Vannicola was born in Montreal, Quebec, the youngest of four children to Helen Vannicola (née Trudel).[2][3] They were raised in an abusive household where their mother sexually abused them and their father physically assaulting them with their mother contributing to the violence by lying about it.[4]
Out of pressure, Vannicola would leave home when they were 14.[5] They would moved to Toronto, Ontario to attend the Toronto School for the Performing Arts.[6]
Career
Vannicola began their career at the age of 8 when they appeared on the Canadian version of Sesame Street.[7] They had their first prominent role in the teen drama series 9B, for which they received a Gemini Award nomination for Best Actress in a Continuing Dramatic Role in 1989.[8] In 1991, they won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance in a Children's Special in Maggie's Secret,[9] and in 1994 they received a Genie Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for the film Love and Human Remains.[10]
Joanne received an ACTRA Award nomination for Best Voice Performance in 2009.[13]
They wrote and directed their first short film, SNIP, in 2017.[14]
In 2019, Vannicola published their memoir, All We Knew But Couldn't Say, with Dundurn Press.[12]
Personal life
Vannicola founded a non-profit organization to raise awareness about child abuse, Youth Out Loud, in 2004.[15] An out lesbian prior to coming out as non-binary, Vannicola was a prominent campaigner for same-sex marriage in Canada[16] and is the current chair of outACTRAto, ACTRA's advocacy and support committee for LGBTQ performers.[12]
They hold a certificate from the creative writing program at University of Toronto, and was selected for the Diaspora Dialogues program in Toronto in 2013.[17]
Vannicola came out as non-binary in their 2019 memoir All We Knew But Couldn't Say.[12]
↑ Vannicola, Jo. "Memoir/Writing". Jo Vannicola. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
↑ "Joanne Vannicola is a winner: The Montreal-born actress, who stars in ABC-TV's Derby, has more than 30 roles to her credit and that ultimate TV calling card, an Emmy Award". The Globe and Mail, 17 June 1995.
↑ Vannicola, Jo. "Actor". Jo Vannicola. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
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