Megan Gallagher prioritizes home, work

The actress from such series as "China Beach," "Millennium" and "The Larry Sanders Show" has recently guested on "Without a Trace," "CSI" and starred in the miniseries "First to Die."

But Gallagher has also been otherwise engaged.

As the mother of 22-month old twins (a boy and a girl) she finds herself a working mom before she even wanted to be.

"The year that I was pregnant was during the strike. That was OK because I was pregnant, but I ended up working when I was pregnant anyway," she says idling over her plate at a Cuban- Pacific restaurant here.

"I think a lot of women think that when you have kids everything slows down -- but I was so busy! I hadn't lost my pregnancy weight, nine days after I gave birth, I tested for a series. I wasn't even supposed to drive until 10 days, but I drove on that day.

"The minute you plan your life, it changes," she smiles.

Dressed in a blue tank top, her red hair pushed behind her ears, Gallagher says acting requires more than a soupcon of faith that if one part dissolves, another will appear.

"Whether it's a money situation or something like that -- it'll be back. The babies are a priority, but at the same time, I need to work. We're not independently wealthy, we're fine, but there will probably be private schools and all those things you need to pay for so I can't say I won't work at all. But I'm just sort of trying to cross those bridges when I come to them."

One of those bridges is the Hallmark Channel's drama, "A Time to Remember," in which Gallagher costars with her old "China Beach" buddy, Dana Delany, on Nov. 23. It's a new kind of role for the earthy Gallagher.

This time she plays the prissy and uptight sister who must help Delany deal with their mother's Alzheimer's disease.

Gallagher is married to actor- artist Jeff Yagher. She broke her longtime proscription against dating actors to hook up with Yagher, whom she describes as "the most gifted human being, amazingly talented." Yagher doesn't only act, he's also a screenwriter and the No. 1 model kit sculptor in the country.

"There's a guy in Japan who's considered as good as Jeff but his work is considered extraordinary," she says.