# Meg Foster

Margaret "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.

## Early years

Foster was born in Reading, Pennsylvania to David and Nancy (née Adamson) Foster on May 10, 1948, and grew up in Rowayton, Connecticut with four siblings: sisters Gray, Jan and Nina, and brother Ian. 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 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. Foster has a son with actor Ron Starr.
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. However, 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 | A Different Story | Stella Cooke | |
| 1980 | The Legend of Sleepy Hollow | Katrina Van Tassel | |
| 1980 | Carny | Gerta | |
| 1981 | Ticket to Heaven | Ingrid | Nominated—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 | |
| 1988 | Riding Fast | Sara | |
| 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 | |
| 1990 | Back Stab | Sara Rudnick | |
| 1991 | Diplomatic Immunity | Gerta Hermann | |
| 1991 | Future Kick | Nancy | |
| 1992 | Project Shadowchaser | Sarah | |
| 1992 | Dead On: Relentless II | Carol Dietz | |
| 1993 | Hidden Fears | Maureen Dietz | |
| 1993 | Best of the Best 2 | Sue MacCauley | |
| 1994 | Oblivion | Stell Barr | |
| 1994 | Shrunken Heads | Maureen "Big Moe" | |
| 1994 | Immortal Combat | Quinn | |
| 1994 | Lady in Waiting | Carrie | |
| 1995 | The Killers Within | Laura Seaton | |
| 1995 | Undercover Heat | Mrs. V. | |
| 1996 | Oblivion 2: Backlash | Stell Barr | |
| 1997 | Space Marines | Commander Lasser | |
| 1998 | Lost Valley | Mary-Ann Compton | |
| 1998 | The 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 | |
| 2003 | Being with Eddie | Elinor | Short film |
| 2004 | Coming Up Easy | Mom | |
| 2011 | 25 Hill | Audrey Gibbs | |
| 2011 | Sebastian | Gloria | |
| 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 | |
| 2018 | A Reckoning | Diane Maple | |
| 2018 | Any Bullet Will Do | Ma Whitman | |
| 2018 | 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 | Notes |
| 1969 | NET Playhouse | Praxithia | Episode: "The Prodigal" |
| 1970 | Here Come the Brides | Callie Marsh | Episode: "Two Worlds" |
| 1970 | The Interns | Sharon | Episode: "Eyes of the Beholder" |
| 1970 | Mod Squad | Cora | Episode: "Who Are the Keepers, Who Are the Inmates?" |
| 1971 | Mod Squad | Carolyn | Episode: "Death of a Nobody" |
| 1971 | Men at Law | Barbara Millett | Episode: "Hostage" |
| 1971 | Bonanza | Mrs. Evangeline Woodtree | Episode: "The Silent Killer" |
| 1971 | Dan August | Em Jackson | 2 episodes |
| 1971 | The F.B.I. | Marcy Brown | Episode: "The Recruiter" |
| 1972 | The F.B.I. | Marcy Brown | Episode: "A Second Life" |
| 1972 | Young Dr. Kildare | Rebecca | Episode: "The Legacy" |
| 1972 | The Sixth Sense | Carey Evers | Episode: "Gallows in the Wind" |
| 1972 | Mannix | Sheila | Episode: "A Game of Shadows" |
| 1972 | Medical Center | Carol McKinnon | Episode: "Conflict" |
| 1972 | Circle of Fear | Julie Barnes | Episode: "At the Cradle Foot" |
| 1973 | Circle of Fear | Penny Wiseman | Episode: "Spare Parts" |
| 1973 | Hawaii Five-O | Nina | Episode: "The Child Stealers" |
| 1973 | Cannon | Linda Morrow | Episode: "Come Watch Me Die" |
| 1973 | Barnaby Jones | Doris Talbot | Episode: "A Little Glory, a Little Death" |
| 1974 | Barnaby Jones | Glenda | Episode: "A Cold Record for Murder" |
| 1974 | Barnaby Jones | Gina Nelson | Episode: "Blueprint for a Caper" |
| 1974 | Medical Center | Cassie | Episode: "Web of Intrigue" |
| 1974 | The F.B.I. | Paula Taylor | Episode: "The Animal" |
| 1974 | The Six Million Dollar Man | Minonee | Episode: "Straight on 'till Morning" |
| 1975 | Sunshine | Nora | 13 episodes |
| 1975 | The Streets of San Francisco | Nancy Elizabeth Mellon | Episode: "Trail of Terror" |
| 1975 | Bronk | Margaret Lewis | Episode: "Short Fuse" |
| 1975 | Three for the Road | Patti Hardy | Episode: "The Albatross" |
| 1975 | Baretta | Lola | Episode: "Ragtime Billy Peaches" |
| 1975 | Baretta | Stella | Episode: "Count the Days I'm Gone" |
| 1976 | Hawaii Five-O | Anne Waring | Episode: "Double Exposure" |
| 1977 | Washington: Behind Closed Doors | Jennie Jamison | 6 episodes |
| 1977 | Police Story | Nancy | Episode: "Trigger Point" |
| 1982 | Cagney & Lacey | Det. Chris Cagney | 6 episodes - first cancelled season |
| 1985 | The Twilight Zone | Jenny | Episode: "Dreams for Sale" |
| 1985 | Murder, She Wrote | Del Scott | Episode: "Joshua Peabody Died Here... Possibly" |
| 1987 | Miami Vice | Alice Carson | Episode: "Contempt of Court" |
| 1988 | Miami Vice | Alice Carson | Episode: "Blood & Roses" |
| 1988 | The Cosby Show | Diane Hemmings | Episode: "Trust Me" |
| 1989 | Midnight Caller | Annie Driscoll | Episode: "Wait Until Midnight" |
| 1989 | The Hitchhiker | Deirdre | Episode: "The Martyr" |
| 1990–91 | The Trials of Rosie O'Neill | D.A. Deb Grant | 3 episodes |
| 1990 | The Young Riders | Mary Lou | Episode: "Decoy" |
| 1991 | Shannon's Deal | Eva Melville | Episode: "Trouble" |
| 1992 | Reasonable Doubts | Anna Dare | Episode: "Moment of Doubt" |
| 1992 | Quantum Leap | Laura Fuller | 3 episodes |
| 1994 | Fortune Hunter | Georgia Appleton | Episode: "Millennium" |
| 1995 | ER | Mrs. Rose | Episode: "Make of Two Hearts" |
| 1996 | Murder, She Wrote | Laura Kerwin | Episode: "The Dark Side of the Door" |
| 1996 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Onaya | Episode: "The Muse" |
| 1996 | Mr. & Mrs. Smith | Athena | Episode: "The Kidnapping Episode" |
| 1998–99 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | Hera | 2 episodes |
| 1999 | Sliders | Col. Margaret Burke | Episode: "Slide by Wire" |
| 2000 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Hera | Episode: "God-Fearing Child" |
| 2013 | Hjem | Mina | Episode: "#2.7" |
| 2013–16 | Pretty Little Liars | Carla Grunwald | 5 episodes |
| 2013–14 | Ravenswood | Carla Grunwald | 7 episodes |
| 2015 | The Originals | Josephine LaRue | 5 episodes |
| 2016 | Baskets | Thelma | Episode: "Cowboys" |
| 2017 | Twin Peaks | Cashier | Episode: "Part 3" |
| 2024 | Masters of the Universe: Revolution | Motherboard (voice) | 4 Episodes |