
Who is
Mary Marg Helgenberger?[1] The entertainment and acting world know Marg Helgenberger is an American film and television actress, perhaps best known for her roles as
Catherine Willows in the
CBS drama
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and as K.C. Koloski in the
ABC drama
China Beach, which earned her the 1990
Emmy Award for
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Early life

Marg (pronounced with a hard "G", unlike the name
Marge) Helgenberger was born November 16, 1958 in
Fremont, Nebraska but was raised in
North Bend, Nebraska. Marg graduated from North Bend Central High School. She is the daughter of Mary Kay (née Bolte), a
nurse, and Hugh Helgenberger, a meat inspector.
[2][3] She is of Irish and German descent
[4] and had a
Roman Catholic upbringing.
[5] Marg has one older sister named Ann and a younger brother named Curt. One of her first jobs, as a teenager, was spending her summers and her Christmas breaks working as a "deboner" at the meat packing plant where her father was employed. Helgenberger played the
French horn in her high school (North Bend Central High School) marching band. Until she went to college, Helgenberger wanted to be a
nurse like her mother. Marg attended Kearney State College (now the
University of Nebraska at Kearney) in
Kearney, Neb., then attended
Northwestern University's School of Speech in
Evanston,
Illinois (now the School of Communication) and earned a B.S. degree in Speech and Drama.
[6]
Career

Helgenberger got her start as a nightly
weather girl at
KHGI-TV Kearney, Nebraska while attending college (her name was changed by the producer to Margi McCarty). During the summer she also worked as a deboner at her father's meat packing plant. After portraying the role of
Blanche Dubois in a university production of
A Streetcar Named Desire, she was bitten by the acting bug.
While performing in a summer of 1981 NU campus productions of
Shakespeare's
Taming of the Shrew, in which she played Kate, Marg was spotted by a scout for the TV
soap opera Ryan's Hope. Soon after completing college, Marg landed her first professional acting role on the long-running
ABC Daytime soap opera, playing uptight amateur cop Siobhan Ryan Novak (1982–1986), a role previously played by
Sarah Felder and
Ann Gillespie. Helgenberger departed
Ryan's Hope in January 1986 and was subsequently replaced in the role of Siobhan by
Carrell Myers.
Helgenberger guest starred in an episode of ABC's mystery/detective series based on
Robert B. Parker's
Spenser novels,
Spenser: For Hire, NBC's legal drama
Matlock and ABC's drama
thirtysomething. She also played a regular role as Natalie Thayer, opposite
Margot Kidder and
James Read, on CBS’ six-episode drama comedy series
Shell Game (1987).
Karen Charlene "K.C." Koloski, a heroin-addicted prostitute on the ABC war drama series
China Beach, was Marg’s first prominent role. Her performance from 1988 to 1991 on the highly-acclaimed dramatic series won an
Emmy Award for
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1990.
Meanwhile, in 1989, Marg made her feature film debut in a leading role as an all-night answering service operator in one segment of the Wheat brothers’ horror anthology
After Midnight. She followed it up with a role in
Steven Spielberg's romantic comedy-drama
Always (starring
Richard Dreyfuss,
Holly Hunter, and
John Goodman), a modern version of the original 1943
Victor Fleming film
A Guy Named Joe.
During the early to mid 1990s, Marg played roles in
Michael Bortman's adaptation of
Robert Boswell's novel,
Crooked Hearts (1991; with
Peter Berg,
Vincent D'Onofrio,
Jennifer Jason Leigh,
Noah Wyle and
Peter Coyote),
Gregg Champion's action comedy
The Cowboy Way (1994), in which she played
Woody Harrelson's love interest, and had a small role as Capt. Alison Sinclair in
Michael Bay's action comedy film starring
Martin Lawrence and
Will Smith,
Bad Boys (1995). She also played Dr. Laura Baker, a molecular biologist, in
Roger Donaldson's sci-fi thriller,
Species (1995), and reprised the role in the sequel,
Species II (1998).

During that time, TV viewers could also catch her in such television films
Blind Vengeance,
Lifetime’s
Death Dreams,
PBS’ historical documentary
Not on the Frontline (as a narrator) and CBS’
In Sickness and in Health. Additionally, she was also seen opposite
Bruno Kirby in
I'll Be Waiting, a segment of
Showtime's
Fallen Angels helmed by
Tom Hanks, and as a novelist on the ABC miniseries
Stephen King's The Tommyknockers opposite
Jimmy Smits. She was also seen in the CBS miniseries
When Love Kills: The Seduction of John Hearn and made her first collaboration with director
Peter Weller in Showtime's
Partners. After playing a recurring role as
George Clooney's love interest on NBC's medical drama
ER, Marg became
David Caruso's sex-starved widow on Showtime’s
Elmore Leonard's Gold Coast, helmed by Weller, and starred as a woman involved with
Steven Seagal in the 1997 action film
Fire Down Below. She also starred as a talk show host on
Murder Live and portrayed the furious sibling to
Steven Weber's character on Showtime's miniseries about the elusive
Gulf War Syndrome,
Thanks of a Grateful Nation. She also starred opposite
Ann-Margret in Showtime's
Happy Face Murders.
In 2000, Helgenberger made a guest appearance in the Valentine's Day episode of
Frasier, in which Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) finally wears down his dad Martin's resistance and gets the older man to accompany him to the opera. Actually, this invitation is but a smokescreen, so that Frasier can "accidentally" run into his newest dream girl Emily (Helgenberger).
Helgenberger scored another big break when she snagged the co-starring role of
Catherine Willows, a former show girl employed as a blood spatter analyst on the CBS drama
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Her performance as the female lead has earned her two
Emmy Award and two
Golden Globe nominations. In 2005, she and her fellow cast members won the
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
When
CSI first started filming, Helgenberger visited the
Clark County Coroner’s Office to see how things were really done. She even viewed autopsies that were being performed. She says that she often plays
hacky sack with the guys during their free time on set. Helgenberger got the chance to act with her husband,
Alan Rosenberg, again when he guest starred on
CSI, Season 5 ("Weeping Willows") and Season 7 ("Leaving Las Vegas").

During her stint on the hit show, Marg supported
Julia Roberts in the film
Erin Brockovich and portrayed
Patsy Ramsey in the CBS
miniseries about the mysterious murder of 6-year-old beauty pageant contestant
JonBenét Ramsey in
Perfect Murder, Perfect Town. She also starred as
Dennis Quaid’s wife and
Scarlett Johansson’s mother in writer-director
Paul Weitz's romantic drama comedy
In Good Company (2004) and appeared on
Pond's Smooth Perfection Skin Cream 2005 print ad.
Marg is currently filming writer-director
Charles Burmeister's upcoming thriller,
Columbus Day, starring
Val Kilmer.
In 2005,
Universal Studios submitted Helgenberger in the best supporting actress category to the
Oscars for her performance as Ann Foreman in the 2004 movie
In Good Company. In 2007, she was featured in the movies
Conan: Red Nails (as the voice of Princess Tascela) and
Mr. Brooks. In
Mr. Brooks her character's daughter is played by
Danielle Panabaker, the sister of
Kay Panabaker, who plays Catherine Willow's daughter on
CSI.

In mid 2006, Helgenberger’s hometown of
North Bend, Nebraska, population 1213, renamed the street on which Helgenberger had her childhood home "Helgenberger Avenue."
In animation, she lent her voice as Greek goddess
Hera on
DC Universe straight-to-video feature
Wonder Woman.
[7]
Helgenberger is the
unrequited love interest of the bespectacled amphibian Buddy in
Mark Heath's
Spot the Frog comic strip.
In 2008, she renewed her
CSI contract with CBS for 2 additional years.
[8] In July 2010, her contract was again renewed for an 11th season with
CSI.
[9] Following
William Petersen's departure from
CSI, Helgenberger became one of the two highest paid actors in any of the
CSI shows (Vegas, Miami, NY), earning $375,000 per episode, the same as
David Caruso, and $25,000 more per episode than
Laurence Fishburne.
[10]
Media spotlight

Helgenberger continues to be included in lists of Hollywood's Most Beautiful. In 2002, she was listed on
People magazine’s "50 Most Beautiful People",
[11] she was included in
Esquire magazine’s “5 More Women We Love” in 2002,
[12] she ranks #16 on VH1's 40 Hottest Women over 40,
[13] number 15 of The 25 Most Attractive (Famous) Women in America in 2004, in 2004 she ranked number 35, 30, 29, 20, 17, 12 and 9 on The Glamour Girls Hot 100 due to her movie
In Good Company and her
TV Guide cover. She was on the list for about 10 weeks and spent 1 week on the top ten. She is the 4th oldest woman to be in the top ten.
Her character on
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,
Catherine Willows, along with the character of
Gil Grissom, was named number 82 in "Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters".
[14] On March 2006, Catherine Willows was named number 6 on The Star's Top Ten Hottests TV Characters.
In 2007, she was named one of the most pleasant celebrities on E! online's Answer B!tch Q&A page.
[15] In March 2007, Helgenberger was named one of the sexiest TV stars of 2007 by
TV Guide magazine.
[16] Entertainment Weekly included her in the list of "The EW 100 Stars We Love Right Now" in 2007.
[17]
In April 2008, she joined the roster of celebrities that sported the famous milk mustache as she was chosen as an endorser of the
Got Milk? campaign.
[18]
In December 2009,
Forbes magazine placed Helgenberger third amongst prime-time's top-earning women with estimated earnings of $9.5 million dollars, after
Tyra Banks and
Katherine Heigl.
[19]
Personal life

In 1984, Marg Helgenberger met
Alan Rosenberg, a guest actor on
Ryan's Hope. The two became friends and started dating in 1986. They married in 1989 and have one son, Hugh Howard Rosenberg (born October 21, 1990), named after Helgenberger's late father, Hugh Helgenberger. On December 1, 2008, the couple announced that they were separating, and on March 25, 2009, she filed for divorce.
[20][21]
As a result of Helgenberger's mother's 27 year battle against
breast cancer, Helgenberger and Rosenberg became involved in the fight against
breast cancer. They have hosted a benefit called
Marg and Alan's Celebrity Weekend every year in
Omaha,
Nebraska since 1997.
Filmography
- Guest appearances
- The Daily Show (December 2001)
- The Early Show (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007)
- The View (2003, 2006, 2010)
- Live with Regis and Kelly (2005, 2006, 2007)
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show (December 2005)
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2005, 2007, 2009, 2010)
- On the Air with Howard Stern (2005)
- The Tony Danza Show (2005)
- "What A Pair" Concert (May 2006)
- The Late Show with David Letterman (September 2006, April 2009)
- "What A Pair" Concert (June 2007)
Awards and nominations
Blockbuster Entertainment Award
- 2001: nominated – Favorite Supporting Actress in a Drama – Erin Brockovich
Emmy Award
- 1990: won – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series – China Beach
- 1992: nominated – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series – China Beach
- 2001: nominated – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series – CSI
- 2003: nominated – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series – CSI
Golden Globe Award
- 1991: nominated – Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV – China Beach
- 1991: nominated – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series – China Beach
- 1992: nominated – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series – China Beach
- 2002: nominated – Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama – CSI
- 2003: nominated – Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama – CSI
Satellite Awards
- 2002: nominated – Best Performance by an Actress in a Series, Drama – CSI
People's Choice Awards
- 2002: nominated – The cast of Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
- 2003: nominated – The cast of Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
- 2004: nominated – The cast of Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
- 2005: won – Favorite Female TV Star – CSI
- 2005: won – The cast of Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series – CSI
Screen Actors Guild Awards
- 2005: won the Screen Actors Guild Award – The cast of Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series – CSI
TV Guide Awards
- 2001: nominated – Actress of the Year in a New Series – CSI
Viewers For Quality Television Awards
- 1989: won – Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series – China Beach
- 1990: won – Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series – China Beach
- 1991: won – Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series – China Beach
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