Janet Margolin

Janet Margolin was a remarkable American actress whose career spanned over three decades, beginning in the early 1960s and concluding shortly before her untimely death in 1993. Born on July 25, 1943, in New York City to a Jewish family, she was the daughter of Benjamin Margolin, a Russian‑Jewish accountant and founder of the Nephrosis Foundation, and Annette Lief, a dental assistant. Though she originally aspired to become a doctor, the influence of her father’s theatrical acquaintances sparked her interest in acting, leading her to attend the High School of Performing Arts where she honed her craft before landing a screen test for “Five Finger Exercise.” Rejecting a contract offer, she returned to New York and soon after secured a pivotal Broadway role as Anna in Morris West’s Daughter of Silence, a performance that earned her a Tony nomination and launched her into the spotlight. In 1962 she made her film debut as the female lead in David and Lisa, followed by a 1964 stint in the Argentine production The Eavesdropper and a subsequent contract with 20th Century Fox, where she co‑starred with legends such as Marlon Brando in Morituri (1965) and Steve McQueen in Nevada Smith. By 1967, the Baltimore Sun hailed her as one of Hollywood’s “brightest new stars,” a reputation reinforced by notable roles in Woody Allen’s Take the Money and Run (1969) and the iconic Annie Hall (1977), where she portrayed a socially ambitious wife. Her later work included a performance opposite Roy Scheider in Last Embrace (1979), a cameo in Ghostbusters II (1989), and television appearances on Murder, She Wrote and Columbo before her career concluded. On the personal front, Janet married nightclub impresario Jerry Brandt in 1968, a union that ended in 1971, and later wed actor/director Ted Wass in 1979, with whom she had two children, including son Julian Wass. Tragically, she succumbed to ovarian cancer at age fifty on December 17, 1993, leaving behind a legacy of versatile performances and a lasting impact on stage and screen.