She has played supporting roles in the films Carrie (1976), Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), and Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988), and bit parts in Cheech and Chong's Next Movie (1980), Mr.

She regularly performed on The David Letterman Show, before playing Bonnie Brindle in Small Wonder (1985–1987) and Mrs. Patty Poole on The Hogan Family (1986–1991).

As a one-off character, she appeared in Alice, Mr. Belvedere, Roseanne, Full House, Seinfeld, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Malcolm in the Middle, Hannah Montana, Crashbox, and Portlandia.

[3] "Visiting her actor brother (Robert McClurg) in San Francisco, she was asked to participate in an impromptu stage performance by the Pitschel Players.

[citation needed] McClurg's screen debut was as Helen Shyres in Brian De Palma's 1976 horror film Carrie starring Sissy Spacek.

She guest-starred in episodes of Alice, The Jeffersons, Diff'rent Strokes, Mr. Belvedere, Roseanne, Full House, Seinfeld, Melrose Place, Touched by an Angel, Married... with Children, Caroline in the City, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Malcolm in the Middle, Portlandia, Rules of Engagement, and Two and a Half Men among others.

McClurg also played in a number of films including Helen Shyres in Carrie (1976), Gloria's Mom in Cheech and Chong's Next Movie (1980), the check out lady in Mr.

Mom (1983), Grace in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), Marge Sweetwater in Back to School (1986), the car rental agent in Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), Lynn in She's Having a Baby (1988), a secretary in Curly Sue (1991), Mrs. Burns in A River Runs Through It (1992), Heather Wilson in Natural Born Killers (1994), Martha George in Flubber (1997), Esther in Hanging Up (2000), Gram Gram in Air Bud: Spikes Back (2003), and Mrs. Gertrude in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003).

She also voiced the offscreen "Polite Female Voice" in the Revolting Slob segments on Crashbox, Fran on Higglytown Heroes, the Dragon in the Nightmare Ned video game, Mrs. Claus in Holidaze: The Christmas That Almost Didn't Happen, Grandma Taters in The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Violet Stimpleton in Rocket Power, Bea's mother in Fish Hooks, Winnie Pig in Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation, Mrs. Violet Bleakman on Clifford the Big Red Dog, Bobby's teacher in Bobby's World, and Trudi Traveler in an episode of Wander Over Yonder.

[10] In August 2022, the lawyer for the conservatorship filed court documents alleging that McClurg had been abused by a man who had befriended her, moved into her home, and become a court-approved caregiver.