JoBeth Williams

Birth Name:

Margaret JoBeth Williams

Birth Place:

Houston, Texas, United States

Profession

Actress, Soundtrack, Director, Producer

Inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame in 2006 alongside Matthew McConaughey, Kris Kristofferson, Cybill Shepherd and Lyle Lovett
Attended Brown University with the intention of becoming a child psychologist
Got her start in show business with roles on several soap operas including "Guiding Light" and "Somerset," later moving on to feature films with 1980's "Stir Crazy․"
Made her screen acting debut in the TV series "Jabberwocky" in 1974, in which her character was also named JoBeth
While attending college, she took voice lessons to neutralize her Texan accent for future acting jobs
Quote: "Out of 200 or so movies made last year [2006], only seven were directed by women․ There's been an enormous leap of women producers and heads of studios, but strangely enough, those women haven't given other women a boost․ It's very frustrating․"
Best known for playing Diane Freeling in "Poltergeist" and Phyllis Bernard in "Kramer vs․ Kramer․"
Turned down the lead role in "Murphy Brown," a role that was reportedly made for her by creator Diane English

1983Saturn Award - Best Actress:Nominated
1984KCFCC Award - Best Actress:Winner
1984Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special:Nominated
1988Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special:Nominated
1989Golden Globe - Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television:Nominated
1995Oscar - Best Short Film, Live Action:Nominated
1995Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series:Nominated

Fast Facts