Margaret Whitton
Margaret Whitton in Major League (1989)
Born
Margaret Ann Whitton

(1949-11-30)November 30, 1949
Fort Meade, Maryland, U.S.[1]
DiedDecember 4, 2016(2016-12-04) (aged 67)
Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Other namesPeggy Whitton
Occupation(s)Actress, director, writer, producer.
Years active1965–2016
Spouse
Warren Spector
​
(m. 1993)​

Margaret Ann Whitton (November 30, 1949 – December 4, 2016) was an American stage, film, and television actress.[2]

Life and career

Whitton was born on Fort Meade, Maryland, a US Army base in the suburbs of Baltimore. She spent many of her formative years in Japan; her father was an Army colonel, and her mother was a nurse. The family eventually relocated to Haddonfield, New Jersey, and then to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where Whitton started acting at Northeast High School.[1] She made her Off-Broadway debut in 1973 with Baby Goya, and her Broadway debut in 1982's Steaming.[3]

Whitton did her primary film work between 1986 and 1993. Her most visible roles were that of socialite Vera Prescott in The Secret of My Success (1987), and spiteful baseball team owner Rachel Phelps in Major League (1989),[4] and its sequel Major League II (1994). Whitton also appeared in The Best of Times (1986) and The Man Without a Face (1993). Her other film roles included parts in National Lampoon Goes to the Movies (1982), Love Child (1982) and 9½ Weeks (1986).[5]

Whitton worked as a television actress, with appearances in the soap operas One Life to Live and The Doctors. Her first prime time role was in the 1985 dramedy Hometown.[5] In 1989, Whitton played a divorcee in the short-lived comedy series A Fine Romance.[6] She later starred in the 1991 sitcom Good & Evil, which was cancelled after six episodes.[7]

Whitton returned to the stage, appearing on Broadway in And the Apple Doesn't Fall... (1995), as Mac in Jeffrey Hatcher's The Three Viewings (1995),[8] and in the original musical Marlene (1999).

Distribution rights to her film A Bird of the Air were acquired by Freestyle Digital Media. It was based upon the novel The Loop by Joe Coomer and was adapted for film by Roger Towne.[9] At the time of her death, Whitton served as president of Tashtego Films, an independent-film production company, co-founded with producer Steven Tabakin.[10]

Personal life

Whitton was married to Bear, Stearns & Co. executive Warren Spector from 1993 until her death in 2016.[11]

Death

Whitton died on December 4, 2016, four days after her 67th birthday, at her home in Florida after a brief battle with cancer.[1][3]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1972 Parades Jane Credited as Peggy Whitton
1974 Teenage Hitchhikers Sola Alcoa Credited as Peggy Whitton
1982 National Lampoon's Movie Madness Lousille Fogerty
1982 Love Child Jackie Steinberg
1986 The Best of Times Darla
1986 9½ Weeks Molly
1987 The Secret of My Success Vera Prescott
1987 Baby Boom Executive in Conference Room Uncredited
1987 Ironweed Katrina Dougherty
1989 Major League Rachel Phelps
1989 Little Monsters Holly Stevenson
1992 Big Girls Don't Cry... They Get Even Melinda Chartoff Powers
1993 The Man Without a Face Catherine Palin
1994 Major League II Rachel Phelps
1994 Trial by Jury Jane Lyle

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1975–76 The Doctors Joan Dancy Unknown episodes
1984 Miami Vice Cassie Bramlette Episode: "Glades"
1985 Hometown Barbara Donnelly 10 episodes
1986 Spenser: For Hire Ellen Calone Episode: "Widow's Walk"
1987 Tales from the Darkside Mary Jones Episode: "Mary, Mary"
1987 Cat & Mousse Miriam Television short film
1988 Spenser: For Hire Janet Cole Episode: "Substantial Justice"
1989 A Fine Romance Louisa Phillips 13 episodes
1990 Kojak: None So Blind Michele Hogarth Television film
1991 The Summer My Father Grew Up Naomi Television film
1991 Good & Evil Genevieve 6 episodes
1993 Cutters Adrienne St. John 5 episodes
1994 Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills Leslie Abramson Television film

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sandomir, Richard (December 6, 2016). "Margaret Whitton, Major League Actress, Dies at 67". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 6, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  2. ↑ Willis, John (1995), Monush, Barry (ed.), Screen World 1994, vol. 45, Hal Leonard Corporation, p. 302, ISBN 1557832013.
  3. 1 2 Robinson, Will (December 6, 2016). "Margaret Whitton dead: Major League actress dies at 67". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  4. ↑ Edgington, K.; Erskine, Thomas L.; Welsh, James (2010), Encyclopedia of Sports Films, Scarecrow Press, pp. 302–305, ISBN 978-0810876521.
  5. 1 2 Buck, Jerry (September 26, 1988), "Margaret Whitton Changes Partners in Fine Romance", Los Angeles Times, retrieved 2012-05-30.
  6. ↑ Terry, Clifford (January 26, 1989), "Fine Romance Fine Mess", Chicago Tribune, retrieved 2012-05-29.
  7. ↑ Cerone, Daniel (October 25, 1991), "ABC Drops Good & Evil, Irks Series Creator", Los Angeles Times, retrieved 2012-05-28.
  8. ↑ Simon, John (April 17, 1995), "Funeral Parlor Games", New York, vol. 28, no. 16, p. 108.
  9. ↑ Kilday, Gregg (March 26, 2012), "Freestyle Digital Media Takes Non-Theatrical Rights to Margaret Whitton's A Bird of the Air", The Hollywood Reporter, retrieved 2012-05-27.
  10. ↑ "Tashtego Films - Independent Film, TV and Beyond". www.tashtegofilms.com.
  11. ↑ Cohan, William D. (2010), House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street, Anchor Books, p. 269, ISBN 978-0767930895.
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