Longtime Squibnocket resident Margaret Whitton, best known for her sultry performance as Rachel Phelps, the showgirl turned team owner in the “Major League” movie franchise, died peacefully at her home in Palm Beach on Dec. 4, 2016, surrounded by loving friends and her beloved husband of 23 years, Warren Spector. Her home on Martha’s Vineyard, which she purchased in 1996, was her favorite place to be. In 2010 the emergency room at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital is named for her and her husband.
Margaret, whom film critic Pauline Kael once hailed as “a knockout,” had a distinguished career in New York theater before her many film and television roles, which eventually led her to directing and producing.
Immediately recognizable for her fair complexion and striking red curls, Margaret became known for playing the kind of multitasking, strong, sexy woman who could stylishly seduce, cleverly outwit, and effortlessly outmaneuver any man who crossed her path — all while landing a perfect one-liner.
Margaret made her off-Broadway debut at the American Place Theater in 1973 alongside Olympia Dukakis in “Baba Goya.” She became a regular player at Joseph Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival — at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park and its downtown home, the Public Theater — working with directors such as Arthur Penn, Max Stafford-Clark, Les Waters, and Howard Davies. She appeared in several productions by the Phoenix Theater and Manhattan Theatre Club. Her Broadway performances include “Steaming” with Judith Ivey; “The Apple Doesn’t Fall”; and “Marlene” — and she was Raul Julia’s victim, Lucy, in the national tour of “Dracula.”
Her most recognizable film roles include Aunt Vera in “The Secret of My Succe$$” with Michael J. Fox; Rachel Phelps in “Major League,” 1 & 2; Molly in “9½ Weeks” and Catherine in “Man Without a Face” with Mel Gibson. She also starred in television series, including “Good & Evil,” opposite Teri Garr, and “A Fine Romance,” among many others.
When Ms. Whitton left acting, she turned to directing — first for the theater, with Marina Carr’s “Portia Coughlin” and “By the Bog of Cats,” and the Public Theater’s production of “Dirty Tricks,” starring Judith Ivey as Martha Mitchell. She made her feature-film directing debut with “A Bird of the Air,” a romantic drama based on Joe Coomer’s novel, “The Loop.”
In 2008, Margaret and Warren formed independent production company Tashtego Films. In addition to developing and producing “A Bird of the Air,” Tashtego Films has been involved in a number of notable films, including “Casting By,” a feature documentary about Margaret’s dear friend Marion Dougherty, who revolutionized Hollywood.
People who never met her will always know the artist. If you were fortunate enough to have the backstage pass, you know the ardent baseball fan, the voracious reader, the dog whisperer, the passionate fighter, and the astonishing horticulturist with an inexplicable eye for color and beauty.
Margaret kept her brief battle with cancer very private. She faced her illness with all the grace and wit she brought to every facet of her life. A memorial service will take place in New York City in early 2017.
Those who wish to honor Margaret are invited to contribute to two charities that were especially close to her heart: The Marion Dougherty Safe Haven Fund, which supports victims of domestic violence with their pets; and the African Mission Healthcare Foundation, in support of Dr. Tom Catena, an American physician saving lives in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan in the face of genocide.
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