Claim: Betty Buckley played Carrie's mother, Margaret White.

Betty Lynn Buckley -LRB- born July 3 , 1947 -RRB- is an American stage , film and television actress , and singer . She starred from 1977 to 1981 on the ABC series Eight is Enough , before going on to win the 1983 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Grizabella in the original Broadway production of Cats . Her other musical roles include playing Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard from 1994 to 1996 , in both London and New York , receiving an Olivier Award nomination . She is a 2012 American Theater Hall of Fame inductee .   Buckley made her Broadway debut in 1969 playing Martha Jefferson in the original production of the musical 1776 . Other Broadway musical credits include Pippin -LRB- 1973 -RRB- and Drood -LRB- 1985 -RRB- . She played gym teacher Ms. Collins in the 1976 Brian de Palma film Carrie and went on to star in the short-lived Broadway musical version of Carrie in 1988 , this time playing Carrie 's mother , Margaret White . She received a Tony Award nomination for the 1997 musical Triumph of Love , Grammy Award nominations for The Diaries of Adam and Eve -LRB- 1999 -RRB- and Stars and the Moon : Live at the Donmar -LRB- 2001 -RRB- , and a Drama Desk Award nomination for the 2013 play The Old Friends . Her other film roles include Dixie Scott in Tender Mercies -LRB- 1983 -RRB- , Sondra Walker in Frantic -LRB- 1988 -RRB- , Kathy in Another Woman -LRB- 1988 -RRB- and Mrs. Jones in The Happening -LRB- 2008 -RRB- . She also had a recurring role in the HBO series Oz -LRB- 2001 -- 03 -RRB- . In 2017 , she received a Saturn Award nomination for her role as Dr. Karen Fletcher in the film Split .