She’s won a Primetime Emmy, a People’s Choice Award, and multiple Viewers for Quality Television Awards. And now performer Marg Helgenberger is poised to accept yet another honor: the title of birthday girl.
Happy Birthday, Marg Helgenberger!
And that’s because she was born on November 16, 1958, in Fremont, Nebraska, which means that this much-beloved TV veteran is turning 62 years old today! Though she initially harbored a desire to become a nurse, Helgenberger developed an interest in acting. This eventually resulted in her graduating from Northwestern University’s School of Communications with a B.S. degree in speech and drama.
While performing in a Northwestern campus production of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, Helgenberger was spotted by a casting agent for the daytime soap opera Ryan’s Hope. Soon after, she was hired to assume the role of trainee police officer Siobhan Ryan – a character previously helmed by actress Ann Gillespie (who went on to play Jennie Garth’s mom on Beverly Hills, 90210).
Helgenberger remained with the series from March 1982 to January 1986, during which time Siobhan had involved herself with Joe Novak, the scion of a moneyed, mafia clan. She went on to appear in episodes of Spenser, For Hire (1986), and Matlock (1987), and a recurring role on Shell Game (1987), as well as the feature films After Midnight (1989), Always (1989), and Peacemaker (1989).
But it was her series regular role as cynical prostitute and volunteer Karen Charlene “K.C.” Koloski on the period drama series China Beach from 1988 and 1991 that changed everything. It would ultimately net Helgenberger an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress (1990).
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Afterward, Helgenberger would appear in a plethora of projects including episodes of Tales from the Crypt (1991), The Larry Sanders Show (1995), ER (1996), and Frasier (2000), as well as a whole host of made-for-TV movies – including Through the Eyes of a Killer (1992), The Seduction of John Hearn (1993), Keys (1994), Murder Live! (1997), and Happy Face Murders (1999) – as well as the miniseries The Tommyknockers (1993).
In 2000, Helgenberger was hired to portray showgirl turned blood-splatter analyst Catherine Willows on the CBS procedural CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. She would remain in the part for 12 years.
Helgenberger’s other acting credits include the films Species (1995) – and it’s sequel (1998) – Erin Brockovich (2000), Mr. Brooks (2007), and A Dog’s Journey (2019), the miniseries Perfect Murder, Perfect Town (2000), and episodes of Intelligence (2014), and Under the Dome (2015). Since 2019, Helgenberger has played Judge Lisa Benner on All Rise.
Entertainment Hub would like to wish Marg Helgenberger a very happy birthday, and you can too by clicking on the Twitter link below.
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