Biography
Margaret JoBeth Williams (born December 6, 1948) is an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Emmy nominated American film and television actress and director, and current President of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation. Williams rose to prominence appearing in such films as Stir Crazy (1980), Poltergeist (1982), The Big Chill (1983), The Day After (1983), Teachers (1984), and Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986). A three-time Emmy Award nominee, she was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a ...
Known For
Complete Filmography

Not Without Hope
2025
A group of friends' fishing boat capsizes off the coast of Mexico and they're left alone stranded at sea and struggling for survival.

Cash for Gold
2024
as Boots
Struggling to save her home from foreclosure and stay sober after her military husband's death, Grace goes to work for her small town's only Muslim fa...

Chantilly Bridge
2023
as Natalie
Chantilly Bridge reunites a group of lifelong, steadfast friends who are still – in their later years -- chasing their dreams, fighting injustices, an...

1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever!
2022
as Self
A remarkable new epic documentary spotlighting the pop culture milestones of 1982 including notable motion pictures, TV, music and video games of that...

What the Night Can Do
2020
as Bettye Sue Dryer
Luana is a 12-year-old girl struggling to grasp the world collapsing around her, as her parents separate and her estranged Grandfather falls ill. It t...

SGT. Will Gardner
2019
as Sherry
A troubled Iraq War veteran struggling to reintegrate into society sets out on a cross-country journey with the hope of reuniting with his young son.

Alex & the List
2018
as Mrs. Stern
Alex, a lovable, unassuming dog trainer is in love with a great woman - Katherine - smart, talented, from a good family. Katherine adores Alex's quirk...

Barracuda
2017
as Patricia
Sinaloa hitchhikes into Texas to meet Merle, her half-sister by way of their dead country musician father. As the two get to know each other, Sinaloa'...

Within
2016
as Rosemary Fletcher
A widower, his daughter, and his new wife move into a peaceful neighborhood. At first it appears to be a perfect neighborhood but the family quickly r...

The Last Film Festival
2016
as Mayor
Dennis Hopper plays Nick Twain, a Hollywood Producer whose latest film is rejected by every film festival in the world except one- in Ohio. Nick will ...

In My Dreams
2015
as Charlotte Smith
Natalie and Nick are frustrated with their luck in romance. After tossing coins into a fountain, the two then begin dreaming about each other. But, ac...

Love's Christmas Journey
2011
as Beatrice
While still mourning the loss of her husband and daughter, recently widowed Ellie King visits her brother Aaron Davis and his children for Christmas. ...

The Big Year
2011
as Edith
Three fanatical bird-watchers spend an entire year competing to spot the highest number of species as El Nino sends an extraordinary variety of rare b...

Uncorked
2009
as Sophia Browning
Johnny is a high-powered executive who is definitely not looking to fall in love but a business conference takes her to wine country she meets a hands...

TiMER
2009
as Marion
In this comedic fantasy, science has facilitated the search for a soul mate via biotechnological implants that count down to the moment one is suppose...

Sybil
2007
as Hattie Dorsett
A true story of a young woman whose abusive childhood results in her developing a multiple personality disorder.

In the Land of Women
2007
as Agnes Webb
After a bad breakup with his girlfriend leaves him heartbroken, Carter Webb moves to Michigan to take care of his ailing grandmother. Once there, he g...

14 Hours
2005
as Jeanette Makins
While Tropical Storm Allison brings one of the worst floods to hit Houston rages outside, the staff of Hermann hospital races against time to ensure h...

Crazylove
2005
as Mrs. Mayer
Letty Mayer, young and beautiful, has a cherished job as a teacher, a successful attorney boyfriend, and a tight knit family that is excited about her...

Into the Fire
2005
as June Sickles
Into the Fire follows the story of Walter Hartwig, a lieutenant in the New York City Harbor Unit, who finally comes to terms with grief and what is re...

Fever Pitch
2005
as Maureen Meeks
When Ben Wrightman, a young teacher, begins dating pretty businesswoman Lindsey Meeks, the two don't seem to have a lot of the same interests, but the...

The Curse of Poltergeist
2002
Exploring the popular film series and several tragedies amongst the cast members.

Searching for Debra Winger
2002
as Self
Rosanna Arquette talks to various actresses about the pressures they face as women working in the entertainment industry.

The Rose Technique
2002
as Dr. Lillian Rose
The Rose Technique revolves around the life of an off-beat psychiatrist who wants to join the crazy world of daytime TV.

Repossessed
2002
A real estate agent shows a house to a woman who is more than she seems.

The Ponder Heart
2001
as Edna Earle Ponder
Uncle Daniel Ponder moves to give away his fortune, while his niece, Edna Earle, tries to tighten the reins on Daniel's generosity. After Daniel marri...
Frankie & Hazel
2000
Director
Actress JoBeth Williams directed this Showtime family feature starring The Sixth Sense's Mischa Barton for Barbra Streisand's Barwood Films. Barton is...

Trapped in a Purple Haze
2000
as Sophie Hanson
When a charismatic teenager falters under constant pressure from his parents and school, he makes a potentially deadly mistake.

Jackie's Back!
1999
as Jo Face (Jackie's Vocal Coach)
A British documentarian profiles washed-up diva Jackie Washington as she prepares for her comeback concert.

It Came From the Sky
1999
as Alice Bridges
Jarvis and Pepper crash land their small plane on the roof of the Bridges family. Pepper finds herself having a positive effect on the households' aut...

The Big Chill: A Reunion
1999
as Self
A look back at the making of the film "The Big Chill" (1983) with cast and crew.

Justice
1999
as Jane Newhart
A lawyer and her partner run from the Colombian Mafia and the corrupt U.S. marshals and attorneys assigned to protect them.

A Chance of Snow
1998
as Madeline 'Maddie Parker
After signing her divorce papers, a woman heads out to her Minnesota airport with her sister and daughters for a flight to her mother's home. At the a...

When Danger Follows You Home
1997
as Anne Werden
A single mom and psychiatric intern encounters a troubled but brilliant young man who turns up dead in her house after she befriended him. When she fi...

Jungle 2 Jungle
1997
as Dr. Patricia Cromwell
Uptight New York City executive, Michael Cromwell, pursues his soon-to-be ex-wife to South America and returns home with the son he never knew he had—...

Just Write
1997
as Sidney Stone
A Hollywood tour bus driver poses as a screenwriter to romance an up-and-coming young actress.

Breaking Through
1996
as Pam Willis (as Jobeth Williams)
Laura is a 20 year old deaf girl who has never been taught sign language. She is rescued from neglect and physical abuse by Pam, a social worker. Pam ...

Ruby Jean and Joe
1996
as Rose
In a tale set in the rough and tumble world of professional rodeo, an over-the-hill former champion broncobuster and a young hitchhiker develop a spec...

A Season of Hope
1995
as Elizabeth Hackett
When trees in their only source of income, a lemon grove, start showing signs of disease, a burdened Californian family reaches their breaking point. ...

Voices from Within
1994
as Nancy Parkhurst
When her sister, a prim-and-proper nurse, is found murdered in the parking lot of a wild nightclub, pianist Nancy Parkhurst learns the truth about her...

On Hope
1994
Director
On Hope is a 1994 short film directed by JoBeth Williams, with Annette O'Toole, Mercedes Ruehl, Ray Baker, and Veronica Cartwright. The film was nomin...

Parallel Lives
1994
as Winnie Winslow
A college reunion turns into a tangled web of passion, romance and intrigue as old friends and enemies catch up with each other's lives. Includes a lo...

Wyatt Earp
1994
as Bessie Earp
From Wichita to Dodge City, to the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Wyatt Earp is taught that nothing matters more than family and the law. Joined by his bro...

Final Appeal
1993
as Christine Biondi
A lawyer must defend his sister in the court of law who's accused of murdering her seemingly perfect, but in fact very abusive husband.

Chantilly Lace
1993
as Natalie
A group of middle-aged women get together at a secluded house to learn about themselves.
Sex, Love and Cold Hard Cash
1993
as Sarah Gallagher
An ex-con whose share of a robbery disappeared joins forces with deluxe edition call-girl in order to get back the money she gave her accountant for i...

Commercial Entertainment Product
1992
as Diane Freeling
The video debut of experimental musicians and culture jamming artists Emergency Broadcast Network.

Jonathan: The Boy Nobody Wanted
1992
as Ginny Moore
A Down-syndrome boy left in an institute by his parents. Ginny works in the institute and wants to have Jonathan but has to fight the system and the p...

Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot
1992
as Lt. Gwen Harper
A tough police sergeant's mother comes to visit him, and promptly starts trying to fix up his life, much to his embarrassment. For his birthday she bu...

Me, Myself and I
1992
as Crazy / Sane Diane
Diane is a growling, howling urban nightmare, suffering from paranoia, nymphomania, and a really bad hair day. Her neighbor, a TV writer, is subject t...

Dutch
1991
as Natalie Standish
To get to know his girlfriend's son, a man volunteers to pick him up from a prep school... only to learn that her son's not the nicest kid.

Switch
1991
as Margo Brofman
Steve Brooks, a sexist womanizer, is killed by a group of his angry former lovers. In heaven, he makes a bargain with God for redemption and agrees to...

Victim of Love
1991
as Tess Harper
Therapist Tess falls for widowed professor Paul, who's having an affair with Carla, one of her patients. Tess turns a dangerous page when she uncovers...

Bump in the Night
1991
Co-Executive Producer
Martha "Red" Tierney used to be a hot-shot reporter, but that was before alcohol took over her life. One morning Martha's son, Jonathan, leaves for sc...

Child in the Night
1990
as Dr. Hollis
Traumatized after seeing his father brutally murdered by a hook wielding assailant, young Luke is tasked to help unmask the killer.

Welcome Home
1989
as Sarah
Jake died in Vietnam; his family mourned him, then moved on. When he reappears, quite alive, the question is, what must he do and how will his family ...

My Name Is Bill W.
1989
as Lois Wilson
Based on the true story of Bill W. (James Woods), a successful stock broker whose life falls apart after the stock crash of the 20's and how he comes ...

Memories of Me
1988
as Lisa
After a heart attack, Abbie Polin (Crystal), a New York doctor, goes to Los Angeles to see his father, Abe (King), who works in Hollywood as the "king...

Murder Ordained
1987
as Lorna Anderson
This is the story of a minister who's feeling unhappy in his marriage who then has an affair with a church employee, who is also married, and who also...

Adam: His Song Continues
1986
as Reve Walsh
Follows the true story of John and Reve Walsh who, after their child was murdered, fought to raise national awareness of the problem of missing childr...

Poltergeist II: The Other Side
1986
as Diane Freeling
The Freeling family move in with Diane's mother in an effort to escape the trauma and aftermath of Carol Anne's abduction by the Beast. But the Beast ...

Desert Bloom
1986
as Lily Chismore
The story involves Rose Chismore's youth. She flashes back and remembers her coming-of-age. Her recollections are sometimes less than sweet, particula...

Kids Don't Tell
1985
as Claudia Ryan
When a documentary-maker begins to make a film about child sexual abuse, the subject begins to eat into him and affect his relationship with those aro...

American Dreamer
1984
as Cathy Palmer
American housewife Cathy Palmer loses her memory on a trip to Paris after being hit by a car. She wakes up in the hospital believing she's the fiction...

Teachers
1984
as Lisa Hammond
A teacher reconnects with an old student who is now an attorney representing a family who is suing the school for graduating their son who still canno...

The Day After
1983
as Nurse Nancy Bauer
In the mid-1980s, the U.S. is poised on the brink of nuclear war. This shadow looms over the residents of a small town in Kansas as they continue thei...

Adam
1983
as Reve Walsh
Based on the true story that shocked the nation and led to vast changes in how law enforcement handled missing children cases...John and Reve Walsh de...

The Big Chill
1983
as Karen Bowens
Seven old college friends gather for a weekend reunion after the funeral of one of their own.

Endangered Species
1982
as Harriet Purdue
A retired New York cop on vacation in America's West is drawn into a sheriff's investigation of a mysterious series of cattle killings.

Poltergeist
1982
as Diane Freeling
Upon realizing that something truly evil haunts his home, Steve Freeling calls in a team of parapsychologists to help before it's too late.

Joe Dancer: The Big Black Pill
1981
as Tiffany Farinpour
The first of three private-eye movies created by Robert Blake about rugged Joe Dancer as the forerunner to a prospective but unrealized series after t...

The Dogs of War
1980
as Jessie
Mercenary soldiers Jamie and Drew are hired by a large corporation to liberate Zangaro, a small African nation, from an despot. Havoc ensues.

Stir Crazy
1980
as Meredith
New Yorkers Skip Donahue and Harry Monroe have no jobs and no prospects, so they decide to flee the city and find work elsewhere, landing jobs wearing...

Fun and Games
1980
as Laura Weston
A divorcee decides to fight back after her hopes of gaining a promotion are dashed by her rejection of the advances of her boss, and it is only after ...

Kramer vs. Kramer
1979
as Phyllis Bernard
Ted Kramer is a career man for whom his work comes before his family. His wife Joanna cannot take this anymore, so she decides to leave him. Ted is no...

The World Beyond
1978
as Marian Faber
A golem made of mud terrorizes a couple on a remote Maine island.

Feasting with Panthers
1974
as Constance Wilde
Oscar Wilde's five years at hard labor in Reading Gaol where he was imprisoned for being a sodomite.

SEGAL
N/A
as Self
From a shy kid on Long Island to Hollywood Leading Man, during its most prolific decades, legendary entertainer George Segal shares his life story.