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Margaret Whitton

Margaret Whitton

Actor, also director and producer · Died December 4, 2016, aged 67 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Margaret Whitton (November 30, 1949 – December 4, 2016) was an American actress. Her most known roles were that of baseball team owner Rachel Phelps in Major League (1989) and its sequel Major League II, and as Michael J. Fox's vibrant and underappreciated aunt-by-marriage in The Secret of My Success (1987). She also appeared in the films The Best of Times (1986) and The Man Without a Face (1993). She first noticeably appeared on the stage in 1973, billed as Peggy Whitton. In the early 1980s, she began to be billed as Margaret Whitton and made her Broadway debut in 1982's Steaming. After her seven year experiment with film, she returned to the stage, appearing on Broadway in And the Apple Doesn't Fall... (1995) and in the original, award-winning musical Marlene (1999), starring Siân Phillips as Marlene Dietrich. Description above from the Wikipedia article Margaret Whitton, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 30, 1949
Died
December 4, 2016 (aged 67)
From
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Works as
Actor, also director and producer
Titles
19 on MovieCove · 28 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 37% in 30 days

What are Margaret Whitton's films like?

Across their 13 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 58th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
30%
Self
23%
Society
19%
Morality
16%
Survival
9%
Power
3%
Family bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 8 · Serious 1 · Dark 4

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 10 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 6 · Charged 4 · Intense 3

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 8 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 9 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 8 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 4

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Warm
4
Melancholic
4
Hopeful
4
Joyful
3
Other
14

How their films linger

Feel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet7
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Margaret Whitton's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Margaret Whitton's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

28 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page.

  • Casting By(2012)

    Co-Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • A Bird of the Air(2011)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Trial by Jury(1994)

    as Jane Lyle, Juror

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills(1994)

    as Leslie Abramson

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Major League II(1994)

    as Rachel Phelps

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Man Without a Face(1993)

    as Catherine Palin

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Cutters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 5 episodes · as Adrienne St. John

  • Big Girls Don't Cry... They Get Even(1991)

    as Melinda

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Good & Evil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 11 episodes · as Genevieve

  • The Summer My Father Grew Up(1991)

    as Naomi

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Kojak: None So Blind(1990)

    as Michele Hogarth

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Little Monsters(1989)

    as Holly Stevenson

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Major League(1989)

    as Rachel Phelps

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • A Fine Romance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 13 episodes · as Louisa Phillips

  • Ironweed(1987)

    as Katrina

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Baby Boom(1987)

    as Executive In Conference Room (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Secret of My Success(1987)

    as Vera Prescott

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Cat & Mousse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as Miriam

  • 9½ Weeks(1986)

    as Molly

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The Best of Times(1986)

    as Darla Robinson

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Spenser: For Hire(1985)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • Hometown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 9 episodes · Actor

  • Tales from the Darkside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Mary Jones

  • Miami Vice(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Cassie Bramlette

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Love Child (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    as Jacki Steinberg

  • Movie Madness(1982)

    as First Lady Lousille Fogerty ("Success Wanters")

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Teenage Hitchhikers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as Sola Alcoa (as Peggy Whitton)

  • Parades (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Jane

Career shape

Star power in the 93rd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 28 titles from 1972 to 2012; peak year 1988.

Biggest box office

The Secret of My Success (1987)

$111M worldwide

Highest rated

Casting By (2012)

Midcredits 92nd

Most popular right now

9½ Weeks (1986)

Film career

19722012

Peak 1988 · steadily prominent in film for years. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting26 of 28: 26 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score55thDirecting1 of 28: 1 only directing, 0 with another roleProducing1 of 28: 1 only producing, 0 with another role

By decade

1970s2 · acting1980s15 · acting1990s9 · acting2010s2 · crew

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 0% of 10 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Margaret Whitton's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 17; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 53rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 19 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 19 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser11
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · actor

The Summer My Father Grew Up (1991)

78th percentile spread · 29% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Casting By (2012)

Midcredits 92nd · 84% liked

Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 83, detractors 44. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Margaret Whitton's work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, 2 of the 5 categories sit near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 36 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles26–69 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles40–67 · median 44 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 31 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 31 · mildMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Margaret Whitton work with?

People who share at least 2 of Margaret Whitton's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ben Savage shares the most, 2.

Actors

Producers