Margaret Jobeth Williams is an American stage actress, Director, and television personality who was born on the 6th of December 1948. A well-respected Hollywood veteran, Williams was born in Houston, Texas to Frances Faye and Frederic Roger Williams.
Jobeth Williams Biography
Jobeth attended the Jones High School in the South Park neighborhood of Houston from where she graduated in 1966. While in school, her interests gravitated toward acting but her High School counselor thought otherwise. She took her advice and gained admission into Pembroke College at Brown University, Rhode Island. She graduated from Pembroke in 1970 receiving a B.A. in English.
Upon graduation, Jobeth made a defining decision to pursue a career in the Performing Arts, she decided to enroll in Theatre Arts training at the Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, she trained alongside the likes of Jim Barnhill and John Emigh for more than two and half years. After her training, she then moved to New York to start her acting career and began appearing on various television series in the mid-1970s.
Her first recognized role on television was in 1972 when she starred in the children’s television series Jabberwocky and her character was named after her real name JoBeth. After appearing on various series in the ’70s, Williams’ made her acting debut in 1979 in the movie Kramer vs Kramer.
She would be most remembered for the roles she played in the following movies; Stir Crazy in 1980 alongside adult comedian Richard Pryor and Poltergeist in 1982 and the sequel Poltergeist II: The Other Side in 1986. She also earned an Emmy nomination in 1983 for her role as Reve Walsh – wife of John Walsh in the movie Adam 1983.
Jobeth’s next gig was in CBS’s Murder Ordained in 1987 which was followed by Baby M in 1988. She starred in substantially smaller supporting roles like the sex comedy Switch in 1991 starring Ellen Barkin and Jimmy Smits.
After a period off the limelight and surviving on part roles, in 1992 she landed a major role in Me, Myself & I co-starring George Segal.
Jobeths versatility shone through when she tried her hands at animation by providing a voice for CBS’s experimental Fish Police in 1992, it was a short-lived primetime cartoon series also featuring John Ritter.
Jobeth Williams scored credits with an impressive outing as a Director in a 30-minute feature, On Hope starring Annette O’Toole and Mercedes Ruehl, the production was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film. She also directed a 2001 episode of the supernatural TV series Night Visions in 2001
Five Facts You Need To Know About Jobeth Williams
1. Jobeth has been married but is unable to bear children
Williams is married to TV Director John Pasquin. The couple met onset and wasted no time in tying the knot. The couple was not able to have biological children opting to adopt two children.
2. Inducted Into The Texas Film Hall Of Fame
In recognition of her outstanding contributions to her profession, she was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame on March 10, 2006, in Austin, Texas.
3. Phobia of Skeletons
On the set of the horror movie Poltergeist, the production crew decided on using real skeletons in the pool instead of plastic because of the favorable price of the real ones. Little did they know that Skeletons were a no-no for Jobeth. In a bid to calm her down, producer Steven Speilberg crawled into the pool and told her “If the Lights fall we both die”. And his strategy worked and she got on with the scene.
4. She had to change Her accent
Born and raised in Texas, Jobeth Williams had developed from birth a very strong and noticeable Texas twang. During her training at the Trinity Repertory Company, Williams was told by her trainers that in order to make it to the top, she would have to get rid of the Texas accent. Williams before moving to New York began voice training in order to subdue her Texas accent.
5. President of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation.
In 2009, Jobeth Williams was elected President of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation. The foundation is tasked with providing assistance and programming for professionals registered with the guild.
