"Men at LawBarbara MillettEpisode: "Hostage"BonanzaMrs. Evangeline WoodtreeEpisode: "The Silent Killer"Dan AugustEm Jackson2 episodes Marcy BrownEpisode: "The Recruiter"1972Episode: "A Second Life"Young Dr. KildareRebeccaEpisode: "The Legacy"Carey EversEpisode: "Gallows in the Wind"MannixSheilaEpisode: "A Game of Shadows"Medical CenterCarol McKinnonEpisode: "Conflict"Circle of FearJulie BarnesEpisode: "At the Cradle Foot"1973Penny WisemanEpisode: "Spare Parts"Hawaii Five-ONinaEpisode: "The Child Stealers"CannonLinda MorrowEpisode: "Come Watch Me Die"Barnaby JonesDoris TalbotEpisode: "A Little Glory, a Little Death"1974GlendaEpisode: "A Cold Record for Murder"Gina NelsonEpisode: "Blueprint for a Caper"Medical CenterCassieEpisode: "Web of Intrigue"Paula TaylorEpisode: "The Animal"MinoneeEpisode: "Straight on 'till Morning"1975SunshineNora13 episodesNancy Elizabeth MellonEpisode: "Trail of Terror"BronkMargaret LewisEpisode: "Short Fuse"Three for the RoadPatti HardyEpisode: "The Albatross"BarettaLolaEpisode: "Ragtime Billy Peaches"StellaEpisode: "Count the Days I'm Gone"1976Hawaii Five-OAnne WaringEpisode: "Double Exposure"1977Washington: Behind Closed DoorsJennie Jamison6 episodes Police StoryNancyEpisode: "Trigger Point"1982Cagney & LaceyDet. Chris Cagney6 episodes - first cancelled season1985JennyEpisode: "Dreams for Sale"Murder, She WroteDel ScottEpisode: "Joshua Peabody Died Here... Possibly"1987Miami ViceAlice CarsonEpisode: "Contempt of Court"1988Episode: "Blood & Roses"Diane HemmingsEpisode: "Trust Me"1989Midnight CallerAnnie DriscollEpisode: "Wait Until Midnight"DeirdreEpisode: "The Martyr"1990–91D.A. Deb Grant3 episodes 1990Mary LouEpisode: "Decoy"1991Shannon's DealEva MelvilleEpisode: "Trouble"1992Reasonable DoubtsAnna DareEpisode: "Moment of Doubt"Quantum LeapLaura Fuller3 episodes1994Fortune HunterGeorgia AppletonEpisode: "Millennium"1995ERMrs. RoseEpisode: "Make of Two Hearts"1996Murder, She WroteLaura KerwinEpisode: "The Dark Side of the Door"Star Trek: Deep Space NineOnayaEpisode: "The Muse"Mr. & Mrs. SmithAthenaEpisode: "The Kidnapping Episode"1998–99Hercules: The Legendary JourneysHera2 episodes 1999SlidersCol. Margaret BurkeEpisode: "Slide by Wire"2000Xena: Warrior PrincessHeraEpisode: "God-Fearing Child"2013HjemMinaEpisode: "#2.7"2013–16Pretty Little Liars Carla Grunwald5 episodes2013–14Ravenswood7 episodes 2015The OriginalsJosephine LaRue5 episodes 2016BasketsThelmaEpisode: "Cowboys"2017Twin PeaksCashierEpisode: "Part 3"2024Masters of the Universe: RevolutionMotherboard (voice)4 Episodes
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