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Marg Helgenberger

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Marg Helgenberger
Marg Helgenberger, November 2007
Born
Mary Marg Helgenberger
Other namesMary Helgenberger
Spouse(s)Alan Rosenberg (September 9, 1989-present) 1 child


Mary Margaret Helgenberger (born November 16, 1958) is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated American film and television actress. Helgenberger is known for her role as Catherine Willows in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and her role as KC Koloski in China Beach, for which she won an Emmy.

Biography

Early life

Marg (pronounced with a hard "G," unlike the name Marge) Helgenberger was born in Fremont, Nebraska, the daughter of Kay, a nurse, and Hugh Helgenberger, a meat inspector.[1][2] She has German and Irish ancestry[3] and had a Catholic upbringing.[4] Marg has one older sister named Ann and a younger brother named Curt. One of her first jobs, as a teenager, was spending her summers and her Christmas breaks working as a "boner" at the meat packing plant where her father was employed. Helgenberger played the French horn in her high school (North Bend Central High School) marching band. Until she went to college, Helgenberger wanted to be a nurse like her mother. Marg attended Kearney State College in Kearney, Nebraska, and transferred to Northwestern Alumnus School of Speech in Evanston, Illinois (now the School of Communications) and earned a degree B.S degree in Speech and Drama.

Career

Helgenberger at the 1990 Emmy Awards

Originally planning to be a nurse like her mother, Helgenberger got her start as a nightly local news weather girl in her hometown Nebraska (her name was changed by the producer to Margi McCarty) and as a meat boner at the meat packing plant her father was working at during the day. After portraying the role of Blanche Dubois in a university production of “A Streetcar Named Desire,” she was bitten by the acting bug.

While performing in a summer of 1981 NU campus productions of Shakespeare's “Taming of the Shrew,” in which she played Kate, Marg was spotted by a scout for the TV show “Ryan's Hope.” Soon after completing college, Marg landed her first professional acting role on the long-running soap opera, playing uptight amateur cop Siobhan Ryan Novak (1982-1986), which was previously played by Sarah Felder and Ann Gillespie but Helgenberger is the one most identified with the part.

After being replaced by Carrell Myers in 1986, Marg guest starred in an episode of ABC's mystery/detective series based on Robert B. Parker's "Spenser" novels, "Spenser: For Hire," NBC's legal drama "Matlock" and ABC's ground-breaking, award-winning drama "thirtysomething." She also played a regular role as Natalie Thayer, opposite Margot Kidder and James Reid, on CBS’ six-episode drama comedy series "Shell Game" (1987).

Karen Charlene "K.C." Koloski, a heroin addicted prostitute on the ABC war drama series "China Beach," was Marg’s first prominent role. Her performance from 1988 to 1991 on the highly-acclaimed dramatic series won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1990.

Meanwhile, in 1989, Marg made her feature film debut in a leading role as an all-night answering service operator in one segment of the Wheat brothers’ horror anthology After Midnight. She followed it up with a role in Steven Spielberg's romantic comedy-drama Always (starring Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, and John Goodman), a modern version of the original 1943 Victor Fleming film A Guy Named Joe.

During the early to mid 1990s, Marg played roles in Michael Bortman's adaptation of Robert Boswell's novel, Crooked Hearts (1991; with Peter Berg, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Noah Wyle and Peter Coyote), Gregg Champion's action comedy The Cowboy Way (1994), in which she played Woody Harrelson's love interest, and had a small role as Capt. Alison Sinclair in Michael Bay's action comedy film starring Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, Bad Boys(1995). She also played Dr. Laura Baker, a molecular biologist, in Roger Donaldson's sci-fi thriller starring Natasha Henstridge, Species (1995), and later reprised the role in the theatrical sequel bomb, Species II (1998).

During that time, TV viewers could also catch her in such television films Blind Vengeance, Lifetime’s Death Dreams, PBS’ historical documentary Not on the Frontline (as a narrator) and CBS’ In Sickness and in Health. Additionally, she was also seen opposite Bruno Kirby in "I'll Be Waiting," a segment of Showtime's "Fallen Angels" helmed by Tom Hanks, and as a novelist on the ABC miniseries "Stephen King's The Tommyknockers," opposite Gary Cole. She was also seen in the CBS miniseries "When Love Kills: The Seduction of John Hearn" and made her first collaboration with director Peter Weller in Showtime's Partners. After playing a recurring role as George Clooney's love interest on NBC's popular medical drama "ER" and playing an unaccredited role as James Garner's book editor in My Fellow Americans in 1996, Marg became David Caruso's sex-starved widow on Showtime’s movie helmed by Weller, Elmore Leonard's Gold Coast, and starred as a woman involved with Steven Segal in the 1997 cult action film Fire Down Below. She also starred as a talk show host on Murder Live on the NBC movie with the same name and received notice while playing the furious sibling to Steven Weber's character on Showtime's magnificent miniseries about the elusive Gulf War Syndrome, "Thanks of a Grateful Nation." She also starred opposite Ann-Margret in Showtime's Happy Face Murders.

Marg scored another big break in the new millennium when she snagged the co-starring role of Catherine Willows (2000-present), a former show girl who is employed as a blood spatter analyst on the popular Emmy Award winning CBS cop drama series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." Her stunning performance as the female lead has handed her two Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations. In 2005, Marg, alongside the show cast members, won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

When CSI first started filming, Helgenberger visited the Clark County Coroner’s Office (Las Vegas) to see how things were really done. She even viewed autopsies that were being performed. Helgenberger has stated that she was angered at the franchising of CSI.[citation needed] She has also stated that she is unlikely to stay past her current contract on CSI which ends in 2008.[citation needed] She says that she often plays hacky sack with the guys during their free time on set. Helgenberger got the chance to act with her husband, Alan Rosenberg, again when he guest starred on CSI, season 5 (Weeping Willows) and season 7 (Leaving Las Vegas).

During her hefty stint on the hit show, Marg supported Julia Roberts in the true story-based, Oscar-winning film Erin Brockovich and portrayed Patsy Ramsey in CBS’ miniseries about the mysterious murder of 6-year-old beauty pageant contestant Jon Benet Ramsey, in "Perfect Murder, Perfect Town." She also starred as Dennis Quaid’s wife and Scarlett Johansson’s mother in writer-director Paul Weitz's romantic drama comedy In Good Company (2004) and appeared on Pond's Smooth Perfection Skin Cream 2005 print ad.

Recently, on June 1, 2007, Marg's latest film, Mr. Brooks, was released. In the gripping suspense thriller directed by Bruce A. Evans, she co-stars as the beautiful, loving wife to Kevin Costner. Demi Moore, William Hurt and Dane Cook also star in the film. About the film, Marg said, “It’s one of the only scripts I’ve read in my life that I really didn’t think I could put down. It has style, suspense, thrills and the characters really get under your skin because they are such complicated and tortured souls.” Marg is currently filming Conan: Red Nails, in which she will provide the voice of Princess Tascela, and writer-director Charles Burmeister's upcoming thriller, Columbus Day, starring Val Kilmer.

In 2005, Universal Studios submitted Helgenberger in the best supporting actress category for the Oscars for her performance as Ann Foreman in her 2004 movie In Good Company. In 2007, She was featured in the movies Conan: Red Nails and Mr. Brooks. In Mr. Brooks her character's daughter is played by Danielle Panabaker, the sister of Kay Panabaker, who plays Catherine Willow's daughter on "CSI"

In mid 2006, Helgenberger’s home town of North Bend, Nebraska, population 1213, renamed the street on which Helgenberger had her childhood home "Helgenberger Avenue."

While not appearing in-frame, she is the unrequited love interest of the bespectacled amphibian Buddy in Mark Heath's "Spot the Frog" comic strip. It has been reported that Season 8 of CSI is going to be her last.[citation needed]

Media spotlight

Helgenberger continues to be included in lists of Hollywood's Most Beautiful. In 2003 she was listed on People Magazine’s "50 Most Beautiful People", #16 on VH1's 40 Hottest Women over 40, number 15 of The 25 Most Attractive (Famous) Women in America in 2004, she was Esquire Magazine’s “5 More Women We Love” in 2002, in 2004 she ranked number 35, 30, 29, 20, 17, 12 and 9 on The Glamour Girls Hot 100 due to her movie In Good Company and her TV Guide cover. She was on the list for about 10 weeks and spent 1 week on the top ten. She is the 4th oldest woman to be in the top ten, her character, Catherine Willows, along with the character of Gil Grissom, was named number 82 in "Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters" and on March 2006 Catherine Willows was named number 6 on The Star's Top Ten Hottests TV Characters, in 2007, she was named one of the most pleasant celebrities on E! online's Answer B!tch Q&A page, and on March 2007 Helgenberger was named one of the sexiest TV stars of 2007 by TV Guide Magazine.

In 2003, Helgenberger was asked to pose in Playboy Magazine but turned it down. In fact, Helgenberger's only two on-screen nude appearances to date were in the 1996 film "Frame By Frame" and a brief topless shot in the sci-fi thriller Species in which her scene was overshadowed greatly by Natasha Henstridges extensive nude scenes. Helgenberger and Jorja Fox sang Stand by Me as a duet for What a Pair 4!! This is an annual charity event to raise money for breast cancer research.

CSI co-star Gary Dourdan's nickname for Helgenberger is "Margalicious”. Helgenberger's production company "Don't Call Me Marge!" is her humorous jab at people’s mispronunciation of her name.

She loves the Steely Dan song “Babylon Sisters” for the lyrics “Drive west on Sunset to the sea,” which she and her husband did on their first date.

Personal life

In 1984, Helgenberger met Alan Rosenberg, a guest actor on Ryan's Hope. The two became friends and started dating in 1986. They married in 1989 and have one son, Hugh Howard Rosenberg (born October 21, 1990), named after Helgenberger's late father, Hugh Helgenberger.

A result of her mother's 27 year battle against breast cancer, Helgenberger and her husband Alan Rosenberg have become very involved in the fight against breast cancer. They host the Marg and Alan's Celebrity Weekend every year in Omaha, Nebraska and have done so since 1997.

Filmography

Guest appearances

  • The Early Show (2002; 2003; 2005; 2006; 2007)
  • The View (2003; 2006)
  • Regis and Kelly (2005; 2006; 2007)
  • The Ellen DeGeneres Show (December 2005)
  • The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2005; 2007)
  • On the air with Howard Stern (2005)
  • The Tony Danza Show (2005)
  • "What A Pair" Concert (May 2006)
  • David Letterman (September 2006)
  • "What A Pair" Concert (June 2007)

Awards and nominations

Blockbuster Entertainment Award

  • 2001: nominated – Favorite Supporting Actress in a Drama – Erin Brockovich

Emmy Award

  • 1990: won – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series – China Beach
  • 1992: nominated – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series – China Beach
  • 2001: nominated – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series – CSI
  • 2003: nominated – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series – CSI

Golden Globe Award

  • 1991: nominated – Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV – China Beach
  • 1991: nominated – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series – China Beach
  • 1992: nominated – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series – China Beach
  • 2002: nominated – Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama – CSI
  • 2003: nominated – Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama – CSI

Satellite Awards

  • 2002: nominated – Best Performance by an Actress in a Series, Drama – CSI

People's Choice Awards

  • 2002: nominated – The cast of Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
  • 2003: nominated – The cast of Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
  • 2004: nominated – The cast of Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
  • 2005: won – Favorite Female TV Star – CSI
  • 2005: won – The cast of Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series – CSI

Screen Actors Guild Awards

  • 2005: won the Screen Actors Guild Award – The cast of Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series – CSI

TV Guide Awards

  • 2001: nominated – Actress of the Year in a New Series – CSI

Viewers For Quality Television Awards

  • 1989: won – Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series – China Beach
  • 1990: won – Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series – China Beach
  • 1991: won – Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series – China Beach

References

  1. ^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/71/Marg-Helgenberger.html
  2. ^ http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800013923/bio.html
  3. ^ http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,292549,00.html
  4. ^ http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=8685
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