Michelle Giroux | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Michelle Giroux | |
| Born | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Education | The Bishop Strachan School, The National Theatre School of Canada, The Birmingham Conservatory and The Canadian Film Centre |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Spouse | Graham Abbey |
Michelle Giroux (born 1976) is a Canadian stage, television and film actress whose credits include numerous productions at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival over fourteen seasons.
Upon graduating from high school in Toronto, Giroux was accepted as an acting student at The National Theatre School of Canada. In her third year she was featured among other artists as one of the "ones to watch" in the Montreal Gazette selected by theatre critic Pat Donnelly. Shortly after graduating she joined the Stratford Festival acting Company in 1997. Later she would be called "one of the best young talents at Stratford," in Martin Hunter's book about the Festival. [1]
In Romancing the Bard: Stratford at Fifty, Martin Hunter writes:
Michelle Giroux has shown a particular aptitude for willful, witty, and elegant young women in her portrayals of Lady Teazle in The School for Scandal, Gwendolyn in The Importance of Being Earnest , and Olivia in Twelfth Night . [2]
Her featured roles include the 1998 production of The Miser opposite William Hutt which also played at the New York City Center, [3] Lady Teazle in a 2001 production of The School for Scandal opposite Brian Bedford which went on to play at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, [4] a 2003 production of Noël Coward's Present Laughter , [5] a 2005 production of The Brothers Karamazov , [6] as well as Julia in a 2007 production of Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance . [7] Other Stratford credits include Nina in The Seagull, Portia in The Merchant of Venice, Elvira in Blithe Spirit, Jean-Louise in To Kill a Mockingbird, Isabella in Edward II, Mary Robinson in The Swanne III, Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Rosaline in Love's Labours Lost, Joan La Pucelle in Henry VI, Lydia in '"Pride and Prejudice and Althia McLaren in Front Page.
Her non-Stratford stage credits include starring in Claudia Dey's Trout Stanley at the Factory Theatre, Karoline Leach's Tryst and Same Time Next Year opposite R.H Thomson at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts in Montreal, [8] an adaptation of The Misanthrope and The Oxford Room Climbers' Rebellion at the Tarragon Theatre and The Winter's Tale, Measure for Measure and Portia (Dora nomination) in Julius Caesar with Groundling Theatre Company.
In 2009, Giroux studied in the inaugural acting class at the Canadian Film Center. Among her teachers were Norman Jewison, Sarah Polley, Kiefer Sutherland and Patricia Rozema. In 2013, Giroux starred in her first feature film, Blood Pressure , directed by Sean Garrity. [9] [10] She was nominated in 2014 for best actress by the Vancouver Film Critics for her performance.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | She Said Lenny | Ellen | Short film |
| 2010 | Impossible | Narrator (voice) | Short film |
| 2011 | Murdoch Mysteries | Sarah Conolly Forbes | Episode: "Tattered and Torn" |
| 2011 | John A.: Birth of a Country | Isabella | TV film |
| 2011 | Flashpoint | Miranda Collins | Episode: "Day Game" |
| 2012 | The L.A. Complex | Samantha | Episode: "Down in L.A." |
| 2012 | King | Wendy Stetler | Episode: "Wendy Stetler" |
| 2013 | Blood Pressure | Nicole | Feature film |
| 2017 | Black Mirror | English Teacher | Episode: "Arkangel" |
| 2020 | Life in a Year | Amanda | Feature film |
| 2022 | Delia's Gone | Helena | Feature film |
| 2023 | BlackBerry | Dara Frankel | Feature film |
| 2023 | The Burning Season | Feature film |
A resident of Toronto, she married Stratford colleague Graham Abbey in August 2008. [9] [11]
The Stratford Festival is a theatre festival which runs from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shakespearean Festival, the Shakespeare Festival and the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. The festival was one of the first arts festivals in Canada and continues to be one of its most prominent. It is recognized worldwide for its productions of Shakespearean plays.
William Ian DeWitt Hutt, was a Canadian actor of stage, television and film. Hutt's distinguished career spanned over fifty years and won him many accolades and awards. While his base throughout his career remained at the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario, he appeared on the stage in London, New York and across Canada.
Martha Kathleen Henry was an American-Canadian actress and director of stage and screen. During her lifetime, she was considered one of her country’s most acclaimed and accomplished thespians. She was the first graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada in 1961, and was most noted for her theatre work at the Stratford Festival. She was the recipient of numerous accolades, including three Genie Awards for Best Actress, and the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for her contributions to Canadian theatre.
Alisa Palmer is a Canadian theatre director and playwright. She was the artistic director of Nightwood Theatre from 1993 to 2001. Palmer is currently the artistic director of the English section of the National Theatre School of Canada.
Elizabeth Rex is a play by Timothy Findley. It premiered in a 2000 production by the Stratford Festival. The play won the 2000 Governor General's Award for English language drama.
Seana McKenna is a Canadian actress primarily associated with stage roles at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.
Richard Ouzounian is a Canadian journalist and theatre artist. He was the chief theatre critic for the Toronto Star and the Canadian theatre correspondent for Variety.
Louise Pitre is a Canadian actress in musical theatre. She performs on Broadway and in Canada. She is best known for her role as Donna Sheridan in the ABBA-themed musical Mamma Mia!, which earned her a 2002 Tony Award nomination.
Richard Jean Monette CM, DHum, LLD, was a Canadian actor and director, best known for his 14-season tenure as the longest-serving artistic director of the Stratford Festival of Canada from 1994 to 2007.
Graham Abbey is a Canadian film, television and stage actor, who is best known for his role as Gray Jackson in TV drama The Border.
Yanna McIntosh, sometimes credited as Yanna MacIntosh, is a Jamaican-born Canadian television, movie and theatrical actress.
Portia Doubleday is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Sheeni Saunders in the film Youth in Revolt (2009), Chris Hargensen in the film Carrie (2013), and as Angela Moss in the USA Network television drama Mr. Robot (2015–2019).
Peter Thomas Donaldson was a Canadian actor.
Jean-Michel Le Gal is a Canadian stage, television and film actor and creator.
Michael Bawtree was a Canadian actor, director, author and educator.
Donna Feore is a Canadian choreographer and theatre director, most noted for her work with the National Arts Centre and the Stratford Festival.
Kate Hennig is a Canadian actress and playwright, currently the associate artistic director of the Shaw Festival.
Homeward Bound is a 1991 Canadian play drama by Elliott Hayes. It was originally commissioned and produced by the Stratford Festival.
Karen Robinson is a British-Canadian film, television, and stage actress. She won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance in a Guest Role in a Drama Series at the 7th Canadian Screen Awards in 2019 for her appearance on the television series Mary Kills People. She also won a 2021 Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the Schitt's Creek cast.
Cara Ricketts is an actress, best known for her roles as Mary Lacroix in Anne with an E and Lilly Rue in the 2019 revival of Street Legal.
Michelle Giroux.