Wissenswertes

Supposedly turned down the lead in the sitcom Murphy Brown (1988), which had been created by Diane English with JoBeth in mind.

Jobeth's part in Die Hunde des Krieges (1980) was significantly cut in the American version released but much less so in the British version. Steven Spielberg happened to catch the unedited version in London and immediately cast her as the down-to-earth mom whose family is tormented by apparitions in Poltergeist (1982).

She was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame on March 10, 2006 in Austin, Texas. The other inductees were Matthew McConaughey, Kris Kristofferson, Cybill Shepherd and Lyle Lovett.

JoBeth Williams earned an Academy Award nomination for her directorial debut of On Hope (1994), but was nominated not for best director, but for Best Live Action Short Film, as the producer of the film made for Showtime Networks, along with her producing partner on that film, Michele McGuire.

Co-starred with Craig T. Nelson in 3 films: Poltergeist (1982), Poltergeist II - Die andere Seite (1986) and Zwei wahnsinnig starke Typen (1980).

Mother, with John Pasquin, of two sons: Nick Pasquin and Will Pasquin.

Has produced every "Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards" show from the 13th iteration in 2007, through the 28th iteration in 2022, listed as the SAG producer, or the Screen Actors Guild producer, or the SAG-AFTRA producer for each year's broadcast.

Williams chose Vom Winde verweht (1939) as her favorite film, for an AFI poll.

Graduated from Brown University.

Her very first television role was on the Boston-produced, first run syndicated children's television series Jabberwocky (1977), which featured puppets, live actors, musical numbers, and cartoon segments. Williams joined the cast in season two, replacing the first season hostess Joanne Sopko and partnered with director/host Tucker Smallwood. The show ran until 1978.