Meg Foster Bio
Margaret Foster, known professionally as Meg Foster, is an American film and television actress born on May 10, 1948, in Reading, Pennsylvania. Recognized for a broad range of roles across cinema and television, she is best known for her performances in Ticket to Heaven, They Live, and The Scarlet Letter, as well as her turn as Detective Christine Cagney in the first season of Cagney & Lacey. Over a career that began in 1968, she has demonstrated remarkable versatility across genres, from horror and science fiction to drama and historical adaptation.
Born Margaret Foster, she later adopted the familiar shortened form Meg Foster for her professional credits. In addition to her most celebrated projects, she has appeared in feature films such as Masters of the Universe and Leviathan, and in television episodes of Hawaii Five-O, The Twilight Zone, and Quantum Leap. Her piercing pale blue eyes once earned her the nickname “the eyes of 1979” from Mademoiselle magazine, a feature that some producers asked her to mask with contact lenses during filming.
Early Life and Background
Meg Foster was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, on May 10, 1948, to David Foster and Nancy Adamson Foster. Her father was of Scotch-Irish ancestry and her mother was of English ancestry. Although she entered the world in southeastern Pennsylvania, Foster grew up in Rowayton, Connecticut, where she was raised alongside four siblings: sisters Gray, Jan, and Nina, and a brother named Ian.
From an early age, Foster gravitated toward performance and storytelling. Her parents encouraged her interest, and she eventually pursued formal training in acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York. This respected institution, known for shaping generations of American actors, provided her with the technical foundation and discipline that would carry her through a long and varied career in front of the camera.
Her education at the Neighborhood Playhouse placed her in a vibrant creative environment surrounded by working professionals and dedicated teachers. The training she received there helped prepare her for the transition from student to working performer and gave her the confidence to take on the wide range of characters that would define her career.
Path to Acting
Meg Foster began her professional acting career in 1968 with a Cornell Summer Theatre production of John Brown’s Body. Later that same year, she appeared in the off-Broadway production of The Empire Builders, marking her earliest forays into the New York theater scene. These initial stage roles allowed her to refine her craft and build a résumé before moving into television and film work.
Her early training and theater experience soon led to steady work in television, where she appeared in popular series of the era such as Bonanza, The F.B.I., Here Come the Brides, and Hawaii Five-O. She also took on guest roles in Three for the Road, Storefront Lawyers, Barnaby Jones, Mannix, and The Streets of San Francisco. These appearances across the 1970s established her as a reliable and compelling presence on screen.
By the end of the 1970s, Foster had built a strong reputation that positioned her for more substantial leading roles. Her talent and distinctive screen presence caught the attention of casting directors and producers, setting the stage for the breakthrough projects that would follow in the 1980s.
Meg Foster Career
Early Career (1968–1979)
Throughout the 1970s, Meg Foster worked steadily across television, building a foundation of diverse credits. She guest-starred in two episodes of Hawaii Five-O in 1973 and 1976, appeared in The Six Million Dollar Man season two episode “Straight on ’til Morning” in 1974, and took on roles in The Twilight Zone, The Streets of San Francisco, and other notable programs of the decade. These early appearances helped her develop the range and reliability that would later earn her more prominent parts.
As the decade progressed, Foster earned recognition for her striking screen presence, including the distinction of being named the holder of “the eyes of 1979” by Mademoiselle magazine. Some film and television producers asked her to wear contact lenses to change her natural pale blue eye color, considering her eyes distracting. Despite this, she continued to book work steadily and ended the 1970s ready for the next chapter of her career.
Breakthrough (1980–1982)
When Loretta Swit was unable to reprise her television-film role of Detective Christine Cagney for the adaptation of Cagney & Lacey into a series, Meg Foster took on the role for the short first season of six episodes. Her portrayal of Christine Cagney introduced her to a wide television audience and remains one of her most recognized performances. She was later replaced by Sharon Gless for the remainder of the series.
Foster also starred in the 1979 TV miniseries version of The Scarlet Letter, a role that highlighted her ability to handle period drama. The 1981 film Ticket to Heaven further cemented her reputation as a serious dramatic actress, and the 1982 film The Osterman Weekend added to her growing list of high-profile credits during this pivotal period.
Notable Works and Milestones
Among Meg Foster’s signature works are the John Carpenter science fiction film They Live, in which she starred opposite “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, the fantasy film Masters of the Universe as the villainous Evil-Lyn, and the deep-sea thriller Leviathan alongside Peter Weller and Richard Crenna. She also portrayed Hera in episodes of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, demonstrating her ability to move effortlessly between genre and tone. Her long list of credits includes guest spots on Murder, She Wrote, Miami Vice, The Cosby Show, Quantum Leap, ER, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, reflecting a career defined by range and longevity.
Meg Foster Award Nominations
Based on the available verified information, no specific award nominations for Meg Foster have been confirmed in the provided sources. While she has enjoyed a long and respected career across film and television, the documentation supplied does not include a verifiable record of formal award nominations to summarize at this time.
Meg Foster Awards Won
Based on the available verified information, no specific award wins for Meg Foster have been confirmed in the provided sources. Although she has built a substantial body of work over several decades, the documentation supplied does not include a verifiable record of formal award victories to summarize at this time.
Meg Foster Family
Meg Foster was born to David Foster and Nancy Adamson Foster, with her father of Scotch-Irish ancestry and her mother of English ancestry. She grew up in Rowayton, Connecticut, alongside four siblings: sisters Gray, Jan, and Nina, and a brother named Ian. The family environment in which she was raised provided the foundation for her eventual pursuit of acting.
Personal Life
Meg Foster married Canadian actor Stephen McHattie in 1979, though the couple later divorced sometime before 2013. She was also in a long-term relationship with Ron Starr, who passed away in 2017. Foster has one child. Beyond her family life, she has spoken openly about her distinctive pale blue eyes, noting that she did not personally consider them as unusual as the public and industry sometimes suggested.