
Margo Martindale
Actor · Born July 18, 1951 (75) · Jacksonville, Texas, USA
3 Primetime Emmys · Screen Actors Guild Award nominee · 1 other major award body
Margo Martindale (born July 18, 1951) is an American film, stage, and television actress. In 2011, she won an Emmy Award for her role as Mags Bennett on Justified. She has played supporting roles in several films, including The Hours, Million Dollar Baby as Hilary Swank's character's mother, The Firm, Lorenzo's Oil, Marvin's Room, The Savages, and Paris, je t'aime. She was also nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in 2004. Margo Martindale was born July 18, 1951, in Jacksonville, Texas, to parents William Everett and Margaret (Pruitt) Martindale. In addition to owning and operating a lumber company in Jacksonville, her father was known as a champion dog handler in Texas and throughout the southern United States. Margo was the youngest of three children and only daughter. Her oldest brother is professional golfer and golf course designer Billy Martindale. Middle child, brother Bobby Tim, died in 2004. Margo Martindale participated in golf, cheerleading and drama while in school and was crowned "Football Sweetheart" as well as "Miss Jacksonville High School 1969." Following graduation from Jacksonville High School in 1969, Martindale attended Lon Morris College, then transferred to the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. While at Michigan, she also did summer study at Harvard University, appearing onstage with future movie and TV stars Jonathan Frakes and Christopher Reeve. Description above from the Wikipedia article Margo Martindale, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- July 18, 1951 (75)
- Jacksonville, Texas, USA
- Actor
- 102 on MovieCove · 126 credits in all
What are Margo Martindale's films like?
Across their 52 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 3 · Wry 2 · Earnest 39
A split, not a type: Light 19 · Serious 6 · Dark 19
Grounded 34 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 3
A split, not a type: Gentle 13 · Charged 14 · Intense 17
Steady 19 · Shifting 20 · Whiplash 5
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 22 · Some laughs 17 · Funny 5
A split, not a type: Slow burn 27 · Even-paced 13 · Relentless 4
A split, not a type: Casual 22 · Engaged 19 · Full focus 3
A split, not a type: Easy watch 13 · Affecting 15 · Heavy 16
Resolved 33 · Open-ended 7 · Ambiguous 4
Roles they play
Usually the Ally: 5 of 17 analyzed roles.
Show the 17 rolesHide the roles
- Allyas Marjean in ...First Do No Harm (1997)
- Allyas Maggie in An Unexpected Love (2003)
- Heraldas Harriot Blatch in Iron Jawed Angels (2004)
- Mentoras Coach Lumbly in Rocket Science (2007)
- Mentoras Trish in Management (2008)
- Heroas Janice Trimble in Scalene (2011)
- Allyas Rita Perkins-Hall in A Gifted Man (2011)
- Shapeshifteras Carol Miller in The Millers (2013)
- Threshold guardianas Audrey Bernhardt in Sneaky Pete (2015)
- Shapeshifteras Sally Hollar in The Hollars (2016)
- Allyas Anne Morrison in Sophie and the Rising Sun (2016)
- Allyas Bella Abzug in Mrs. America (2020)
- Mentoras Diane in Family Squares (2022)
- Threshold guardianas Ranger Liz in Cocaine Bear (2023)
- Heraldas Narrator in The Chicken Sisters (2024)
- Heroas Ruth Landry in The Sticky (2024)
- Shadowas Mrs. Twit in The Twits (2025)
Moods and endings
- Happy13
- Bittersweet28
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous8
- Cyclical1
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 Margo Martindale's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 80 of their 102 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (22).
- Lonesome Dove (1989) · actor · free
- Dead Man Walking (1995) · actor · free
- August: Osage County (2013) · actor · free
- Paris, Je T'aime (2006) · actor · free
- Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) · actor · free
- ...First Do No Harm (1997) · actor · free
- Sophie and the Rising Sun (2016) · actor · free
- Ghosts of Mississippi (1996) · actor · free
- The Hollars (2016) · actor · free
- The Winning Season (2009) · actor · free
- Feast of Love (2007) · actor · free
- La soga (2009) · actor · free
- +10 more
- Dexter (2006) · actor · free
- Person of Interest (2011) · actor
- Lonesome Dove (1989) · actor
- Uncle Frank (2020) · actor
- Sneaky Pete (2015) · actor
- August: Osage County (2013) · actor
- Smash (2012) · actor
- Sophie and the Rising Sun (2016) · actor
- Blow the Man Down (2019) · actor
- Feast of Love (2007) · actor
- The Sticky (2024) · actor
- Table 19 (2017) · actor
- +4 more
- Lonesome Dove (1989) · actor · free
- The Good Wife (2009) · actor · free
- Dead Man Walking (1995) · actor · free
- Paris, Je T'aime (2006) · actor · free
- Orphan (2009) · actor · free
- Law & Order (1990) · actor · free
- ...First Do No Harm (1997) · actor · free
- Sophie and the Rising Sun (2016) · actor · free
- Ghosts of Mississippi (1996) · actor · free
- The Hollars (2016) · actor · free
- Medium (2005) · actor · free
- Feast of Love (2007) · actor · free
- +3 more
- Lonesome Dove (1989) · actor · free
- Dead Man Walking (1995) · actor · free
- August: Osage County (2013) · actor · free
- Paris, Je T'aime (2006) · actor · free
- Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) · actor · free
- Stop-Loss (2008) · actor · free
- La soga (2009) · actor · free
- Family Squares (2022) · actor · free
- Lazy Susan (2020) · actor · free
- In Dreams (1999) · actor · free
- Howdy, show their 7 titles on Howdy
- Shout! TV, show their 2 titles on Shout! TV
- BroadwayHD, show their title on BroadwayHD
- Lifetime Movie Club, show their title on Lifetime Movie Club
- Lionsgate+, show their title on Lionsgate+
- Magnolia Selects, show their title on Magnolia Selects
- ScreenPix, show their title on ScreenPix
- Sony Pictures Core, show their title on Sony Pictures Core
- UP Faith & Family, show their title on UP Faith & Family
Subscription and free streaming for Margo Martindale'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
126 credits, 102 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

The Long Haul (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

The Twits(2025)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
The Sticky(2024)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows
Doctor Odyssey(2024)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all shows
The Chicken Sisters(2024)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all shows
Mrs. Davis(2023)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows
Cocaine Bear(2023)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
Poker Face(2023)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows
The Watcher(2022)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all shows
Family Squares(2022)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
Your Honor(2020)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows
Uncle Frank(2020)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Mrs. America(2020)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows
Lazy Susan(2020)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
The Kitchen(2019)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Blow the Man Down(2019)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
The Act(2019)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows
Instant Family(2018)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Downsizing(2017)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
DuckTales(2017)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows
Cars 3(2017)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Wilson(2017)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Table 19(2017)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
The Good Fight(2017)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
The Hollars(2016)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
BrainDead(2016)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows
Mother's Day(2016)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
The Boss(2016)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
American Crime Story(2016)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Sneaky Pete(2015)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
BoJack Horseman(2014)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows
Heaven Is for Real(2014)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Bluebird(2013)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
August: Osage County(2013)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
The Millers(2013)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all shows
Masters of Sex(2013)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows
Beautiful Creatures(2013)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
The Americans(2013)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Smash(2012)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows
A Gifted Man(2011)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows
Person of Interest(2011)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
New Girl(2011)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows
Suits(2011)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
Scalene(2011)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Win Win(2011)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Harry's Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

Main Street(2010)
Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films
Secretariat(2010)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Forged (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

Justified(2010)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
Mercy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

The Good Wife(2009)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows
La soga(2009)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Orphan(2009)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Hung(2009)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Management(2008)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
The Winning Season(2009)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Stop-Loss(2008)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
The Savages(2007)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Superheroes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

Feast of Love(2007)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Rails & Ties(2007)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Bobby Z(2007)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Mo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

The Riches(2007)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows
Rocket Science(2007)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Dexter(2006)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
Rachael Ray (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

Wedding Daze(2006)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Paris, Je T'aime(2006)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Out There (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

14e Arrondissement (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

Silver Bells(2005)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Medium(2005)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows
Million Dollar Baby(2004)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Plainsong(2004)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Iron Jawed Angels(2004)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
The Human Stain(2003)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
An Unexpected Love(2003)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
It's All About Love(2003)
Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films
The Hours(2002)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
The Laramie Project(2002)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
What Girls Learn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

A Girl Thing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

100 Centre Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

Proof of Life(2000)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Ed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

28 Days(2000)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Earthly Possessions (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

Ride with the Devil(1999)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Snoops (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows
In Dreams(1999)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Practical Magic(1998)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Twilight(1998)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Critical Care(1997)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Eye of God(1997)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
...First Do No Harm(1997)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Ghosts of Mississippi(1996)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Marvin's Room(1996)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Ruby Jean and Joe(1996)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Dead Man Walking(1995)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Sabrina(1995)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Nobody's Fool(1994)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
New York Undercover(1994)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows
The Firm(1993)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Lorenzo's Oil(1992)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all filmsEmma and Elvis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

Golden Years (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

Golden Years (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

The Rocketeer(1991)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Law & Order(1990)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows
Days of Thunder(1990)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Lonesome Dove(1989)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
The Child Saver (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

Once Again (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Just Picture It (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Sonny Lovejoy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
The Age of Innocence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 125 titles, 122 of them dated from 1951 to 2026; peak year 2008.

Biggest box office
Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Highest rated
Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Most popular right now
American Crime Story (2016)
Film career
Peak 2008 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 7 MovieCove titles. 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.
- 1990Screen debut· Days of Thunder
- 2010Primetime Emmy win· Justified
- 2013Screen Actors Guild Award nomination· August: Osage County
- 2013Primetime Emmy win· The Americans
- 2024Best so far· The Sticky
- 2025First top-billed film· The Twits
Show 1 more milestoneShow fewer
- 2025Best so far· The Twits
Billing
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; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
Awards
3 Primetime Emmys from 10 major nominations, 2011–2021.
- Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie Made for Television
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
- Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
- Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
- Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Show 1 earlier yearShow fewer
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Margo Martindale's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of all 68; across their 44 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 54th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up44
- 50th to 74th27
- 25th to 49th23
- Below 25th8
Shape of the crowd
50 of their 102 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved17
- Cult Classic4
- Crowd Pleaser50
- Broadly Agreed13
- Mixed18
Reviewers score the acting 75/100 in their films, across 43 reviewed titles; fans 83, detractors 51. 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 Margo Martindale's work okay for kids?
Across up to 27 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and profanity run heavier than most films.
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 Margo Martindale work with?
People who share at least 2 of Margo Martindale's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Lois Smith shares the most, 4.
Writers
- Jim StrouseShared titles: The Hollars (2016), The Winning Season (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Jim Strouse

Actors
- Lois SmithShared titles: Uncle Frank (2020), Iron Jawed Angels (2004), The Best Thief in the World (2004), Dead Man Walking (1995)See all 4 shared titles with Lois Smith

- Judy GreerShared titles: Family Squares (2022), Uncle Frank (2020), Wilson (2017)See all 3 shared titles with Judy Greer

- John SlatteryShared titles: Mrs. America (2020), Showing Up (2014), Bluebird (2013)See all 3 shared titles with John Slattery

- Meryl StreepShared titles: August: Osage County (2013), ...First Do No Harm (1997), Marvin's Room (1996)See all 3 shared titles with Meryl Streep

Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Eric Alan EdwardsShared titles: The Hollars (2016), Management (2008)See all 2 shared titles with Eric Alan Edwards

- John DebneyShared titles: Mother's Day (2016), Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009)See all 2 shared titles with John Debney

- David MoritzShared titles: Beautiful Creatures (2013), Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009)See all 2 shared titles with David Moritz

- Kate SanfordShared titles: Management (2008), Eye of God (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Kate Sanford

Producers
- Shawn WilliamsonShared titles: The Chicken Sisters (2024), It's All About Love (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Shawn Williamson

- Mary Jane SkalskiShared titles: Wilson (2017), Win Win (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Mary Jane Skalski

- Michael LondonShared titles: The Hollars (2016), Win Win (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Michael London

- Don CarmodyShared titles: Orphan (2009), Critical Care (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Don Carmody

Mixed roles
- Elizabeth BanksShared titles: Cocaine Bear (2023), Mrs. America (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Elizabeth Banks

- Leonardo DiCaprioShared titles: Orphan (2009), Marvin's Room (1996)See all 2 shared titles with Leonardo DiCaprio





