Sheila McCarthy | |
|---|---|
 McCarthy at the 2012 Genie Awards | |
| Born | (1956-01-01) January 1, 1956 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Sheila McCarthy (born January 1,[a] 1956)[2][3] is a Canadian actress and singer. She has worked in film, television, and on stage. McCarthy is one of Canada's most honoured actors, having won two Genie Awards (film), two Gemini Awards (television), an ACTRA Award, and two Dora Awards (theatre), along with multiple nominations.[4][5]
Early life
[edit]McCarthy was born in Toronto, Ontario on January 1, 1956.[2] She attended Thornlea Secondary School in Thornhill in her youth. Her first appearance on stage was at Toronto's Elgin Theatre in Peter Pan when she was age six. She later attended the University of Victoria and spent a year studying with Uta Hagen at her HB Studio in New York City, and also workshopped with the Second City troupe in Toronto.[6]
Career
[edit]After several years of television work under her belt, McCarthy secured a role in the made-for-television movie A Nest of Singing Birds (1988), receiving early recognition for her talent with a Gemini Award nomination for Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Dramatic Program. That year, she made her first notable impression on the Canadian movie scene as Polly, the quirky, "organizationally impaired girl" in Patricia Rozema's I've Heard the Mermaids Singing. For this role, McCarthy won the Genie Award for Best Actress. The film became wildly popular in Canada, earning many international and domestic awards and critical acclaim.[7][8]
McCarthy has since become one of Canada's more honoured actors, having won two Genie Awards (film), two Gemini Awards (television), and two Dora Awards (theatre) along with multiple nominations.[4][5]
She played Sarah Hamoudi in the Canadian television series Little Mosque on the Prairie (2007–2012), a role for which she was nominated for a Gemini award. One of her more recognized big-screen roles is Samantha, the news reporter in the movie Die Hard 2 with Bruce Willis. Her most recent roles are Connie Hendrix, mother of the clone Alison in series Orphan Black and Agnes Rofa in the series The Umbrella Academy.
She is also an accomplished voice-over actress, having performed characters voices in Free Willy, Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend, The Busy World of Richard Scarry, The Neverending Story, Bad Dog and Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse.
On stage, McCarthy has appeared in Little Shop of Horrors, Hamlet, Cabaret, Guys and Dolls, Anything Goes, and Love Letters.[9]
Personal life
[edit]McCarthy was married to actor Peter Donaldson from 1986 until his death in 2011.[10] They have two daughters: Drew[2] and Mackenzie Donaldson, who is also in show business (producer of Whatever, Linda and Orphan Black).[11]
McCarthy is a spokesperson for The Quilt Project, a support group for families affected by breast cancer, and Canadian Feed the Children.
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | I've Heard the Mermaids Singing | Polly Vandersma | won the Genie Award for Best Actress |
| 1988 | Gandahar | Council Spokeswoman (voice) | |
| 1989 | Friends, Lovers, & Lunatics | Kathy | |
| George's Island | Miss Birdwood | ||
| 1990 | Beautiful Dreamers | Molly Jessop | |
| Die Hard 2 | Samantha 'Sam' Coleman | ||
| Pacific Heights | Liz Hamilton | ||
| Bright Angel | Nina | ||
| 1991 | White Room | Zelda | |
| Paradise | Sally Pike | ||
| Stepping Out | Andy | ||
| Montréal vu par... | Ann Stuart | segment: "Desperanto" | |
| 1993 | Journey to the Planets | Oracle (voice) | short film |
| The Lotus Eaters | Diane Kingswood | won the Genie Award for Best Actress | |
| 1994 | The Biggest Little Ticket | The Troll | |
| 1996 | House Arrest | Gwenna Krupp | |
| 1997 | Shadow Zone: My Teacher Ate My Homework | Mrs. Hackett | |
| 2001 | Rare Birds | Claire | |
| 2002 | Duct Tape Forever | Easterbrook (uncredited) | |
| 2004 | Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen | Mrs. Gerard | |
| The Day After Tomorrow | Judith | ||
| Being Julia | Grace Dexter | ||
| Geraldine's Fortune | Tina Larose | ||
| 2005 | Bailey's Billion$ | Peggy Delaney | |
| The Multiple Selves of Hannah Maynard | Hannah Maynard | short film | |
| 2006 | Small Avalanches | Nancy's Mother | short film |
| 2007 | Breakfast with Scot | Miss Patterson | |
| The Stone Angel | Doris Shipley | ||
| 2009 | Year of the Carnivore | Mrs. Smalls | |
| 2012 | Antiviral | Dev Harvey | |
| 2014 | A Fighting Man | Rose | |
| 2016 | Considering Love and Other Magic | Veronica Guest | |
| Milton's Secret | |||
| 2017 | Cardinals | Valerie Walker | |
| 2018 | Level 16 | Mrs. Denison (cameo) | |
| 2020 | Stroke of Fate | Shirley | short film |
| Happy Place | Joyce | ||
| Anything for Jackson | Audrey | ||
| 2021 | Like a House on Fire | Katherine | |
| The Middle Man | Mrs. Stout | ||
| 2022 | Christmas in Rockwell | Juniper | |
| Women Talking | Greta Loewen | ||
| 2024 | All the Lost Ones | Dawn | |
| 2025 | The Well | Gabriel | Premiere at the 29th Fantasia International Film Festival on July 21, 2025 for its World Premiere.[12] |
| Dancing on the Elephant | Nora | ||
| 2026 | The Voices of Our Mother | Harriet | |
| TBA |
Discography
[edit]- 2006: "All Good Now" – from the movie Cow Belles
Awards and nominations
[edit]- This section needs to be expanded to include further awards and nominations.
| Year | Nominated work | Organization | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Really Rosie | Dora Mavor Moore Award | Outstanding performance in a revue or musical | Won[2] |
| 1985 | Little Shop of Horrors | Dora Mavor Moore Award | Female performance | Won[14][15] |
| 1988 | I've Heard the Mermaids Singing | 9th Genie Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role | Won[citation needed] |
| A Nest of Singing Birds | 3rd Gemini Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series | Nominated[citation needed] | |
| Mount Royal | 3rd Gemini Awards | Best Guest Performance in a Series by an Actor or Actress | Nominated[citation needed] | |
| 1992 | Bright Angel | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Supporting Female | Nominated[citation needed] |
| 1993 | The Lotus Eaters | 14th Genie Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role | Won[citation needed] |
| 1998 | Emily of New Moon | 13th Gemini Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role | Won[citation needed] |
| 1999 | Emily of New Moon | 14th Gemini Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role | Nominated[citation needed] |
| 2000 | Sesame Park | 15th Gemini Awards | Best Performance in a Pre-School Program or Series | Won[citation needed] |
| The City | 15th Gemini Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Guest Role Dramatic Series | Nominated[citation needed] | |
| 2018 | Cardinals | ACTRA Toronto Award | Outstanding Performance, Female | Won[16] |
| 2023 | Women Talking | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Nominated[17] |
Notes
[edit]- ↑ Some sources say the 27th
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Riggs, Thomas, ed. (2009). "McCarthy, Sheila, 1956-". Contemporary Theatre, Film, and Television. Vol. 90. Detroit, MI: Gale. pp. 181–183. ISBN 978-1-4144-3465-0. OCLC 733291253. CX3069900115.
- ↑ "Sheila McCarthy". AllMovie. 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- 1 2 "Little Mosque on the Prairie Cast: Sheila McCarthy". CBC Television. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. n.d. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- 1 2 Ben Kaplan (31 January 2013). "Sheila McCarthy: the star on collaborating with Liza Minnelli and why she loves life at Yonge & St. Clair". Post City Toronto. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ↑ "Alumni". HB Studio. 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ↑ Ebert, Roger (March 4, 1988). "I've Heard the Mermaids Singing". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ↑ "I've Heard the Mermaids Singing". tiff.net. Toronto International Film Festival. n.d. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ↑ Aksich, Caroline (October 31, 2013). "Cover story: A profile of Sheila McCarthy". trnto.com. Post City Toronto. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ↑ "Peter Donaldson was 'finest actor's actor'". MSN CA. CBC News. January 9, 2011. Archived from the original on January 12, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ↑ Barnard, Elissa (January 26, 2012). "Actress finds inspiration even in sadness of death". Herald Arts & Life. Archived from the original on January 31, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ↑ "Fantasia: The Well". Fantasia International Film Festival. July 1, 2025. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ↑ "Dear Viola". Dear Viola Cast. UPtv.com. February 19, 2014. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ↑ "Cardinals: World Premiere, Toronto International Film Festival, 2017" (PDF) (Press release). Toronto, Ontario: Wildling Pictures. 2017. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
- ↑ Mietkiewicz, Henry (September 5, 1985). "Cats leads pack of Dora nominees". The Toronto Star. Toronto, Ontario. p. C3.
- ↑ "Winners: The 16th annual ACTRA Awards in Toronto" (Press release). ACTRA Toronto. CNW Group. February 26, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- ↑ Moreau, Jordan (January 11, 2023). "SAG Awards 2023 Nominations: The Complete List". Variety. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
External links
[edit]- Sheila McCarthy at IMDb
- Sheila McCarthy on X
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