Meg Foster Bio
Margaret Foster (born May 10, 1948), known professionally as Meg Foster, is an American film and television actress whose career began in 1968 and spans stage, television and feature films. Foster is recognized for character work across genres and is known for notable performances in Ticket to Heaven, They Live and for portraying Christine Cagney in the initial season of Cagney & Lacey.
Foster’s work includes guest roles on a wide range of television series and supporting and leading roles in genre and mainstream films, demonstrating sustained activity in screen acting from the late 1960s through later decades.
Early Life and Background
Margaret Foster was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, to David Foster and Nancy Adamson Foster on May 10, 1948, and was raised in Rowayton, Connecticut. She grew up with four siblings: sisters Gray, Jan and Nina, and a brother, Ian. Her family background and upbringing in Connecticut provided the setting for her early exposure to performance.
Foster trained in acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York, a program noted for its conservatory approach to the craft. Early stage credits include a 1968 appearance with Cornell Summer Theatre in a production of John Brown’s Body and an off-Broadway engagement in The Empire Builders that same year, marking the formal start of her professional career.
Path to Celebrity
Foster moved from stage work into television and film in the early 1970s, building a resume of guest appearances and character parts that showcased her range. She appeared in episodic television throughout the 1970s, which established her as a reliable working actor in both dramatic and genre programming.
A key television moment came when Foster stepped into the role of Detective Christine Cagney for the first televised season of Cagney & Lacey, taking a lead part on a high-profile series early in its run. Although she left the series after the initial six-episode season and was replaced for subsequent seasons, the assignment brought national visibility and linked her name to a major network drama.
Meg Foster Career
Early Career (1968–1978)
Foster’s professional career began on stage in 1968 and quickly expanded to television guest work during the 1970s. She guest-starred on series such as Hawaii Five-O, The Six Million Dollar Man, Bonanza, The Streets of San Francisco and The Twilight Zone, among others, appearing in a variety of dramatic contexts and episodic formats.
During this period Foster developed a reputation as a character actress capable of inhabiting unconventional or intense roles, which led to steady casting in television and the occasional television movie. Her steady presence across episodic television in the 1970s established the foundation for a shift toward higher-profile film roles in the ensuing decade.
Breakthrough (1979–1988)
Foster’s work in the late 1970s and 1980s included roles that broadened her recognition in film and television. She appeared in a television adaptation of The Scarlet Letter and took roles in feature films and television movies that brought wider attention to her screen work. These projects helped transition her from frequent guest-star to more prominent supporting and genre roles.
In film, Foster is noted for her performance in Ticket to Heaven, a dramatic role that is among her better recognized early films, and for a distinctive part in John Carpenter’s They Live, which further increased her visibility among genre audiences. During the 1980s she also appeared in mainstream and genre pictures such as Masters of the Universe and Leviathan, demonstrating an ability to move between dramatic material and science fiction or fantasy filmmaking.
Notable Works and Milestones
Foster’s signature screen works include her turn on Cagney & Lacey, the dramatic film Ticket to Heaven and John Carpenter’s cult film They Live, each of which contributed to her reputation as a versatile performer. Her career is marked by a mix of television prominence and recurring film roles that have kept her active across decades.
Meg Foster Family
Margaret Foster is the daughter of David Foster and Nancy Adamson Foster and was raised with four siblings: Gray, Jan, Nina and Ian. Her family and upbringing in Rowayton, Connecticut are part of the biographical record that contextualizes her early training and move into professional acting.
Personal Life
Foster was married to Canadian actor Stephen McHattie; the marriage ended in divorce. She has also been linked publicly with Ron Starr. Public biographical records indicate her relationships have been part of her personal history, but widely reported family details such as children are not consistently documented in verifiable sources and are omitted here.
Over the course of her career Foster became noted for distinctive pale blue eyes, an aspect of her appearance that at times affected casting choices; on some projects she wore contact lenses when producers sought a different eye color. She has continued to work in television and film, maintaining a long-running presence in the industry since her professional debut in 1968.