Phyllis Ellis

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Phyllis Ellis (born 11 November 1959) is a Canadian hockey player, actor and director.

Contents

Personal life

Ellis was born in Oakville, Ontario and grew up in the Greater Toronto Area. In high school, she did musical theatre and later obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a major in classical theatre. As a child, she wanted to be an olympian, an actor and a director. She was married to a professional hockey player and has two children. [1] [2]

Sports

She was part of the Canadian field hockey team in the 1984 Summer Olympics. The team finished fifth out of six. [3]

In 1985, Ellis was hired as the women's coordinator for the Best Ever Ontario program as part of Ontario Ministry of Tourism. Under Ellis's leadership, the Female Athletes Motivating Excellence (FAME) program was initiated to promote increased female participation in sports programs. This initiative features high-profile female athletes, such as gold medalist Linda Thom, who visit schools and events to inspire girls and challenge stereotypes. [4]

Film and theatre

She founded a women's theatre company in Minneapolis, where she lived during her then-husband's hockey tenure.[ when? ]

She co-created the 2009 TV spinoff series Three Chords from the Truth . The series unfolds the adventures of Helena, portraied by Ellis, as she navigates a struggling country music TV network, despite her limited knowledge of country music. [2] Category: Woman is a documentary directed by Ellis that explores the question of gender identity and the controversial practice of sex testing in international sports and its impacts on female athletes. [1]

Awards

YearAwardCategoryWork
2009 Gemini Best Individual Performance in a Comedy Series The Wilkinsons [5]
2013 Donald Brittain Award Best Social-Political Documentary About Her [6]
2019 Calgary International Film Festival DGC Best Canadian Documentary Award Toxic Beauty [7]

Filmography

As director [6]
YearTitle
2010 About Her
2015 Painted Land: In Search of the Group of Seven
2015 Girls Night Out
2019 Toxic Beauty
2022 Category: Woman
As actor [6]
YearTitle
2006-2007 The Wilkinsons
2009 The Chords from the Truth
2010 Call Me Fitz (guest appearance)
2011 The Listener (guest appearance)
2011 Murdoch Mysteries
2013 Lost Girl (guest appearance)
2013 It Was You Charlie (guest appearance)

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References

  1. 1 2 Ellis, Phyllis (June 26, 2022). "Who Is a Woman, and Who Gets to Decide". CBC News. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Zekas, Rita (January 10, 2009). "Starring in the role of a 'hot mess'; Eccentric chic suits her and TV star Phyllis Ellis shops east, and west, for her award-winning look". Toronto Star. ProQuest   439545837 . Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  3. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Phyllis Ellis". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  4. Sokol, Al (1986). "Female Athletes Get Role Models". Toronto Star. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  5. "Slings & Arrows victorious with big wins at Gemini gala". cbc.ca. 2007-10-28. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  6. 1 2 3 Directors. "Phyllis Ellis". Northern Stars. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  7. "TOXIC BEAUTY". Calgary International Film Festival. 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2020.