How Well Do You Know Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows) on CSI?

You probably know Marg Helgenberger best as crime-scene investigator Catherine Willows, who works for Clark County Nevada on the smash hit television show, CSI. You may also know her as K.C. Koloski, a prostitute on the ABC drama, China Beach, a role for which she won a 1990 Emmy Award as the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She has also been nominated for Emmy and Golden Globe awards for her current role. How well do you know television and movie star Marg Helgenberger?

Did you know when Marg Helgenberger is not busy playing Catherine Willows on CSI she always finds time to support charities she believes in? She has been involved in supporting many charities over the years, especially those that fight against breast cancer. One reason for involvement may be that her own mother, Kay Helgenberger, has survived breast cancer herself for many years, so Marg has seen up close how the disease can affect someone. She began supporting charities in their fight against breast cancer many years ago when she and husband, Alan Rosenberg hosted Marg and Alan's Celebrity Weekend, which annually raised money to fight the disease. They also celebrated the lives of those who had been victorious over breast cancer.

"There are women there who have lived 40 years after being diagnosed and those in the throes of chemotherapy," she said in a 2003 issue of Golf for Women, as recorded in the fan website, allaboutmarg.com. She said there is "nothing like" being around hundreds of women who have beaten breast cancer.

Money raised has gone to Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, as well as Omaha Nebraska's Methodist Hospital.

When she is not playing Catherine Willows on CSI, Marge Helgenberger has been the celebrity host of the EIF/Revlon, Run/Walk for Women in 2010 in Los Angeles, California and has been on a televised event to Stand Up to Cancer, to raise money for the disease. She was a celebrity emissary for the Nebraska Medical Center, as she played in television commercials, urging people to get preventative checks, such as prostrate exams and mammograms. She performed in a duet in What a Pair: A Celebration of Duets to Benefit Breast Cancer Research from 2006-2009. She has also supported children's hospitals and given her time to assist a variety of other charities.

Did you know that although Marg Helgenberger is best known as a television actress, she has played in a variety of movies? She is best known as a movie star for her role as a chemical exposure victim in the movie Erin Brockovich, in which she played opposite Julia Roberts. She also played in Tootsie, Good Company, Always, and Species.

Do you remember Marg Helgenberger for her role as George Clooney's love interest on ER? She has won the praise of critics for several other television roles, including a role as a mother with Multiple Scleroses on In Sickness and Health, for a role in Thanks of a Grateful Nation, about how servicemen and women were affected by Desert Storm, and for a role in Perfect Murder, Perfect Town, Jon Benet and the City of Boulder.

Did you know Marg Helgenberger as a degree in drama from Northwestern University? A role in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, led to a role for four years on the soap opera, Ryan's Hope. She has also played on Spencer for Hire and Matlock.

How many of these other facts about Marg Helgenberger, some of which may be well known, and some of which are not, do you know:

She was named one of the 50 most beautiful people by People magazine in 2002.

To prepare for her role on CSI, she visited a coroner's office to watch an autopsy.

She worked in a meat packing plant when she was a teenager.

During breaks from CSI, she likes to play hacky sack with her costars. Hacky sack is a game in which the players try to keep a foot bag off the floor, using only their feet.

Citations:

Marg Helgenberger, no author listed, en.wikipedia.org

Marg the Philanthropist: Breast Cancer and Other Charity Involvement, no author listed, allaboutmarg.com

Biography for Marg Helgenberger, no author listed, imdb.com

Marg Helgenberger Biography, no author listed, tvguide.com