Whatever Happened to JoBeth Williams?

POLTERGEIST II: THE OTHER SIDE, JoBeth Williams, 1986 — (c)MGM/courtesy Everett Collection

What To Know

JoBeth Williams, known for iconic 1980s films like Poltergeist and The Big Chill, began her career in theater and soap operas before achieving widespread recognition in Hollywood.
She maintained a steady presence on television through the 1990s and 2000s, earning three Emmy nominations and taking on recurring roles in series such as Private Practice.
Now 77, Williams remains active with a new film scheduled for release and has contributed significantly to the industry through her leadership role with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.

JoBeth Williams, who turns 77 on December 6, 2025, was an omnipresent face on the big screen in the ’80s, appearing in films like Kramer Vs. Kramer, The Big Chill and Poltergeist. After moving to more TV work in the 2000s, Williams hasn’t been as present on the big or small screen in recent years — though she does have a new film scheduled to come out later this year.

How did JoBeth Williams begin her acting career?

CHANTILLY LACE, Jobeth Williams, aired July 18, 1993

Marcia Reed/Showtime Network/Everett Collection

Williams graduated from Houston’s Jones High School in 1966 and went on to major in English at Pembroke College, the former women’s coordinate college of Brown University. Although she originally considered becoming a child psychologist, her work with the Trinity Repertory Company in Providence shifted her focus to acting. After two and a half years with the company, she moved to New York to pursue acting full-time.

Her earliest television work included roles on the soap operas Somerset and Guiding Light, as well as serving as a co-host on the children’s series Jabberwocky during its second season in 1974. Williams made her film debut in 1979 with a small part in Kramer vs. Kramer, and soon after appeared in a run of successful films. She starred in Stir Crazy, followed by the role that brought her widespread recognition: Diane Freeling in Poltergeist. She returned for the film’s sequel, Poltergeist II: The Other Side, in 1986. In between, she appeared in The Big Chill, The Day After, Teachers, and American Dreamer, among other projects.

Freestyle Digital Media/Everett Collection

Television also remained a major part of her career. She earned three Primetime Emmy nominations: one for her performance in the TV movie Adam, another for the miniseries Baby M, and a third for a 1994 guest appearance on Frasier.

Her directing career began in 1994 with the short film On Hope, which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film.

Williams continued working consistently throughout the 1990s and 2000s, with roles in films such as Desert Bloom and Switch, as well as recurring television roles on Dexter and Private Practice.

Where is JoBeth Williams now?

Throughout the 2000s, Williams became a frequent TV show guest star, appearing in shows like Dexter and NCIS; she also had a recurring role on Private Practice from 2009 to 2011 as star Kate Walsh’s mother, and starring role on the short-lived sitcoms Marry Me and Your Family or Mine.

However, she began working less around 2018. Her most recent role was in a 2023 episode of the emotional series A Million Little Things, and she has a role in the upcoming thriller movie Not Without Hope, proving she is not ready to retire quite yet.

In her personal life, Williams married director John Pasquin on March 13, 1982. They have two sons together, and Williams is also the stepmother to Pasquin’s daughter, Sarah, from a previous relationship. Beyond acting and directing, she became deeply involved in industry support efforts. She served as president of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation (now the SAG-AFTRA Foundation), the charitable arm of the Screen Actors Guild, from 2009 to 2019, and later became its President Emeritus. Her work with the organization included supporting programs that assist performers and their families.