If you aren’t a fan of Mageina Tovah, let us introduce you to her brilliance. While this actress may not be Hollywood’s go-to leading lady, she delivers in every single performance.
She’s best known for her time on the show Joan of Arcadia and ultimately her role as Ursula in Spider-man 2 and Spider-man 3, but we love Mageina in shows like Hung, You’re the Worst, and The Magicians. Let’s see what Ms. Tovah has been up to and where we’ll see her next.
Background Info
Tovah was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on July 26th, 1979. With a US Army Green Beret for a father and Army physical therapist for a mother, her family moved around a few times before spending the majority of her young life in good ol’ Nashville, Tennessee.
And Mageina is smarter than all of us combined. She graduated from high school at only 16 years old and graduated Magna Cum laude in less than four years from USC.
Acting Career
When it comes to her acting career, Mageina started on the small screen in the 2001 short Virus Man, playing a young girl. That same year she appeared in an episode of the drama The Guardian, as well mega-hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Not bad for her first year of work.
Only two years passed before Mageina snagged top cast status on the TV show Joan of Arcadia. While filming that, she landed a role in the last two Toby McGuire-led Spider-man movies. Let’s break down a few of these more popular characters of hers.
Spiderman 2
While her character wasn’t in the comic books, Mageina played the girl the internet wanted Peter Parker to pick over Mary Jane, Ursula, the daughter of Peter Parker’s landlord in Spider-man 2. Mostly a messenger between Peter and anyone that wanted to get ahold of him, Ursula spent most of the time trying to feed Peter.
Spiderman 3
Back in Spider-man 3, Mageina’s Ursula did more of the same in that installment, and spent the movie relaying messages to McGuire’s Peter Parker and feeding him various foods, still upsetting audiences that Peter overlooked this baking beauty. At least the fanfiction lives on.
Joan of Arcadia
Back on the small screen, Ms. Tovah snagged a reoccurring role on the TV show Joan of Arcadia from 2003 until 2005. Her character, Glynis Figliola, appeared throughout both seasons, in 23 out of the 45-episode run of the show.
If you have reservations about a show called Hung, you need to throw those out the window. If for any other reason, it’s to check out a small three-episode drop-in by Tovah as Christina in Season 2 of the critically acclaimed show.
You’re the Worst
You’re the Worst is really the best. Mageina had a nice little six-episode part on this dramedy as character Paul’s friend Amy Cadingle. Even though she’s only in season two, the whole show is worth a watch, as it has one of the best final seasons with a series finale to match.
The Magicians
Starting in 2016, Tovah scored a role in the fantasy show The Magicians as the head librarian Zelda Schiff. For 24 episodes throughout the five seasons, Mageina helped bring these fantasy books to life on the small screen.
In 2016, wanting to try her hand at wearing many other hats, Mageina decided to edit, produce, write, and direct the short film, Hux.
Utilizing her family’s experience as pediatric physical therapists and child psychiatrists, Tovah also pulled insights from books and her interactions with people all over the spectrum to make the movie as realistic as possible. Mageina brought to the forefront the struggles of a female with autism as she navigates her life.
What is Mageina Tovah doing now?
These days Tovah is still acting, though keeping it mostly to appearances on TV shows.
She had a three-episode stint on the hospital comedy Heartbeats in 2020, and in 2022 she popped up in two episodes of The Lincoln Lawyer (based on the book like the 2011 Matthew McConaughey movie) as Wren Williams. She stared alongside Ryan Phillippe in the TV sci-fi drama series Alive, but it was passed on by CBS after shooting the pilot. Sad face.
If you can’t wait until the next time Mageina makes an appearance on screen, you could always book her on Cameo. You’ll have a personalized video from her within a day for a starting price that’s less than our monthly cell phone bill.
Magenia also dabbles in music and showed off her singing talents in a video where she covers Radiohead’s ‘Creep’.
Personal Life
As far as family goes, Ms. Tovah either keeps her personal life extremely private, or she just lives her life as a strong, independent woman.
We couldn’t even find a rumored relationship with a hunky co-star from any decade she’s been acting in, though she does post occasional shots of various fur babies on her Instagram page.
With no children and no known partner, Mageina is out there being the boss of her own path.
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