McWilliams's television appearances spanned every decade from the 1960s through the 2000s. She was a regular player on
Guiding Light as Janet Mason Norris from 1969 until 1975. She portrayed a prostitute who helped an immigrant stay in the country by marrying him for money on
Barney Miller in 1977. She was a semi-regular on
Soap during the second season in 1978. She then appeared on
Benson (as a different character) when that series premiered in 1979. She remained on
Benson until 1981; the storyline stated that her character was departing to move away with her husband (her fiancé-turned-husband on the show having been played by
Ted Danson). On stage, she appeared in the musical
Boccaccio,
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,
The Rothschilds and productions with the
American Shakespeare Festival in
Stratford, Connecticut, and the
New York Shakespeare Festival. including
Kojak;
Quincy, M.E.;
The Incredible Hulk;
$weepstake$;
Project U.F.O.;
Hill Street Blues;
Night Court;
St. Elsewhere;
Cagney & Lacey;
Sisters (two episodes);
Home Improvement;
Murphy Brown and
Judging Amy (three episodes). In 1989, she portrayed the ghostly wife, Clair Pritchard, in the short-lived comedy series
Nearly Departed. She also appeared in numerous made-for-television movies, including
The Death of Ocean View Park (1979),
Rage! (1980),
The Gift of Life (1982), and
Sworn to Silence (1987). In 1982, she starred in
Cass Malloy, a
CBS sitcom
television pilot which aired as a one-off that summer but did not result in a regular series, although it served as the basis for ''
She's the Sheriff'', which aired in
first-run syndication from 1987 to 1989 with
Suzanne Somers in the starring role. McWilliams appeared in two major motion pictures: •
White Water Summer (1987) – as Virginia Block •
Mermaids (1990) – as Carrie ==Personal life and death==