Margaret Colin

Margaret Colin
Name	Margaret Colin
Birthplace	Brooklyn, New York
Date of Birth	May 26, 1958 (Age 59)
Role on Gossip Girl	Eleanor Waldorf

Margaret Colin (born May 26,1958)  is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Margo Hughes on As the World Turns and as Eleanor Waldorf on Gossip Girl.

Background

Margaret Colin was born in Brooklyn, New York City, and was raised in Baldwin, New York, on Long Island. She is of Irish descent and was raised in a Roman Catholic family; her father was a New York City police officer. She graduated from Baldwin Senior High School in 1976.

Career

After graduating from Hofstra University, Colin began her acting career in the soap opera The Edge of Night, playing an heiress and former terrorist. In seven months on that show, her character survived seven murder attempts and ended up marrying her stepbrother. She followed that role with a longer stint on As the World Turns, originating the role of Margo Montgomery, a character that endured nearly 30 years.

She has appeared on a number of primetime television shows, starting with Foley Square, Leg Work, and several early episodes of Chicago Hope. She played Lisa Wiseman on the 1999 series Now and Again, with Eric Close and Dennis Haysbert. In 2003, she appeared in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit titled "Tortured", playing a mother/bakery owner who was later arrested for abetting a murder.

From 2007 to 2012, Colin played the recurring role of Eleanor Waldorf, mother of Blair Waldorf, on the teen drama television series Gossip Girl. In the pilot episode, Eleanor was played by One Life to Live actress Florencia Lozano.

Colin has also been in a number of films, the most well-known of which are probably Something Wild (1986), Three Men and a Baby (1987), The Butcher's Wife(1991), Independence Day (1996), Unfaithful (2002), and First Daughter (2004). She also appeared in the play Jackie: An American Life, in which she played Jacqueline Kennedy.

During her 2003 performance of the English play A Day in the Death of Joe Egg on Broadway, Colin smoked her way through the second half of the show and dedicated the performance to Mayor Michael Bloomberg in defiance of the state's smoking ban. After the play finished its run, she gave up smoking.

Personal Life

Colin met actor Justin Deas when he played her love interest, Tom Hughes, on As the World Turns. They were married in January 1988. The couple have two sons, Sam and Joe, and Colin is stepmother of her husband's daughter from his first marriage. The family moved to Upper Montclair, New Jersey in the late 1990s.

She is a pro-life activist and was formerly the honorary co-chair of Feminists for Life, an organization opposed to abortion. Colin is now the honorary board member of the group, Feminists for Nonviolent Choices, which is not affiliated with Feminists for Life. 

Filmography

Movies

Movie	Role	Year	Notes
Pretty in Pink	English teacher	1986
Something Wild	Irene	1986
The Return of Sherlock Holmes	Jane Watson	1987	Television film
Warm Hearts, Cold Feet	Amy Webster	1987	Television film
Like Father Like Son	Ginnie Armbruster	1987
Three Men and a Baby	Rebecca	1987
True Believer	Kitty Greer	1989
Traveling Man	Joanna Reath	1989	Televison film
Martians Go Home	Sara Brody	1990
Goodnight Sweet Wife: A Murder in Boston	Michelle Caruso	1990	Television film
The Butcher's Wife	Robyn Graves	1991
Amos & Andrew	Judy Gillman	1993
Terminal Velocity	Joline "Jo"	1994	Uncredited
In the Shadow of Evil	Dr. Molly Nostrand	1995	Television film
Independence Day	Constance Spano	1996
Milk & Money	Lorraine	1996
The Devil's Own	Sheila O'Meara	1997
Time to Say Goodbye?	Kristen Hamstra	1997
The Adventures of Sebastian Cole	Joan Cole	1998
Hit & Run	Joanna Kendall	1999	Television film
Swing Vote	Linda Kirkland	1999	Television film
Private Lies	Ellen	2001	Television film
The Familiar Stranger	Elizabeth "Peachy" Welsh	2001	Television film
The Wedding Dress	Madeline Carver	2001	Television film
Blue Car	Diane	2002
Unfaithful	Sally	2002
First Daughter	Melanie MacKenzie	2004
A Broken Sole	Nan	2006
Happenstance	Beth	2007	Short film
Deception	Ms. Pomerantz	2008
iMurders	Carol Uberoth	2008
The Missing Person	Lana Cobb	2009
Camilla Dickinson	Mona Rowan	2012
Backwards	Mrs. Brooks	2012
Kelly & Cal	Janice	2014
You Must Be Joking	Linda Schwartz	2014
Stealing Chanel	Constance Borden	2015
Equity	Attorney Can	2016

Television

Show	Role	Year(s)	Notes
The Edge of Night	Paige Madison	1979	21 episodes
As the World Turns	Margo Hughes	1980-83	Role held: July 1980 - October 1983
Foley Square	Asst. D.A. Alex Harrigan	1985-86	Main cast; 14 episodes
Leg Work	Claire McCarron	1987	Main cast; 10 episodes
Magnum, P.I.	Connie Northrop	1988	Episode: "Legend of the Last Art"
Sibs	Audie Ruscio	1991-92	Main cast; 22 episodes
Related by Birth	Audie Ruscio	1994	Television special
Chicago Hope	Dr. Karen Antonovich	1994	5 episodes
The Wright Verdicts	Sandy Hamor	1995	Main cast; 6 episodes
Now and Again	Linda Wiseman	1999-2000	Main cast; 14 episodes
Madigan Men	Vonda Madigan	2000	Episode: "Pilot"
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Mrs. Krug	2003	Episode: "Tortured"
Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Dr. Eloise Barnes	2004	Episode: "Shrink-Wrapped"
Gossip Girl	Eleanor Waldorf	2007-2012	Recurring; 33 episodes
Royal Pains	Lucy Everett	2009	Episode: "Strategic Planning"
Law & Order	Mary Markson	2010	Episode: "Four Cops Shot"
Medium	Kelly Shuler	2010	Episode: "It's a Wonderful Death"
Blue Bloods	Melanie Maines	2012	Episode: "Women with Guns"
Nurse Jackie	Trish	2012	2 episodes
The Good Wife	Rochelle	2013	Episode: "The Seven Day Rule"
Elementary	Natalie Gale	2013	Episode: "Blood is Thicker"
Gotham	Taylor Reece	2014	Episode: "Viper"
Madam Secretary	Judith Fanning	2016	Season 2 Episode: "Catch and Release"
Veep	Jane McCabe	2017	Season 6
Shades of Blue	Linda Wozniak	2017	Season 2