Biography
A versatile, no-nonsense actress, Margaret Colin has moved easily between TV and films throughout her career, from such acclaimed series as
Chicago Hope to Hollywood blockbusters and independent features.
Born in Brooklyn to a large Irish-Catholic family and raised on Long Island, Colin began acting in elementary school. Along with winning a drama scholarship to Hofstra University, Colin studied the craft at the Stella Adler Conservatory and Juilliard. Leaving school for a career in Manhattan, Colin soon landed on the TV daytime dramas Edge of Night and
As the World Turns in the early '80s. Colin made the move to feature films playing one of teen icon
Molly Ringwald's teachers in
Pretty in Pink (1986) and psycho
Ray Liotta's wife in
Jonathan Demme's off-kilter romance
Something Wild (1986). With substantial roles in the TV movies
The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1987) and Warm Hearts, Cold Feet (1987), and the cop series Leg Work (1987) created as a vehicle for her, Colin was poised to become a small-screen star. Leg Work, however, didn't last beyond its first season. Nevertheless, Colin remained quite visible, appearing as
Tom Selleck's love interest in the wildly popular feature comedy
Three Men and a Baby (1987) and earning kudos for her turn as an intrepid investigator in the
James Woods legal drama
True Believer (1989). Back on the small screen, Colin starred in the well-received docudrama Goodnight, Sweet Wife: A Murder in Boston (1990).
Though she decided to start a family with husband and erstwhile daytime TV colleague Justin Deas, Colin continued to work regularly. After sharing screen time with such stars as
Demi Moore,
Nicolas Cage, and Samuel L. Jackson in the ill-received feature comedies
The Butcher's Wife (1991) and Amos and Andy (1993), and appearing as a regular guest on CBS's lauded hospital drama
Chicago Hope, Colin landed roles in two high-profile movies. As the President's press secretary and addled scientist
Jeff Goldblum's ex, Colin was a key part of the ensemble battling an apocalyptic alien attack in the flashy summer blockbuster
Independence Day (1996). Harking back to her family's history in law enforcement, Colin was then cast as N.Y.C. Irish cop
Harrison Ford's wife in the political thriller
The Devil's Own (1997). Despite the presence of Ford and co-star
Brad Pitt, however,
The Devil's Own was a financial disappointment. Colin fared better, at least critically, with her role as the title character's mother in the indie teen comedy
The Adventures of Sebastian Cole (1998). Cast as
John Goodman's wife in CBS's supernatural spy series
Now and Again (1999), Colin then seemed to be on the verge of regular TV series work again, but
Now and Again failed to live up to the hype. After a handful of roles in independent and TV films, including coming-of-age drama and Sundance Film Festival entrant
Blue Car (2002), Colin returned to glossy Hollywood product with an appearance as one of
Diane Lane's friends in the infidelity potboiler
Unfaithful (2002). ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide