Leading Ladies Janet Margolin
Per Quinlan's Film Stars:
Dark haired, slim, gravelly attractive American actress- too good for Hollywood who couldn't make her a star in spite of some stunning performances , all the way from her debut as a mental patient in David And Lisa (straight from her first Broadway play) to her frighteningly intense murderess in Last Embrace. Decent leading roles proved harder to find in the 1980's.
Janet Margolin was born at New York City in 1943.
She is NOT the sister of actor Stuart Margolin which many times she has been identified as.
Ms. Margolin studied at New York High School Of The Performing Arts. She was discovered for films by director Frank Perry while she was making great strides as an actress on Broadway.
She was immediately brought to Hollywood and cast as the schizophrenic in David And Lisa. Her performance was terrific and the movie was praised by critics for the handling of such a delicate subject.
She continued on as second leads and a few good leads. But unfortunately she did not become a big star.
Some of the film roles of Janet Margolin were:
David And Lisa (1962) as Lisa
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) as Mary Of Bethaney
Bus Riley's Back In Town (1965) as Judy
Morituri (1965) as Esther
Nevada Smith (1966) as Neesa
The Eavesdropper (1966) as Ines
Ten Blocks On The Camino Real (1966-TV) as Esmerelda
Enter Laughing (1967) as Wanda
Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (1968) as Gia Campbell
Take The Money And Run (1969) as Louise
The Last Child (1971-TV) as Karen Miller
Family Flight (1972-TV) as Carol Rutledge
Your Three Minutes Are Up (1973) as Betty
Pray For The Wildcats (1974-TV) as Krissie Kincaid
Planet Earth (1974) as Harper Smythe
Martinelli: Outside Man 1977-TV) as Rosalie
Annie Hall (1977) as Robin
Murder In Peyton Place (1977-TV) as Betty Anderson Roerick
Sharon: Portrait Of A Mistress (1977-TV) as Carol
The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal (1979-TV) as Rose
Last Embrace (1979) as EllieFabian
The Plutonium Incident (1980-TV) as Judith Longden
Tonight's The Night (1987-TV) as Chris
Distant Thunder (1988) as Barbara Lambert
Ghostbusters II (1989) as The Prosecutor
Murder C O D (1990-TV) as Maye Walsh
Ms. Margolin also appeared on television in such programs as The Edge Of Night, Ben Casey, Alcoa Premiere, East Side West Side, The Defenders, Arrest And Trial, Coronet Blue, Medical Center, The Young Lawyers, The Interns, Owen Marshall Councilor At Law, Mod Squad, Lucas Tanner, The Wide World Of Mystery, Police Woman S W A T, Police Story, Joe Forrester, Serpico, Lanigan's Rabbi, Starsky And Hutch, The Eddie Capra Mysteries, Colombo and Murder She Wrote.
She was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for her role in Daughter Of Science in 1982.
Ms. Margolin was married twice. Her first marriage was to Jerry Brent (1968 - 1971) but ended in divorce. Her second marriage was to Ted Weiss producing two children and lasting until her death.
Janet Margolin passed away in 1993 from ovarian cancer.
I enjoyed Janet Margolin in the films Nevada Smith, David And Lisa, Bus Riley's Back In Town, Annie Hall and Ghost Busters II.
Louie The Movie Buff