Janet Margolin
Encyclopedia
Janet Margolin was an American theater, television and film actress.
, the daughter of Benjamin Margolin, an accountant who was born in Russia
and was founder and president of the Nephrosis Foundation, now the Kidney Foundation of New York. Her mother was Annette Margolin (maiden name Lief, the daughter of Abraham and Nina Lief).
She attended the School of Performing Arts. In 1961, at age 18, while a prop girl at the New York Shakespeare Festival
, she won a "pivotal" Broadway stage role as Anna in Morris West
's Daughters of Silence
.; the New York Times, reviewing the play, listed her among leaders of "a fine cast" and said that "her Anna has a fragile, haunted dewiness."
. She played the love interest of the lead character in the movie Enter Laughing
(1967).
In Take the Money and Run
(1969) she played the love interest of the bumbling thief played by Woody Allen, and in Annie Hall
(1977) she played the social-climbing wife of the Woody Allen character.
Her last movie role was in Ghostbusters II
in 1989, and her last television roles were as a killer on an episode of Murder, She Wrote
("Deadly Misunderstanding") and as a victim in Columbo ("Murder in Malibu") in 1990.
at the age of 50 on December 17, 1993, in Los Angeles, California
. She was cremated and her ashes were placed in an urn garden at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles
. She was survived by her siblings, Emily, Barbara and Laura; her husband, actor/director Ted Wass
; and their two children, Julian and Tilly.
Margolin is sometimes identified as the sister of actor Stuart Margolin
and his brother, director Arnold Margolin
. However, obituaries of Margolin and her father indicate that she had no brothers.
Early life
Margolin was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the daughter of Benjamin Margolin, an accountant who was born in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and was founder and president of the Nephrosis Foundation, now the Kidney Foundation of New York. Her mother was Annette Margolin (maiden name Lief, the daughter of Abraham and Nina Lief).
She attended the School of Performing Arts. In 1961, at age 18, while a prop girl at the New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival is the previous name of the New York City theatrical producing organization now known as the Public Theater. The Festival produced shows at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, as part of its free Shakespeare in the Park series, at the Public Theatre near Astor Place...
, she won a "pivotal" Broadway stage role as Anna in Morris West
Morris West
Morris Langlo West AO was an Australian novelist and playwright, best known for his novels The Devil's Advocate , The Shoes of the Fisherman , and The Clowns of God . His books were published in 27 languages and sold more than 60 million copies worldwide...
's Daughters of Silence
Daughters of Silence
Daughters of Silence is the sixth book in R.L. Stine's Fear Street Sagas series. This book was ghostwritten by Wendy Haley and was published on April 1997 by Simon Pulse.-Plot summary:...
.; the New York Times, reviewing the play, listed her among leaders of "a fine cast" and said that "her Anna has a fragile, haunted dewiness."
Career
In 1962, she played her first movie role as the female lead in the film David and LisaDavid and Lisa
David and Lisa is a small independent film directed by Frank Perry, often cited as one of his best works. Based on the novel by Theodore Isaac Rubin, the screenplay, written by Frank Perry's wife Eleanor, tells the story of a bright young man suffering from a severe case of obsessive-compulsive...
. She played the love interest of the lead character in the movie Enter Laughing
Enter Laughing
Enter Laughing is a play by Joseph Stein.Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Carl Reiner, it centers on the journey of young aspiring actor David Kolowitz as he tries to extricate himself from overly protective parents and two too many girlfriends, while struggling to meet the challenge of...
(1967).
In Take the Money and Run
Take the Money and Run
Take the Money and Run is a 1969 comedy film written by Woody Allen and Mickey Rose, and directed by and starring Woody Allen. It is an early mockumentary, chronicling the life of Virgil Starkwell, a bungling petty thief...
(1969) she played the love interest of the bumbling thief played by Woody Allen, and in Annie Hall
Annie Hall
Annie Hall is a 1977 American romantic comedy directed by Woody Allen from a screenplay co-written with Marshall Brickman and co-starring Diane Keaton. One of Allen's most popular and most honored films, it won four Academy Awards including Best Picture...
(1977) she played the social-climbing wife of the Woody Allen character.
Her last movie role was in Ghostbusters II
Ghostbusters II
Ghostbusters II is a 1989 science fiction comedy film produced and directed by Ivan Reitman. It is the sequel to the 1984 film Ghostbusters and follows the further adventures of a group of parapsychologists and their organization which combats paranormal activities...
in 1989, and her last television roles were as a killer on an episode of Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
("Deadly Misunderstanding") and as a victim in Columbo ("Murder in Malibu") in 1990.
Personal life
Margolin died of ovarian cancerOvarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from the ovary. Symptoms are frequently very subtle early on and may include: bloating, pelvic pain, difficulty eating and frequent urination, and are easily confused with other illnesses....
at the age of 50 on December 17, 1993, in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. She was cremated and her ashes were placed in an urn garden at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. She was survived by her siblings, Emily, Barbara and Laura; her husband, actor/director Ted Wass
Ted Wass (actor)
Ted Wass , is an American actor and director. Goodman School of Drama graduate Wass made his Broadway debut in the 1976 production Grease...
; and their two children, Julian and Tilly.
Margolin is sometimes identified as the sister of actor Stuart Margolin
Stuart Margolin
Stuart Margolin is an American film and television actor and director.-Television:Margolin is best known for his role on the television show The Rockford Files, playing Evelyn "Angel" Martin, the shifty friend and former cellmate of Jim Rockford...
and his brother, director Arnold Margolin
Arnold Margolin
Arnold Margolin is an American television producer, screen writer, and director.He shared composition credits for the theme song for Love, American Style, along with Charles Fox ....
. However, obituaries of Margolin and her father indicate that she had no brothers.
Filmography
- David and LisaDavid and LisaDavid and Lisa is a small independent film directed by Frank Perry, often cited as one of his best works. Based on the novel by Theodore Isaac Rubin, the screenplay, written by Frank Perry's wife Eleanor, tells the story of a bright young man suffering from a severe case of obsessive-compulsive...
(1962) - Morituri (1965)
- The Greatest Story Ever ToldThe Greatest Story Ever ToldThe Greatest Story Ever Told is a 1965 American epic film produced and directed by George Stevens and distributed by United Artists. It is a retelling of the story of Jesus Christ, from the Nativity through the Resurrection. This film is notable for its large ensemble cast and for being the last...
(1965) - Bus Riley's Back in TownBus Riley's Back in TownBus Riley's Back in Town is a movie written by William Inge, directed by Harvey Hart, and starring Ann-Margret and Michael Parks.The intense drama depicts a man returning home from three years in the Navy only to find that his girlfriend has married an older man...
(1965) - Nevada SmithNevada SmithNevada Smith is a 1966 American Western film starring Steve McQueen and made by Embassy Pictures and Solar Productions, in association with and released by Paramount Pictures. The movie was produced and directed by Henry Hathaway with Joseph E...
(1966) - El ojo que espía (1966)
- Enter LaughingEnter LaughingEnter Laughing is a play by Joseph Stein.Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Carl Reiner, it centers on the journey of young aspiring actor David Kolowitz as he tries to extricate himself from overly protective parents and two too many girlfriends, while struggling to meet the challenge of...
(1967) - Buona Sera, Mrs. CampbellBuona Sera, Mrs. CampbellBuona Sera, Mrs. Campbell is a 1968 American comedy film directed by Melvin Frank, who co-wrote the original screenplay with Denis Norden and Sheldon Keller.The United Artists release was filmed at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome...
(1968) - Take the Money and RunTake the Money and RunTake the Money and Run is a 1969 comedy film written by Woody Allen and Mickey Rose, and directed by and starring Woody Allen. It is an early mockumentary, chronicling the life of Virgil Starkwell, a bungling petty thief...
(1969) - Pray for the WildcatsPray for the WildcatsPray for the Wildcats is a 1974 U.S. television film that originally aired as an ABC Movie of the Week. It is a thriller-drama about a psychopathic business executive chasing his workers on dirtbikes through the desert after he killed a young man. The film was directed by Robert Michael Lewis and...
(1973) - Planet EarthPlanet Earth (TV pilot)Planet Earth was a science fiction television movie that was created by Gene Roddenberry, written by Roddenberry and Juanita Bartlett . It first aired on April 23, 1974 on the ABC network, and starred John Saxon as Dylan Hunt. It was presented as a pilot for what was hoped to be a new weekly...
(1974) - Annie HallAnnie HallAnnie Hall is a 1977 American romantic comedy directed by Woody Allen from a screenplay co-written with Marshall Brickman and co-starring Diane Keaton. One of Allen's most popular and most honored films, it won four Academy Awards including Best Picture...
(1977) - Last EmbraceLast EmbraceLast Embrace is a 1979 thriller film directed by Jonathan Demme. Based on the novel The 13th Man by Murray Teigh Bloom, it stars Roy Scheider, Janet Margolin and Christopher Walken.-Plot summary:...
(1979) - Ghostbusters IIGhostbusters IIGhostbusters II is a 1989 science fiction comedy film produced and directed by Ivan Reitman. It is the sequel to the 1984 film Ghostbusters and follows the further adventures of a group of parapsychologists and their organization which combats paranormal activities...
(1989)