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Entertainers |
   
   
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Actors - stage and movies back |
|
Marguerite Martha Allan |
Born Montreal, Quebec 1895. Died March 31,
1942. She organized the Montreal amateur dramatic group which would come to
be known as the Montreal Repertory Theatre and would become one of the most
successful amateur dramatic groups in Canada. In 1935 she received the
Canadian Drama Award for outstanding service in the development of the
Canadian theatre. At the annual Dominion Drama Festival the Martha Allan
Trophy is awarded in her memory for the best visual performance. She also
wrote three plays: What fools we mortals be; All of a summer's day; and
Summer solstice. |
|
Margaret Anglin. |
Born Ottawa, Ontario April 3,
1876. Died January 7, 1958. Margaret was actually born in the Speakers
Chambers of the House of Commons in 1876. Her father was the Speaker of the
house! She acted on stage in New York, toured Australia and toured in
Canada. She had her own classical acting company in 1913. |
|
Julia Arthur. |
(née
Ida Lewis) Born May 3, 1869. Died 1950. She chose her stage name for her
acting career from her mother's family name. She had her stage debut at the
age of 14 in the United States. In 1895 she went to act in London, England.
She married Benjamin Pearce Cheney and took a few years reprieve from the
stage. In 1914 she returned to the stage. In 1924 she had a very successful
tour of Canada. She was the star of such movies as Napoleon, The Man of
Destiny and Uncle Tom's Cabin. |
|
Mabel Barrington |
Died
November 1, 1912.A prominent stage actor who debuted on stage in 1902 and
achieved "star" quality by 1905. She had great success in 1908 in New York
with he BLUE MOUSE. By 1911 she was forced to retire from the stage because
of serious ill health. |
|
Ester Evalyn Sera Owen Bowen. |
Born June 18, 1911. Died 1999.
She left her native Wales to go to theatre in London and later, while
working in a touring theatre, she would be introduced to Canada. She
immigrated to Canada in 1956 and found work in Montreal acting and writing.
It would however be Nova Scotia that she chose to live. In 1967 she was
appointed Artistic Advisor for the Nova Scotia Centennial celebration. She
organized and directed the first all Negro drama group in Canada. She wrote
plays, directed and taught drama to the youth of her chosen home province.
To learn more about this talented woman read Great Dames, edited by
Elspeth Cameron and Janice Dickin, [Toronto, University of Toronto Press,
1997]. |
|
Doris Buckingham |
Born 1910 (?)
Died February 1, 1988. A stage and radio actress she created
Vancouver’s
Theatre Under the Stars. Through the 1940’s and 1950’s the group saw her in
more than 50 productions. She also worked in CBC productions. Along with her
husband William the pair were known as Mr. and Mrs Theatre. They had one
son. The couple was honoured in the British Columbia Entertainment Hall of
Fame Starwalk at the Orpheum which honours BC residents who have made
outstanding contributions to entertainment on the local, national and
international scene. |
|
Martha Henry |
Born Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. February 17, 1938. She
completed her studies at the Carnegie Mellon University and at the National
Theatre School of Canada. Her stage presence has been acclaimed and she is
equally as effective in a variety of roles. She has received the Theatre
World Award of New York in 1979. Genie awards were earned in 1979,
1983,1986, 1993 and 1996 show a consistency of excellence. She won Gemini
awards in 1988 and again in 1989. She has received the Order of Ontario and
the Order of Canada. Not bad for a little girl who lived with her
grandparents in their attic and used to dream of performing on the stage. |
|
Fifi D’Orsay. |
Born Montreal, Quebec April 16, 1904. Died
December 2, 1983. Could you guess that this is a stage name? Her real name
is Marie-Rose Angelina Yvonne Lussier. After several successful acts in
Vaudeville, she began her Hollywood movie career in 1929. She was in movies
and television as well as live stage for 40 years and worked with famous
male stars like Will Rogers. Billed as a French bombshell from Paris, she
never even traveled outside of North America. Her life story was featured on
the TV show This is your life. |
|
Shirley Douglas |
Born Weyburn, Saskatchewan. 1934. As a
youth she had been involved in church dram and music activities. At 16 she
began to take acting seriously and attended the Banff School of Fine Arts in
Alberta. She also attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London
England prior to acting in British stage and television. Her second marriage
to Donald Sutherland took her and her family of three children, including
twins Kiefer and Rachael to California to live. It was here that she threw
her energies into the American protest movement of the 1960's and 1970's.
Returning to Toronto as a single mother in 1977 she resumed a successful
stage, television and movie career. In 2000 she received a Gemini Award for
Best Featured Actress followed in 2001 with a Diamond Award from the Variety
Club. In October 2003 she was presented the Order of Canada and in 2004 she
received her own star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto along with her
son, actor Kiefer Sutherland who became a star on the Walk in 2005.
|
|
Marie Dressler. |
(real name Leila Marie Koeber). Born Cobourg, Ontario
November 9, 1869 [?] Died July 28, 1934. Marie made it to Broadway in 1892
and became a vaudeville star comedienne headliner shortly after 1900.
She stared in films with such as Charlie Chaplin and easily
made the move to ‘talkies’. More homely than beautiful and an
over-weight woman, she was unlikely star material. However, she
was talented and she won the Academy Award in 1930.
There is some dispute as to her true birth date with various sources
using 1868, 1869 and her grave using 1871. |
|
Maude Eburne. |
Born Bronte-on-the-Lake, Ontario
November 10, 1875. Died
October 15, 1960. She began her acting career on stage and by 1914
she had made her Broadway debut. She switched to a movie
career in 1930 appearing in the move ”The
Bat Whispers”. She
would in her career of the next 21 years appear in 92 movies. She
retired from acting in 1951. |
| Margot Finlay |
Born January 30, 1980. Born in London she moved
to Vancouver in 1989 and studied with the Vancouver Youth Theatre. She has
acted in numerous films including: Misery Harbor, Opposite Sex, In
Cold Blood, and The Adventures of Yellow Dog. |
|
Joanna Gleason |
née Halprin. Born Winnipeg Manitoba June 2, 1950. As a
daughter of TV game show host Monty Hall she was exposed to TV life. She
first received a taste of TV work as a child in repeat appearances in the TV
series Different Strokes. She took time to study at the University of
Manitoba and then acted on Broadway where she received a Tony Award as best
actress in a musical. Her main exposure is still TV with numerous
appearances on programs such as Friends and West Wing most recently. Movies
are also a form of work she enjoys. Check out www.imdb.com for a list of her
works. |
|
June Havoc |
Born Vancouver, British Columbia November 8, 1916. Her mother
wanted stardom for June and her older sister Louise ( who would become known
professionally as Gypsy Rose Lee) June was featured on Vaudeville as Baby
June and her Farmboys and the act continued into the 1920's when her name
'Dainty June" June resented Vaudeville and at 13 she married on of the boys
in the chorus line to escape. June's mother simply regrouped her energies
around her older daughter. Although her marriage did not last she gathered
her talents and enjoyed life. June would remain on the edge of the industry
and was nominated for her work as a director on Broadway in 1964. |
|
Martha Henry. |
Born Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. February 17,
1938. One of Canada’s leading actresses she has long been associated with
the Stratford Festival. She has won Genie Awards for her work in films in
1980, 1984, 1994, and 1996. She has bee Gemini Awards for her work in TV.
She has received the Order of Ontario in 1994 and is a companion in the
Order of Canada since 1990.
|
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May Irwin. |
(Real name Georgina May
Campbell) Born Whitby, Ontario June 27, 1862. Died October 22, 1938. As
early as 1872 she and her sister Flora were singing on stage. Once the
sister act split up, May would go on and become a well known Broadway
performer. Her movie career was short but historically significant. Thomas
Edison, the famous inventor, placed May in the staring role in his
pioneering one minute moving picture called The Kiss. It was the first kiss
of the movies!!! It was considered scandalous by early movie audiences and
the clergy! It is considered to be the first moving picture to ever be shown
in Canada! May would make only one other movie Mrs. Black is Back before she
retired to live with her husband and two children. She is also credited with
having named the famous Thousand Island Salad Dressing. She and her family
owned a vacation home in the 1000 islands. |
|
Ruby Keeler. |
Born Halifax, Nova
Scotia August 25, 1909. Died
February 28, 1993. A former speakeasy dancer and Broadway lead, she married musical
star Al Jolson in 1928. After several films she retired from the screen in 1941.
She charmed audiences again in 1971 with a return to Broadway in the musical "No
No Nanette". She always contended that she had a horrible singing voice,
could not act, and that her dancing skills were not that good either. Even so
she was popular on screen. |
| Florence Lawrence
|
Born
Hamilton, Ontario January 1 1890. Died December 28, 1938. This petite
Canadian born actress is universally acknowledged as the world’s first movie
star. At age 4 she was performing as “Baby Flo, the Wonder Whistler” on
vaudeville. In the pioneer days of filmmaking, credits with the names of
actors were not important. She became known simply as the "Biograph Girl".
In 1915 she tried to help someone in a studio fire and was badly burned.
She never achieved her former active career. At the time of her death she
had appeared in 250 films! For more information check out
http://www.biographcompany.com. or read Florence Lawrence, the
Biograph Girl : America's First Movie Star by Kelly R Brown
(McFarland, 1999). |
|
Clara Morrison. |
(née La
Montagne) Born Toronto March 17, 1848. Died November 20, 1925. Her stage
name was Clara Morris and she was known as the “Queen of the Melodrama”. She
is said to have had the ability to bring a whole audience to tears with her
acting. She would later write her life story in three volumes of memoirs. |
|
Daphne Katherine "Kate" Reid. |
Born London, England November 4, 1930. Died
March 27, 1993. This warm and vulnerable performer thrived
while working live theatre. She also appeared in some 50 movies and
did numerous television productions. She was nominated for Tony and
Emmy Awards and holds many Canadian awards including an A C T R A. |
|
Eva Tanguay |
Born Marbleton, Quebec August 1, 1879 *
Died January 11, 1947. She began her career on stage at the age of 8. Her
true medium was vaudeville and musical comedy. She would become known as the
"I don't care girl" after a song "I don't care what happens to me" that she
sang in a show called the Chaperons in 1904. In 1912 she was one of the most
highly paid women actors in the United States. She made a couple of musical
recordings and was the star of two movies Energetic Eva (1916) and The Wild
Girl (1918). In 1929 she suffered from ill health and was losing her
eyesight forcing her to retire from acting in 1930. In 1953 a movie The I
don't care girl was loosely based on her life and career. Evidently her
ghost spends time just off stage left in the centre of balcony row at Cohoes
Theatre in Albany New York, U.S.A. * Her birth year is
sometimes reported as 1878 |
|
Actors - TV
and Movies
back |
|
Sharon Acker |
Born Toronto, Ontario April 2, 1935. An
actress in movies and television her career spans from the 1950"s through to
the late 1980's. A supporting actress she has appeared in such TV shows as
Star Trek, Mission Impossible, Cannon, McMillan and Wife, Barnaby Jones, The
Rockford Files, Quincy and Murder She Wrote. She also played Della Street in
the TV Movie the New Perry Mason. |
|
Jean Adair. |
Born
Hamilton, Ontario June 13, 1873. Died May 11, 1953. This actress appeared
in numerous films in the 1940’s but perhaps she is best remembered as one of
the sweet, but murderous aunts in “Arsenic and Old Lace”. |
|
Pamela Denise Anderson. |
Born Ladysmith, British
Columbia July 1, 1967. She has also been known as Pamela Lee and has been
involved with movies and been a popular doing “guest appearances “ on
popular TV programs.
|
|
Rachel Blanchard. |
Born March
19, 1976 Toronto, Ontario, She started her career in a McDonald’s
commercial! She appeared in “Are You Afraid of the Dark? ” before she
landed her current role in the series “Clueless".
Other movies she has appeared in are "Road Trip" , "Nailed"
(2001) and "Wild Dogs" (2002). |
|
Nanette Bordeaux. |
Born St Georges, Quebec April
3, 1911. Died September 20, 1956. Her real name was Helene Olivine Veilleux.
She was an actress who is perhaps best remembered for roles she played in a
series of movies with the Three Stooges in the early 1950's. |
|
Genevieve Bujold. |
Born
Montreal, Quebec July 1, 1942. She trained at the Quebec Conservatory of
Dramatic Art and began her acting career in French Canadian theater. During
a trip to Europe she was "noticed' by French director Alain Resnais who
placed her in several of his films. She has received recognition for her
dramatic talents with a Golden Globe award and Oscar nomination for the role
in “Anne of a Thousand Days”. If you like historical movies give this
production of one of King Henry VI's wives a try and enjoy the talent of
this Canadian actress.
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|
Neve Campbell. |
Born Guelph, Ontario
October 3, 1973. This Canadian starlet is making a name for herself in acting
in television (Party of Five) and some 30 movies. She has even played a real
princess, Elizabeth Windsor in Churchill: the Hollywood years.(2004)
.She has also written scripts
for movies and is a known producer of movies. |
|
Sarah Chalke. |
Born Ottawa, Ontario August 27, 1976. Beginning with children's television
shows, Sarah got her break in 1996 when she became Becky # 2 on Roseanne, the popular television show
about the Connor family . She has appeared in movies and television, including
Ernest Goes to School; Beyond Obsession; Dead Man's Gun; and Neon
Rider. When not acting Sarah can be found on the ski slopes where she is a
qualified instructor. |
| Rae
Dawn Chong |
Born
Edmonton, Alberta February 28. 1962. She began her movie career with a movie
in which there was no dialogue! Quest for Fire (1981). Since then she
has been busy with over 30 movie or television roles. |
|
Yvonne De Carlo. |
(Margaret "Peggy" Yvonne Middleton). Born
Vancouver, British Columbia September 1, 1922. For this
west coast Canadian the lure of Hollywood was very strong. 95 movie appearances
she is well know to the movie screen. TV found her on westerns Bonanza
and The Virginian, but she perhaps
left her most distinctive mark as Lily on the TV hit show The Munsters.. |
|
Susan Douglas |
Born Vienna, Austria. March 13, 1928. As
an actress she has enjoyed a highly successful Broadway career where she won
the Donaldson Award for Best Supporting Performance in 1946. Breaking into
American TV she played the character "Kathy" for ten years on the daytime
drama Guiding Light. Moving to Canada with her husband Jan Rubes she
continued her acting career while raising her family of three sons. She also
returned time to her profession and founded the Young Peoples Theatre in
1965. In 1979 she became head of Radio Drams for CBC Drama Canada. She was
aboard member of the St Lawrence Centre in Toronto and the Ontario Arts
Council. She was awarded the Order of Canada in 1977 and was Woman of the
Year of the Toronto B'nai Brith in 1979. |
|
Deanna Durbin. |
Born Winnipeg, Manitoba
December 4, 1921.
Known as 'Winnipeg’s Sweetheart', this glamour actress of the
1930’s and 1940’s had a real star status in Hollywood. She began her
career in 1926 and had 23 credits behind her by 1948. Then she simply
dropped out of the Hollywood life.
She has not given an interview of any kind since she “dropped
acting” To this day fan mail is still sent to the reclusive actress. |
|
Denise Filiatrault. |
Born May 16,
1932. An actress, director and writer, most of her work has been done in the
French language. One of her TV series Moi et l'autre was considered the
biggest comedy hit in the History of Quebec TV. Her stage productions earned
her acclaim and awards. Her first film C't'a ton tour Laura Cadieux
was so successful that it required a sequel, Laura is Back or
Laura Cadieux...la suite! |
|
Megan Follows. |
Born
Toronto, Ontario March 14, 1968. In December 1985 Megan became a household
name in Canada as six million viewers tuned in to the CBC to watch her
Gemini Award winning performance as Anne Shirley in “Anne of Green Gables”
Since then she has appeared in numerous TV and screen movies, as well as
live theatre and documentaries. In 2000 she returned to the role of Anne in
a controversial adaptation of the life of the adult Anne in a CBC mini
series. She married Christopher Porter in 1991 and is the mother of a son
and a daughter. |
|
Diane Foster |
Born Edmonton, Alberta October 31, 1928.
In the 1950's and 1960's she established herself as an actress in some 20
movies. In the 1960's she was in demand to appear in guest roles in
television. She appeared in some 50 different roles in such main time shows
as The Wild Wild West, Parry Mason, The Big Valley, My Three Sons, Ben Casey
and The Fugitive. By the 1970's she became more interested in play the role
of mother to her three children. She has also expressed her talents as an
artist and an accomplished musician. |
|
Rosemary Forsyth. |
Born Montreal, Quebec July 6,
1945. This actress has appeared in numerous movies since she began her
career in 1965. More recently she has been busy with day time drama in TV
series such as “Days of Our Lives” and “General Hospital”.
|
|
Luba Goy. |
Born Germany November 8.
This petite (she is only 1.5 meters tall) comedienne emigrated from
Europe and graduated from Montreal's National Theatre School. Although
she began working at the Stratford Theatre it was through her work
on television that she became known to her fans. She worked on such
shows as Bizarre and did some of the voices in Care Bear
features. She became a welcome addition to Air Farce where
she is known for her impersonations of Sheila Copps, Pamela Wallin,
Hanna Gartner, and Queen Elizabeth. She does not like to publish
the year of her birth. |
|
Ocean Hellman |
Born Victoria, British Columbia November 8, 1971. Her full
name is actually Crystal Ocean Supri Heavenly Blue Sky Hellman! She began
her career at 3 years of age when she appeared on a television commercial.
She progressed to a brief child's role in a TV film with actress Jane
Seymour that was filmed in Vancouver. Her first lasting and notable role
would be as Nicole Roberts in the Canadian TV series Danger Bay in
the 1980's. She continued her career, being in demand for numerous TV guest
appearances in such successful shows as Northern Exposure, The
Highlander, The Outer Limits and Crossing Jordan. |
|
Jillian Hennessy. |
Born Edmonton, Alberta
November 25, 1969.
An actress of several movies, such as "Robocop"
and TV presence on in dramatic roles in "Law
& Order" and
"Crossing Jordan".
Did you know that she has a twin sister by the name of Jacqueline? |
|
Natasha Henstringe. |
Born Springdale, Newfoundland
August 15, 1974.
To begin her career as a model in Paris, France she had to leave home at the
age of 14. She burst onto
the movie scene in 1995 in the film “Species”. She had 2 roles
in 1992 and 5 roles, including “Species
II” in 1998. “Caracara” is a 1999
release and in 2000 is the “The Whole
Nine Yards”. |
|
Julie Khaner. |
Born Montreal, Quebec December 5, 1957. This accomplished actor played Alana on
Street Legal (CBC series) and Emily on Jake and the Kid
( Global TV Series). She is also a regular on the CBC series Newsroom.
Her TV guest roles have included Aderly, Night Heat, My Secret
Identity and many more. She also enjoys live stage work and has
played various roles at the famous Stratford Festival located in Ontario.
|
|
Margaret Ruth Kidder. |
Born Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
October 17, 1948.
This youth from the Northwest Territories was to date Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau
in real life and become the girl friend of Superman
in the movies. She appeared in all IV of
the Superman movies. She has over 80 movie and major TV productions to her
credit. Did you know that
the comic book characters of Superman and Lois Lane were the idea of a young Canadian
artist? Look it up! |
|
Carole Laure. |
Born Montreal, Quebec August
5, 1951.
This
actress began her career in 1971. Since
then she has appeared in 31 roles. She
acts in both English and French language films and TV productions. She has
also been a director and producer of films.
|
|
Ruta Lee. |
Born May
30,1936. Also known as Ruta Kilmonis, this actress began her career in
films in 1954 in “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”. She has mainly
appeared in lesser-known films such as “Pterodactyl Women from Beverly
Hills.”
|
|
Anne Marie Loder. |
Born St John's,
Newfoundland August 3, 1969. An accomplished TV and Movie actor, she always
wanted to act. She took local classes in St John’s Newfoundland until she discovered
theatre school. After university she attended the Ryerson Theatre School for Acting
in Toronto. |
| Andrea Martin
|
Born Portland, Maine U.S.A. January
15,1947. This mother of two boys is well remembered for her work on
Second City TV, Kate and Allie and Sesame Street. She has had
guest appearances since the 1950’s in such series as Maverick, Carol Barnet
Show, Superman and doing voices on The Simpson’s. She has won two Emmy
awards for her program writing and she won a Tony award for My favorite
year. |
|
Lois Maxwell. |
Born
Kitchener, Ontario February 14, 1927. During her acting career she also used
the name Lois Hooker. While she is credited with some 68 roles in movies and
TV she will perhaps be best remembered for her portrayal in the Ian Fleming
James Bond films as Miss Moneypenny.
|
|
Allyn Ann McLerie. |
Born Grand
Mere, Quebec December 1, 1926. Allyn become an actress having made films
from the 1940's through to the 1980's. A listing of her TV appearances
is like a listing of the classics, Bonanza, The Waltons
and Dynasty to name a few of the shows in which she appeared.
She retired from acting in 1993. |
|
Monique Mercure. |
Born Montreal, Quebec
November 14, 1930. This actress who now heads up the
national Theatre School has acted the classics but also retained an
active interest in new works of our writers and directors.
She has won the Palm d’Or for best actress at the world famous
Cannes film festival. In 1992 she won a Genie for best supporting
actress in “Naked Lunch”. She is
an Officer in the Order of Canada. |
|
Ramona Milano. |
Born
Nobelton, Ontario November 9, 1969. Before entering the Drama program
at Humber College she worked on stage at Canada’s Wonderland theme
park located just outside of Toronto. She has appeared mainly
on Television. Maybe you know her as Francesca on the TV series Due South. |
| Ilana Miller |
Born
Toronto, Ontario January 21, 1979. This Toronto actress began her career in
the 1989 revitalization of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Club. She has also
appeared as Cindy "Mac" MacNamera in the TV series Emerald Cove.
Watch for this up and coming talent. |
|
Carrie-Anne Moss. |
Born Vancouver, British
Columbia August 21, 1970. While modeling in Europe she obtained a movie role in a film
being done in Spain. This
actress is just beginning her career with appearances in TV and movies since 1991.
She was in the TV series “Dark Justice”
(19910, “Matrix” (1993). “Models Inc.” (1994) and F/X
the Series (1996). |
|
Kate (Patricia Colleen) Nelligan. |
Born
March 16, 1950. She was born in London, Ontario, and studied at York
University and in London, England. As an actress, she has appeared in films
for over 30 years. She is at home in both cinema and TV. In the movie “Up
Close and Personal” she worked along side of leading actor Robert Redford. A
count shows 29 movies and TV productions since 1990 alone! She has also
worked on several TV specials including the mini series "A Wrinkle in
Time A" in 2002. |
|
Sandra Oh |
Born Nepean (Ottawa) Ontario November 30,
1970. She began her career as a ballet dancer and eventually studied drama
at the National Theatre School in Montreal. She then starred in a London
Ontario stage production before moving to television in 1993. She has been
recognized with several awards including the FIPA d'Or for Best Actress in
1994 Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels at Cannes, France,
two Genie awards, a Cable Ace Award, A theatre World Award and a Screen
Actors Guild Award. In 2003 she married writer-director Alexander Payne and
in 2004 there were in their first film together, the Oscar-winning Sideways.
In 2005 she began a TV series called Gray's Anatomy. |
|
Catherine O’Hara.
|
Born
March 4, 1954. She was a waitress at the Firehall Theatre in Toronto when
she convinced actor John Candy to listen to her comedy routine. She joined
the Second City TV troupe in 1973. She began her film career in 1980 and
has appeared in such films as Beetlejuice, Dick Tracey,
Home Alone, and such TV series as “Tales From the Crypt”. |
|
Anna Paquin.
|
Born Winnipeg, Manitoba July
24, 1982. She lived in New Zealand when her family moved there in 1986. This
young actress won her 1st Academy Award in her 1st
film “The Piano” in 1993. She has appeared in 17 movies since her
debut. She graduated from Windward
School in West Los Angeles, California in June 2000. She completed the
school's community service requirement by working in an LA soup kitchen and
at a special education center. Anna enjoys music and she plays both the
piano and the cello. |
|
Mary Pickford
|
Born Toronto, Ontario April
8, 1892 . Died May 29, 1979. She began her screen career in the silent films
in 1909.. As an actress she stands above the rest of her era and earned
herself a Best Actress Academy Award (1929) at the second annual event.. Her
sweet girlish looks and her long ringlets endeared her to the the fans who
knew her as "America's Sweetheart". Her dedication to realism in her work
sometimes meant getting down into real mud! Her talents went beyond her
sincerity and heart melting appearance. She entered the film industry and
became Hollywood's first female businesswoman "movie mogul" creating with
her colleagues United Artists Studios. She was the first woman to make
$1,000,000.00 a year!!! She remained to the end of her life, proud of her
Canadian heritage. |
|
Amanda Plummer.
|
Born New York, New York, U.S.A.
March 23, 1957. This daughter of actor Christopher Plummer was born in New
Your City. Following her fathers love for acting she won a Tony in 1982 in
Agnes of God. She has starred in such films as The Fisher King,
The World According to Garp, Pulp Fiction, Dallmake, The Last
Angel, and Triggerman. With movies and TV she has had some 9
appearances in 2002 alone! |
| Sarah Polly
|
Born
Toronto, Ontario January 8,1979. This actress became best known in Canada
for her role in “Road to Avonlea”. She had however been working with
Disney Studios since she was 4 years old. She is currently making the rare
successful change from a child actor to adult actor. She is pursuing her
education and has strong pacifist political views |
|
Louise Portal .
|
Born May 6,
1951. This actress has be recognized with nominations for Best Actress Genie
Award (1980) and won the Best Supporting Actress Genie Award in 1987. In the
film Sous-sol (1996) she won the Guy-L'ecuyer Award for Best Actress.
She has also won two Gemini Awards in 1994 and 1996 for her work on TV. As
if this was not enough she has written an novel, Jeanne Janvier and
has written plays. Composing some 40 songs she has released 4 successful
albums. She is a real woman on the go! |
|
Camilla Scott. |
Born Toronto,
Ontario June 12, 1962. A childhood dream of becoming a dancer helped propel
this native Torontonian to fame as an actress, singer and noted talk show
host. She worked on soap operas in Los Angeles, then returned home and kept
busy acting in a variety of guest spots on television shows and a couple of
movies. However, it is her own talk show. Her role in Due South has
all of her career attention now.
|
|
Edith Norma Shearer |
Born Montreal, Quebec August
10, 1900 or 1902. Died
June 12, 1983. The
parents of Edith Norma and Athole (pronounce Ethel) registered the birth of both
daughters but did not include their first names. Norma would go on to become
an actress of great repute and would always claim to be the youngest of the
sisters. The family moved from Montreal to New York working as performers and
models. It was tough times but eventually Norma would make it to
Hollywood where she would become one of the great stars at MGM. She would
marry the famous studio executive Irving Thalberg. She was the presented with
the third top Actress Academy Award for her work in the film The
Divorcee. She was the second Canadian woman to receive this award. A good biography is located at: http://mdle.com/ClassicFilms/guest/shearerb.htm.
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|
Joanna Shimkus. |
Born Halifax, Nova Scotia October 30, 1943. Joanna
began he film career in the mid 1960's with some 14 movies to her credit by
the mid 1970's. In 1976 she married actor Sidney Poitier and abandoned her
career to devote herself to her family of two daughters. Currently she is
immersed in a successful career in Interior decor. |
|
Nell Shipman. |
(née
Helen Foster-Barham) Born Victoria, British Columbia 1892. Died January 23,
1970. This actress was a pioneer of the silent film era. She was one of the
first women in the world to direct her own films and she even established
her own production company. She was the first actress to do a nude scene in
a film. It was a silent film entitled God's Country which was filmed on
location in the Canadian north, snow and all! |
|
Jessica Steen. |
Born Toronto, Ontario
December 11, 1965. There was a lot
of time to practice acting in Jessica's house. There was always
an annual Christmas skit, and trips to the theater with her director
father. She had her first TV role at the age of 8. In
the mid 1960's she appeared in a TV movie with Lindsay Wagner and
schoolmate Keanu Reeves. Lately she has had roles in Touched
by an Angel; The Outer Limits; ER; and Due South. If her
busy schedule between TV and movies allows it, she enjoys kayaking
and rock climbing. She is also a volunteer with environmentalist
David Suzuki. Check out her web page: http://www.jessicasteen.com |
|
Cree Summer. |
Born Los Angeles, California,
U.S.A. July 7, 1970. Her father wanted to raise his children away from the
hustle and bustle of American society and he moved his young family to rural
Saskatchewan where Cree would live for eight years. This actress is more
known for her voice than her face. She has been doing voices for animated
movies since 1985. She began with the “Care Bears Movie” and can also
be heard in the cartoon shows of “Inspector Gadget”, “Rugrats”,
and “Tiny Toons” among others. |
|
Cardinal Tantoo. |
Born Fort McMurray, Alberta
July 20, 1950. One of North America’s most widely recognized Native
actresses she has won a Grammy award for her work as a guest appearance on
the TV program “North of 60”. She has also won the American Indian
Festival, best actress, and the 1st Rudy Martin Award for
Outstanding Achievement by a Native American in film (“Legends of the
Fall”) In 1991 Maclean’s Magazine declared her Actress of the
Year. |
|
Jennifer Tilly. |
née Chan) Born Harbour City, California U.S.A. September 16, 1959.
Jennifer grew up in British Columbia with her mother and her sister Meg.
Both sisters chose to have their life careers in acting. Jennifer has
appeared in many TV and movie hits including Hill Street Blues (TV
1981); The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989); and Liar Liar (1998) along
with fellow countryman Jim Carey. In 2003-2004 alone she has worked on some
13 films!!! |
|
Meg Tilly. |
Born
Texada, British Columbia February 14,1960. This actress has been in movies
and television since 1980 when she appeared in “FAME” |
|
Shannon Lee Tweed. |
Born March
10, 1957. This native Newfoundlander has been busy with appearing in 49
movies and TV productions since 1978. She made her debut in “Of Unknown
Origin” and she has been on the TV series “Falcon Crest”
(1978-1983), daytime drama with “Days of Our Lives” as well as “Pacific
Blue” in 1996 and more recently "Diaries of Darkness" and "My
Guide to Becoming a Rockstar". |
|
Tonya Lee Williams |
Born London, England July 12, 1967. As
a child she lived in Jamaica and England ( where she was a Brownie) before
settling with her mother in Canada. At 14 she won a pageant and loved the
feeling of being on stage. At 16 she was taking modeling classes and joined
the model agency after her classes. She appeared in several TV commercials
and even "wore a moustache" for milk. She studied theatre at Ryerson
University and had several spots on Canadian TV including the children's
show Poka Dot Door. In 1987 she headed for Los Angeles in California trying
hundreds of auditions to find one or two small parts. In 1990 she was chosen
for a part on the daytime show the Young and the Restless as Dr. Olivia
Barber Hastings Winter. She won the NAACP Image Award in 200 for Outstanding
Actress in a Daytime Drama Series. |
|
Fay Wray. |
Born Cardston, Alberta September 15, 1907 Died
August 8, 2004. An actress who played opposite such
leading men as Gary Cooper, Ronald Coleman, Frederic March, and William Power.
She is perhaps best remembered for playing opposite an ape by the name of King
Kong. |
|
Dancers
back |
|
Helen Birdsall |
Born
Toronto,
Ontario
1906. Died
November 19, 1988 She and her sister Fanny had a lifelong interest
in dance and teaching young performers in their art. . From 1923-1983 the
sisters operated a ‘legendary’ dance studio in
Toronto. In the
1920’s and 1930’s she was choreographer for the grandstand show at a the
Canadian National exhibition. The 1931 CNE production featured a cast of
1,500! She was also well known for the annual spring dance review that were
held each year at Massey Hall and the CNE. |
|
Menaka Thakkar. |
Born Bombay, India March 3,
1942. She came to Canada in 1972 to visit her brother and to perform
classical dance of India. Her acceptance was so warm that she made Canada
her home. She has founded a dance company and been a major influence in the
development and appreciation for Indian classical dance in Canada. She has
been the recipient of numerous awards for her work both in Canada and in
India. |
|
Dancers - Ballet
back |
|
Annette av Paul |
Born
Stockholm, Sweden February 11,1944. She was born and began her ballet career
in Sweden. In 1973 she danced with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and she joined
Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in 1976. She brought beauty, vast experience
and artistic maturity to the many roles that were created for her. She
retired from the stage in 1984.
|
|
Margaret Ruth Pringle Carse. |
Born
Edmonton, Alberta December 7, 1916. Died November 14, 1999. This ballet dancer
was a true pioneer of her profession in Western Canada. She founded
the Alberta Ballet Company and it's associated school of dance.
She studied with several leading institutions including the National
Ballet of Canada and in New York City. An injury in 1954 forced her
to retire from the stage. She turned her talents to teaching
the youth of Western Canada. She was winner of the Dance Canada Award
in 1989 and she holds the Order of Canada. |
| Ludmulla Chiriaeff |
(née
Otzoup-Goeny). Born Riga, Latvia January 10,1924. Died September 22, 1996.
Founder of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens she was a strong force in the
development of dance in Quebec and Canada.
|
|
Celia Franca |
(real name
Celia Franks). Born London, England June 25, 1921. Died February 19,
2007. This founding artistic
director of the National Ballet of Canada is a strong willed and determined
ballet dancer. These are traits needed over the 23 years she helped the
young ballet company to succeed. She was appointed to the Order of Canada
in 1967. |
|
Margie Gillis. |
Born Montreal, Quebec July 9, 1953. She is a
solo artist who has presented modern ballet around the world. She has
hip-length chestnut hair and wears remarkable costumes. She introduced
modern dance to contemporary China. She was named Canadian Cultural
Ambassador in 1981 and in 1986 Quebec Cultural Ambassador. In 1988 she was
appointed to the Order of Canada. |
|
Evelyn Hart. |
Born
Toronto, Ontario April 4, 1956. An award-winning ballerina, Evelyn Hart is
an international renowned dancer and one of Canada’s most treasured artists.
She was in 1980, the first Canadian to be awarded a Gold Medal at the
international Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria as well as the rarely
awarded Certificate of Exceptional Artistic Achievement. |
|
Melissa Hayden. |
(real name Mildred Herman).
Born Toronto, Ontario April 25, 1923. This ballerina who trained as a young
girl in Toronto, became an internationally known dancer. She danced with
the New York City Ballet. Upon retiring as a dancer she opened her own
teaching studio in New York City. |
|
Karen Kain. |
Born
Hamilton, Ontario March 28, 1951. A prima ballerina, Karen has won
international recognition for her dancing. At 19 years of age she was the
principal dancer of the National Ballet of Canada. In 1991 she was elevate
to the level of Companion of the Order of Canada. She is the founding
president and president for life of the Dancer Transition Centre which is
dedicated to helping retrain retiring professional dancers. Her Biography “Movement
Never Lies” can be found at your library.
|
|
Judith Rose Marcuse |
(née
Margolick). Born March 13, 1947. A versatile dancer who has danced with les
Grands Ballets Canadiens, the Bat-Dor of Israel, and the
Ballet Rambert of England. She now prefers choreography. |
|
Betty Oliphant. |
Born London, England
August 5, 1918. Died July
11, 2004. She is a founder
of the National Ballet School of Canada and founding director 1959-1979. She has
also worked for ballet schools in Sweden, Denmark, and Russia.
She is an Officer of the order of Canada as well as many additional awards
from the City of Toronto, France and the 125 Anniversary of Confederation Medal.
She has also published her autobiography. |
|
Paula Ross. |
Born Vancouver, British Columbia April 29,
1941. Her real name is Pauline Cecilia Isobel Teresa Campbell. She began
to study ballet at 5 years of age. . At 15 she left home to join a traveling
performing group from Montreal. By the early 1960's she had returned to
western Canada and had become a principal dancer in a Vancouver company. In
1965 she opened her own Paula Ross Dance Company. The Company, although
well presented in western Canada and the United States, dissolved due to
financial problems in 1987. Paula was known for her dance creativity and
continues to work in Canada, Japan, and France. |
|
Geneviève Salbaing |
Born Paris, France. Born February 2, 1924. She was brought up
in Casablanca Morocco and this is where she received her early ballet
training. She went on to study with great Russian dancers in Paris where she
studied philosophy at the famous Sorbonne University. She and her husband
emigrated to the US before settling in Montreal in 1946. She became
co-founder of Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal. Her style blends classical
ballet with the free form of jazz. She was appointed a member of the Order
of Canada in 1987. |
|
Berta Lynn Seymour |
née Springbett. Born Wainwright, Alberta March 8, 1929. She
studied ballet in Vancouver and England. In 2959 she was a principle dancer
with England's Royal Ballet. Between 1966-1969 she was with the Deutsche
Opera Ballet of Berlin, Germany. In 1978-9 she was director of the Bavarian
State Opera Ballet in Munich, Germany. In Canada she has danced with the
Royal Ballet, the Western Dance theatre and the National Ballet of Canada.
In 1984 she published her autobiography. |
| Victoria Tennant |
Born
London, England January 15,1947. This prima ballerina of the National Ballet
of Canada won international acclaim for her extraordinary versatility and
dramatic power as she danced herself around the world for 25 years.
Retired from dance she turned her talents to writing and producing
for television and theatre. She has written books for children and is doing
freelance writing for notable Canadian magazines. She volunteers for charity
and has bee chairperson for UNICEF.
She belongs to the Order of Canada. |
|
Eva Von Gencsy |
Born
Budapest,
Hungary
March 11, 1924. As a young girl she loved to dance and took her
early training in ballet in
Hungary. She
immigrated to Canada in 1948. She would earn the title of Principal dancer
with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet from 1948through 1953 and would go on to be
Principal dancer with Les Ballets Chiriaeff in Montreal from 1953 through
1957. Her interests turned to jazz dance and in 1972 she founded Les Ballets
Jazz de Montreal where was artistic director and choreographer until 1979.
|
|
Dancers
- contemporary - modern
back |
|
Maud Allan |
(real name Ulla Maude Durant)
Born Toronto, Ontario August 27, 1873. Died October 7, 1956. A true pioneer of modern dance. She was educated in
the U.S.A., Germany and England but her career would take her around the world. Her
autobiography was published in 1908, "My life and dancing."
|
|
Patricia Beatty. |
Born May 13, 1936. Born in Canada, her early
dance training was in the United States. She soon brought her talents back
to Canada and founded the New Dance Group of Canada. |
|
Rachel Browne. |
Born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. November 16,1934. Although trained in
classical ballet, Rachel became one of the most important figures
in Canadian modern dance. She created Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers. |
|
Nancy Lima Dent |
Born
Toronto, Ontario 1919. She had her introduction to ballet in Toronto as a
child and studied modern dance in New York City. In the 1940’s and 1950’s
she worked with the Toronto New Dance Theatre establishing the Nancy Lima
Dent Dance Theatre in the 1960’s. She created a body of over 30 dance works,
many of which were a commentary on social issues of the day. She also
performed, choreographed and organized modern dance festivals in 1960’s
Toronto. Her last original choreographic work was presented in May 1974. In
1986 there was a production of her work Heroes of Our Time originally
performed in 1952. |
|
Saida Gerrard |
Born
Toronto,
Ontario April
9, 1913. Died
May 4, 2005. Her Russian immigrant parents passed on to her
the love of music as a child and she studied at the Toronto Conservatory of
Music., and then on to
New York City.
In the 1930’s she would make significant contributions to the early
establishment of modern dance in
Canada.
In 1951 she and her pianist husband, Aube Tzerko moved to work in Los
Angeles where she formed her own dance company. |
| Ginette Laurin
|
Born Montreal, Quebec January 3,
1955. She began her choreographic career in 1979. She founded her own
company in 1984. The company appeared at Expo 86 and won the Jean A.
Chalmers Award. Since 1986 the company has returned to appear in Europe, the
United States of America, Denmark, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. |
|
Producers and directors of movies and films
back |
|
Judith Crawley. |
Born Ottawa April 21, 1914
Died September 15, 1986. A film producer, director, and scriptwriter, she
and her husband Frank “Budge” Crawley formed Crawley Films, which became one
of Canada’s foremost independent production companies. She was also
president of the Canadian Film Institute. |
|
Sarindar Dhaliwal |
Born Punjab, India 1955. A feminist of
Sikh descent s he came to Canada with her family as an infant. She has
earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Falmouth School of Art at Cornwall,
England in 1978. She returned to school at York University in Toronto for
her masters in 2002. Her paintings combine fragments from the past such as
photographs and mementos with paper made from organic plants in
geometrically arrangements. She has also tried her talents as an author of
short stories. Since 1983 she has participated in solo and group exhibitions
throughout Canada. Her works resides in major public collections across
Canada as well. |
|
Madeline Hombert |
Born Shoal Lake, Manitoba. October 4,
1944. She attended school in Rivers, Manitoba before heading off to Ryerson
University in Toronto. Her education also included hands on training through
cable television, commercial video, television and film productions. She has
applied herself as a newspaper columnist, book editor, and a writer of
screenplays. She has worked in most areas of film and television
productions, from setting up equipment through budgeting and production
management to songwriting. Through this experience she had gained insight to
cost control and financial accountability while still appreciating the
artistic demands of production. In 1989 she received a CTV Fellowship Award.
She has always taken an active interest in her community and expressed
herself in politics by running as a federal Liberal Candidate in the
elections in 1979 and 1980 in Calgary. Her work in her community, her
volunteer efforts and her political involvement earned her the nomination as
a Woman of Distinction in Calgary 1981. The award encouraged her and she
continues her volunteering with such organizations as the Muscular Dystrophy
Association, the Variety Club and the Canadian Fund for the Support and
Assistance of Lung Transportations. |
|
Annette Mangaard |
Born March 26, 1955. After studies at the
Ontario College of Art she began her career as a filmmaker. She has earned
recognition as a strong independent filmmaker. She has also returned her
time to her profession by participating in various associations for Canadian
filmmakers and has served as a board member for the Liaison of Independent
Filmmakers of Toronto. She earned the Award of Merit at the Charleston
International Film Festival in 1994. |
|
Anne-Claire Poirier. |
Born St-Hyacinthe,
Quebec June 6, 1932. A film director and producer, she joined the National
Film Board in 1960. Her efforts allowed female film producers their first
organized platform for expression. |
|
Kathleen Shannon. |
Born November 11, 1935. She joined the National Film Board in 1956 as an editor
and by 1962 had 115 films to her credit. She became a film editor
and executive producer for the National Film Board of Canada using
film to examine the role of women in society. |
|
Mina Suingai Shum. |
Born Hong Kong December 12, 1965. Mina studied for a degree in Theatre and then Film
and TV Production at the University of British Columbia. She is a writer and producer
of films and is perhaps best known for her work in short films. In 1993 her work
Me, Mom and Mona, won a special Jury Citation for Best Canadian
Short Film. She has won a Genie Award for Best Actress and Best Editing and she
has been nominated for seven Genies in the categories of Best Picture, Best Direction
and Best Screenplay. |
|
Anne Wheeler. |
Born Edmonton,
Alberta September 23, 1946.
Actress, filmmaker, producer, director and writer are her professions.
She worked for the National Film Board of Canada in the 1970’s working
on numerous documentaries. Her film
“Bye Bye Blues” (1990) won 3 Genie Awards. |
|
Puppeteers
back |
|
Noreen Young |
She studied drawing and painting at the
Ontario college of art but it was something more along the line of sculpting
that would capture her attention and career. She began to hone her skills as
a puppet builder and puppeteer. In 1979 she formed Noreen Young Productions.
While she has been involved in several productions for the younger audiences
it was her Under the Umbrella Tree television show that is perhaps the best
remembered. It was aired on CBC, YTV, Canal Famille and the Disney Channel.
In 1995 she received the Order of Canada for her achievements in children's
television. Her political character puppets have been a constant source of
entertainment for Canadian adults. |
|
Vocalists - singers - folk music and
country music back |
|
Angèle Arsenault. |
Born Abrams, Prince
Edward Island October 1, 1943. With a sincere
love of Acadian folk music as incentive she writes and sings her own songs in
both of Canada’s official languages. Her
albums have earned her many awards. She uses her music to express her own special
brand of humor. |
|
Carroll Baker. |
Born
Bridgewater, Nova Scotia March 4, 1949. Born in Bridgewater Nova Scotia she
is a songwriter and singer of country music. She was performing first at the
age of 4. She dominated the country music scene in the 1970's winning
several Juno awards for her music.
|
|
Heather Bishop |
Born Regina, Saskatchewan April 25, 1949.
She went to university for her BA at the University of Saskatchewan in 1969.
She had studied piano as a child but decided she enjoyed guitar more when
she was a teen. She also studied voice in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 1976 she
began her solo career at the Regina Folk Festival. By the 1980's she was one
of Canada's leading performers in both feminist and children's music and was
touring throughout North America. She has some 5 albums of music as well as
a recordings of songs for children. |
|
Marie Bottrell |
Born London, Ontario January 16, 1961. To
her it seems she has always written and sang. When she was a teen, her
brothers sent he son tapes to various country and western groups and she was
soon hired as a writer and then she began recording and singing herself. Her
first album, Just reach out came out when she was 17 years old. She has
toured all over North America doing public and TV appearances. After a tour
of Germany in 1980 she has maintained a loyal fan base there. She
received the Best Country Awards for outstanding performance, country female
singer in 1979 and best single recording for the Star in 1980. She was the
Canadian Country Music Awards best female vocalist of the year in 1983 and
1984. She was nominated annually from 1979 through 1986 for Juno Awards. In
1991 she made a comeback with the hit Lasso your Love recorded in Nashville,
U.S.A. |
|
Edith Butler |
Paquetville, New Brunswick July 27, 1942.
Learning music in her home town of Caroquet, New Brunswick, she applauds the
Acadian culture wherever she entertains. She has a strong singing voice and
is a well rounded entertainer combining humour with her own music. She has
toured Europe and Japan. She won the award of the Académie Charles-Cros, in
Paris. She was made a member of the Order du Mérite de la culture française
by the Canadian Senate and is an Officer of the Order of Canada. She has
recorded some 20 albums of Acadian music. |
|
Emma (Enid Maude) Caslor |
née Carmichael Born Chilliwack, British
Columbia December 18, 1913. Died December 25, 1977. She enjoyed piano
lessons as a child and as a youth too voice in San Francisco, U.S.A.,
Vancouver and Halifax. She was introduced to the joy of folk music in 1930
while living on Canada's east coast. Until 1948 she used the professional
name of Nina Finn when singing and playing public and radio performances. In
the 1940's she worked for the National Film board in Ottawa. After 1948 she
took the professional name of Emma Caslor and began her own career as a
singer. Her music embraced at first the Celtic roots but soon took on the
folk cultures of Canada's full diversity from aboriginal music to
Elizabethan songs. |
|
Terri Clark. |
(real name Terri Lynn Sauson)
Born Montreal, Quebec August 5, 1968. At
age 9 she began playing guitar. She has always been obsessed with Country Music.
She headed to Nashville in the U.S.A. to follow her dream. She worked and sang
anywhere she could, "paying her dues" as a new singer for seven years. Her
first album went triple platinum in Canada and platinum in the U.S.A. The Canadian Music Association declared her Top New Female Artist in 1995 and
she won album and song of the year in 1996. She loves to rollerblade and collects
guitars. |
|
k. d. Lang |
(Kathryn Dawn) Born Consort, Alberta November 2, 1961. This country singer
has real country roots. She grew up in Consort, Alberta, which
has a population of 700. In 1981 she became a vegetarian. She
has been very outspoken against cattlemen . Her natural joy of country
music is evident in the songs she sings. This multiple Grammy winner
is considered an innovator in her field, she performs from the heart
and is an inspiration to all. |
|
Beverly Mahood. |
Born Northern Ireland
November 2, 1974.
She began performing in 1980, at the age of 6, when her family moved
to the Kitchener-Waterloo area of Ontario. The child performer really
took to the stage and has loved it ever since. Her song “Girl Out
of the Ordinary” was #1 in Country Music by a Country Artist. |
|
Anna McGarrigle. |
Born
Montreal, Quebec December 4, 1944. Along with her sister and partner, Kate,
she began singing in coffee houses in Montreal in the 1960's.
In 1976 they produced a record album together. Other albums
followed including an all French album in 1982. The McGarrigles were
named to the Order of Canada in 1994. |
|
Buffy Sainte-Marie. |
Born
Piapot Reserve, Craven, Saskatchewan February 20,1941. (Sometimes recorded
as 1942) This orphaned aboriginal child was to become a moving force in the
international emergence of folk music. Her song “The Universal Soldier” was
one of her most popular works. She also sings songs of concern for the
native people’s experiences in North America. |
|
Sylvia Tyson. |
(née Fricker).
Born CHATHAM, Ontario September 19, 1940. At age 15 Sylvia
knew she would be a folk singer. She
moved to Toronto where she met Ian Tyson. The duo became full time singers with
their 1st recording in 1961.
They were among the leaders of the 1960’s North American fold music boom.
Sylvia wrote songs such as “You Were On My Mind”.
In 1970 they had the their own TV show “Nashville North”. In the 1970’s
Sylvia headed out on a solo career. She hosed a CBC Radio show, recorded albums,
and formed her own company “Salt Records”. She still enjoys performing today. She has teamed up only three times with Ian to do special performances,
preferring to concentrate on her solo efforts. |
|
Patricia Lorraine Tutty. |
Born April 12, 1953. Known as Paddy, she and
her sister began performing folk music in the late 1960's. She developed a
serious interest in English and Celtic traditional music. She traveled to
England to perform and collect fold music. She is and active member of the
Canadian Fold Music Society and has produced albums of this popular and
growing form of music. |
|
Vocalists - singers - classical music
back |
|
Frances Adaskin |
Born Saint
John, New Brunswick February 3, 1903. Died August 22, 1988. She studied
music and voice in Montreal, Toronto, and New York City. She made her debut
in the 1920’s and appeared on CBC. From 1931-1941 she was a recitalist for
the Canadian Pacific Railroads Hotels. She was a pioneer in supporting
Canadian composers. For her efforts she received the Canadian Music Council
Medal for “outstanding contribution to the life of Music in Canada”. She
would become a teacher of music at the University of Saskatchewan from 1952
through to 1967. |
|
Eva Gauthier. |
Born
Ottawa, Ontario September 20, 1885 Died December 26,1958. As a mezzo-soprano she made her Ottawa debut in 1901. She returned
to Europe and worked with contemporaries Sarah Bernhardt and Enrico Caruso.
She would help introduce more than 700 new songs in concerts or recitals
after she left the stage in 1910. |
|
Doreen Hume. |
Born Sault Ste Marie, Ontario
July 14, 1926. An operatic soprano, she started performing on CBC radio in
the late 1940’s and in 1954 she moved to England to become principal soprano
soloist in the BBC’s light Music Department for 15 years. She made 12 albums
of light classical music and musical comedy before returning to Toronto in
1970. |
|
Catherine Robbin. |
Born
Toronto, Ontario September 28, 1950. This mezzo-soprano studied in Toronto, Vancouver, London, Paris and New
York City. Her rich voice is in demand throughout North America and Europe.
She has made several classical recordings that have brought her acclaim. |
|
Portia May White. |
Born
Truro, Nova Scotia June 24, 1911. Died February 13, 1968. As a child she
sang in her Baptist church choir. Her professional career began its assent
i1941 with an appearance at the Eaton Auditorium in Toronto. In 1944 she
became the first black Canadian woman to appear in the New York Town Hall,
where she was touted as the “Canadian Marion Anderson”. She toured in
Canada, the U.S.A. and Latin America before returning for further studies in
Toronto. She would teach at the all girls school of Branksome Hall and
eventually open her own studio. She was very proud to perform before Queen
Elizabeth II in a Command Performance in 1964. Even though she was an
extraordinary contralto, her career was hampered by racial prejudice shown
against black artists at the time. In 1999, some 30 years after her death,
her family released a private CD “First You Dream”. Canada Post released a
special stamp in her honour as part of it millennium celebration series.
|
|
Vocalists - singers - jazz
back |
|
Holly Cole. |
Born Halifax, Nova
Scotia November 25, 1963. A jazz singer who has produced several music
albums that have made her one of the best-selling jazz artists ever to
emerge from Canada. She is also very well liked in Japan. |
|
Vocalists - singers - Opera
back |
|
Pierrette Alaire. |
Born Montreal, Quebec
November 9, 1921. A famous soprano singer born
in Montreal she was Winner of the Prix de Musique Calixa-Lavallée
among many awards. Sang at the Metropol |