A Touch of Sass

"I play a lot of nice women."

So says JoBeth Williams, chuckling as she discusses her current roles, both of which call for her to get a little wicked.

It started with Myrna, of the NBC comedy Marry Me, who has trouble letting her son pursue marital bliss with his soon-to-be bride. Williams found the role so fulfilling that she jumped at the chance to play another prickly mother-in-law, on the new TBS series Your Family or Mine.

The half-hour sitcom, based on a popular Israeli show, follows a young married couple (Kat Foster and Kyle Howard) through episodes that take place with one set of in-laws or the other. Ed Begley, Jr., and Cynthia Stevenson play the wife's parents, while Williams and Richard Dreyfuss portray the husband's parents. Her character, Ricky, is an upper-middle-class mom whose sun rises and sets on her three sons.

"It's a very strong character and a lot of fun to play because she's got so much attitude," the actress says, "It's always attractive to be able to play someone who is less than virtuous and to try and find the colors underneath that person so that you don't just hate her."

A mother of two sons herself, Williams can relate to the character, though not to her excessive behavior. "Being a mother, you want the best for your sons. But she's the most extreme version of that."

Playing these immoderate moms is just the tip of the actress's expansive career.

Her first taste of fame occurred with her film debut in 1979's Kramer vs. Kramer. She went on to star in Poltergeist and Poltergeist II, along with the film American Dreamer, and she was among the distinguished ensemble of The Big Chill.

Her television credits include everything from an Emmy-nominated appearance on Frasier to her portrayal of real-life character Reve Walsh in the television movie Adam, based on the kidnapping and murder of Adam Walsh (which brought her another Emmy nomination; she's been nominated three times).

Williams has also appeared in Hart of Dixie, Private Practice, Dexter, Payne and The Client, and, in 1994, hopped behind the camera to make her directorial debut with the Oscar-nominated film short On Hope.

In college she had planned to be a psychologist, but something kept bringing her back to the stage, "Being an actor is a form of exploring human behavior. The same thing that drew me to psychology was what drew me to acting."

To get into the mindset of her character on Your Family or Mine, Williams says she channeled her inner narcissist.

"Ricky likes to think she's above it all," she explains. "I found myself carrying my head and my body in a particular way, as if I were a queen. That really helped with the feeling that this character thinks she knows better than everyone."

Off screen, Williams serves as the president of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation and chairman of the SAG Awards committee.

"Between that and work, I don't have a lot of down time," she admits. But when she does, she spends her time reading scripts, looking for her next directorial endeavor.

As for her longevity as an actress, Williams credits her willingness to accept both lead and supporting roles. "I want to play all different parts and bring them truthfully to life — and I want to be able to do it all my life."