Mary Marg (Marg — pronounced with a HARD “G”) Helgenberger was born in Fremont, Nebraska on the 16th November, 1958. Her father, Hugh Helgenberger (German American) was a meat inspector at the local meatpacking plant, while her mother Kay (Irish American) was a nurse at one of the local schools. Marg grew up in North Bend, along with her older sister Ann (now a jazz musician) and her younger brother Curt (now a meat inspector).

Marg’s name was chosen by her mother who used to work at an orphanage, where one of the little girls was given the name “Mary Marg”. Kay loved the name and so when her daughter was born in 1958, she became Mary Marg, better known as Marg.

One of Marg’s first jobs was as a “boner” at the meatpacking plant her father worked at, where she cut the fat off of the meat and was once knocked over by a side of beef!

Marg went to North Bend Central High School, where she participated in a lot of extra-curricular activities. As well as playing the French Horn and playing in the volleyball team, Marg also sang in the glee club and participated in speech and drama activities.

Marg originally had ambitions to be a nurse, but after going on a field trip to visit the nursing college she was going to attend, she rapidly had a change of heart and decided to go to Kearney State College. Following the advice of her boyfriend at the time, Marg then transferred to Northwestern University Alumnus School of Speech in Evanston, IL. Once there, Marg majored in Speech and Drama, and was soon bitten by the acting bug when she played Blanche DuBois in the Northwestern University production of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Her announcement to her parents that she was going to become an actress was met with a little trepidation, with Marg believing that they didn’t think she could do it. Kay professed their belief in their daughter and once they saw her onstage, it clicked that Marg just had that extra “something”.

Before Marg’s big break arrived, the Helgenberger family was dealt a stunning blow when Kay was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1980. Marg’s mother insisted that she continue with university, even as she underwent a double mastectomy. Kay is now a twenty-six year survivor of breast cancer, and remains an inspiration to her devoted daughter.

Marg’s big break came when she portrayed Kate in the Northwestern production of The Taming of the Shrew and a scout for the soap opera Ryan’s Hope was in the audience during the summer of 1981. The scout recognized Marg’s talent, but Marg made it clear she wanted to finish college first. Undeterred, the scout promised to check back in with Marg when she had finished college — and she did.

Marg went to New York to audition for the role of Siobhan Ryan Novak, and Marg Helgenberger debuted in the role in March 1982. She continued to play this role until 1986, and although she was the third actress to play the role, Marg is the one most remembered for the part.

In 1984, a young actor named Alan Rosenberg guest starred on Ryan’s Hope. He played the owner of a hotel that was frequented by prostitutes. Marg’s character Siobhan, was working undercover as one. Alan remembers the first time he saw Marg, saying that “she walked in the room and I witnessed such beauty.” However it would be two years before they would meet again.

By this time, Hugh Helgenberger had been battling multiple sclerosis for three years. It was a very progressive form of the disease, and when Hugh came to visit his daughter in New York and on the set, he was already in a wheelchair. After a five year battle, Hugh passed away in 1985.

After this devastation, Marg decided to quit Ryan’s Hope and moved to Los Angeles. One day when she was visiting the bank in West Hollywood, she ran into an old friend — Alan Rosenberg — now divorced and available. The couple began to date and Marg even moved in with Alan, saying that “Alan’s cute little house became my cute little house”.

In 1988, Marg got her big break, landing a role in the new television drama China Beach where she played KC Koloski, a heroin addicted hooker with a heart. It became a big hit, earning Marg three Q Awards (1989, 1990 and 1991), two Emmy nominations (1991 and 1992), one Golden Globe nomination (1991) and of course her big Emmy win in 1990.

In 1989 Marg and Alan eloped, finally becoming husband and wife on the 9th September. 1990 was a big year for the Helgenberger-Rosenberg household. At 8 months pregnant, Marg appeared on stage at the 1990 Emmys to receive her award for best supporting actress for China Beach. Then, on October 21st, 1990, Alan and Marg welcomed their child, a son named Hugh, for Marg’s father.

Fans were crushed when China Beach was cancelled in 1991, but Marg was certainly not idle. She took on minor movie roles including The Tommyknockers (1993), The Cowboy Way (1994) and Species (1995). Marg finally returned to television in 1996 for a five-episode stint on ER where her character Karen Hines became George Clooney’s girlfriend.

After ER, Marg worked on more movies, including Perfect Murder, Perfect Town: JonBenet and the City of Boulder (for which she won critical acclaim) and of course, her moving portrayal of cancer victim Donna Jensen in 2000’s Erin Brockovich. Marg based her portrayal of Donna on the experiences her mother Kay had been through, and even Kay said that it was like watching Marg play Kay. For this role, Marg was nominated for a 2001 BlockBuster award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama. Although she didn’t win, Marg is often singled out by critics for her outstanding work in this film.

By 2001, with her young son growing up, Marg wanted to do something that would give her regular hours so that she could spend more time with him. This meant going back to television, and Marg was soon hired as CSI Catherine Willows in the groundbreaking new drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Marg’s role as former exotic dancer and single mother Catherine Willows, has earned her a TV Guide nomination (2001), two Emmy nominations (2001 and 2003), two Golden Globe nominations (2001 and 2002) and an award at the 31st People’s Choice Awards for Favorite Female Star in 2005.

Even while making CSI, Marg has kept busy. In 2004 she played Dennis Quaid’s wife in the movie In Good Company which also starred Topher Grace and Scarlett Johansson. In 2007, Marg was once again on the big screen when she starred as Kevin Costner’s wife in the thriller Mr. Brooks.

Marg is also active in charitable organizations. Every September, Marg and Alan go to Nebraska to host the Marg and Alan Celebrity Weekend, where all the proceeds from the golf tournament benefits breast cancer research at the Jennie Edmundson Hospital and Methodist Hospital. She has also been honored by the Penny Lane organization for her contributions to that charity.     ♦