Shelley Thompson

Last updated

Shelley Thompson
Shelley Thompson.jpg
Born (1959-03-09) March 9, 1959 (age 64)
Education Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
OccupationActress
Children T. Thomason

Shelley Alice Thompson (born on March 9, 1959) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her character Barbara Lahey on the hit mockumentary program Trailer Park Boys . [1]

Contents

Biography

Shelley Thompson was born in Calgary, Alberta. She was trained at RADA in London and worked for many years in the UK. She had played roles in London's West End and at the Royal National Theatre, as well as leading roles in regional theatres. [2] She was a regular in BBC radio drama during her time in Britain, and recorded dozens of audio books – titles including work by Margaret Atwood and Jane Smiley. She played "Rita King" for the first six series of the Children's ITV comedy series, Mike and Angelo , and made guest appearances on Drop the Dead Donkey , EastEnders and Chelworth. She also played the role of Sarah's stepmother Irene Williams in Jim Henson's 1986 fantasy epic Labyrinth. She has appeared in all seasons of Trailer Park Boys , both specials, and the feature film. [3]

Since returning to Canada, her work has included season at the Atlantic Theatre Festival (Ariel in the Tempest and Viola in Twelfth Night), work at the Neptune Theatre, [4] The Prairie Theatre Exchange, The Globe Theatre, Regina, and Festival Antigonish.

Since 2012, she has been shifting her focus to stage and screenwriting and directing. Her plays include plays A Kind of Faith (2004), Leaving Wonderland (2015), children's plays Bluenose Billy (2006), [note 1] Belinda the Bicycle Witch (2008), Lost and Found (2009), and ...And How Are We Today. [note 2] She was also seen on stage in A Good Death, Be My Baby, and Criminal Genius".

She has been a finalist in the Atlantic Writing Competition as a poet. Her work has been featured in literary journals like Toward the Light and Papirmasse, as well as on the CBC website. Her short stories have also been included in anthologies and broadcast on CBC Radio, in collaboration with The Blue Engine String Quartet during Christmas of 2010 and 2011.

Presently shifting to writing/directing for film, she has just finished her first narrative short, DAWG (Festivals include the Atlantic Film Festival, The San Diego International Kids Film Festival, Nickle Film festival NFL and more....)

She is working on feature films Dawn, Her Dad and the Tractor , Billy, Dash and Dawg, and The Benefit. In 2015 she was a resident at the Canadian Film Centre, Toronto, as a screenwriter, and in 2016 was invited to be one of eight Women In the Director's Chair (2017).

In 2018, Thompson won the WIDC's Feature Film Award, a prize which goes toward the production of a female director's debut feature film. [3]

Awards include: ACTRA Maritimes winner for (short) Two Penny Road-Kill 2013, Best Supporting Actress, LA's Love Unlimited Festival, 2011 for (short) WAKE, and Gemini, 2008, Best Ensemble, as Barb Lahey, for Trailer Park Boys. Merritt Award- Best Actress in a Leading Role- for Glorious. Several Stage nominations for: Humble Boy – Flora, Criminal Genius – Shirley, Tamara (Dora) – Aelis.

Notes

  1. She has also co-written with Sheldon Currie and Griffen Prize-winning poet Anne Simpson.
  2. Also co-written with poet Anne Simpson.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shelley Winters</span> American actress (1920–2006)

Shelley Winters was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades. She appeared in numerous films. She won Academy Awards for The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) and A Patch of Blue (1965), and received nominations for A Place in the Sun (1951) and The Poseidon Adventure (1972). She also appeared in A Double Life (1947), The Night of the Hunter (1955), Lolita (1962), Alfie (1966), Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976), and Pete's Dragon (1977). In addition to film, Winters appeared in television, including a tenure on the sitcom Roseanne, and wrote three autobiographical books.

Trailer Park Boys is a Canadian mockumentary sitcom television series created by Mike Clattenburg that began airing in 2001 as a continuation of his 1999 film bearing the same name. The show follows the misadventures of a group of trailer park residents, including two lead characters in and out of prison, living in the fictional "Sunnyvale Trailer Park" in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The series premiered on Showcase on April 20, 2001, and originally ran for seven seasons before concluding with a one-hour special on December 7, 2008. The series spawned three films: The Movie, released on October 6, 2006; Countdown to Liquor Day, released on September 25, 2009; and Don't Legalize It, released on April 18, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Estelle Parsons</span> American actress

Estelle Parsons is an American actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shelley Duvall</span> American actress (born 1949)

Shelley Alexis Duvall is an American actress and producer widely known for her portrayal of distinctive, often eccentric characters. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award and a Peabody Award and nominations for a British Academy Film Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards.

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds is a play written by Paul Zindel, a playwright and science teacher. Zindel received the 1971 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for the work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mita Vashisht</span> Indian actress

Mita Vashisht is an Indian actress. Known for her work on screen, stage and television, she has played a wide range of roles. Her most prominent appearances includes; sci-fi television series Space City Sigma (1989-1991), Pachpan Khambe Laal Deewarein, Swabhimaan, Alaan (Kirdaar) to Trishna in Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki and Jethi Maa in Kaala Teeka to film roles with a wide spectrum of directors with different cinema styles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carole Shelley</span> British actress (1939–2018)

Carole Augusta Shelley was an English actress who made her career in the United States and United Kingdom. Her many stage roles included originating the roles of Gwendolyn Pigeon in The Odd Couple and Madame Morrible in Wicked. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in The Elephant Man (1979) and received additional nominations for her work on Absurd Person Singular (1975), Stepping Out (1987), and Billy Elliot (2009).

The Atlantic International Film Festival is a major international film festival held annually in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada since 1980. AIFF is the largest Canadian film festival east of Montreal, regularly premiering the region's top films of the year, while bringing the best films of the fall festival circuit to Atlantic Canada.

<i>Trailer Park Boys: The Movie</i> 2006 Canadian film

Trailer Park Boys: The Movie is a 2006 Canadian comedy crime film based on the television series Trailer Park Boys itself a sequel to the 1999 film of the same name. The film follows characters Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles creating a plan for the Big Dirty, one last crime that will enable them to retire from their criminal lives. The film, like the series, was directed and produced by Mike Clattenburg, with Ivan Reitman as an executive producer. It was released in Canada on October 6, 2006, and a limited release in the United States began on January 25, 2008. It has developed into a cult film since then.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Dunsworth</span> Canadian actor and comedian

John Francis Dunsworth was a Canadian actor. He was best known for playing the antagonistic trailer park supervisor Jim Lahey on the cult comedy series Trailer Park Boys (2001–2018). His other roles included the mysterious reporter Dave Teagues on the supernatural drama series Haven (2010–2015) and Officer McNabb in the CBC film Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion (2003). He also had extensive experience in regional theater.

Caitlynne Medrek is an international, award winning Canadian actress. She spent the first half of her career living and working in professional theatre around Canada, but has since set her sights on creating a cinematic career by performing in Film and Television. A Canadian College of Performing Arts alumna, Medrek is a true triple threat. She is best known for her roles in Heartland as Ms. Clarissa, Fargo, Season 3 as Grace Stussy, and Claire in the award-winning series, Out with Dad. She has had an incredible voice acting career with notable roles like Dawn in Total Drama: Revenge of the Island, Mikoto in My-HiME, Miu Matsuoka in Strawberry Marshmallow, and Pan in Dragon Ball GT. Her latest mainstream voice work include: Haunted House, Secrets of the Ghost Ball (Netflix), Kongsuni (Netflix), Cardfight!! Vanguard, Arthur, and Gintama. She can be seen in the final season of Hell on Wheels, Season 2 of Wynonna Earp, Season 3 of Fargo as Grace Stussy, Season 3 of The Detour and recently, Seasons 15 and 16 of Heartland, Season 2 of Tribal and Season 2 of Yellowjackets. Caitlynne is also in production for two Feature Films set for 2023 release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lillete Dubey</span> Indian actress and theatre director

Lillete Dubey is an Indian actress and theatre director. She has worked in Indian and international theatre, television and films in Hindi and English languages. Dubey began her career with Barry John in Delhi and was the founding member of his group - Theatre Action Group in 1973. In 1991 she set up her own theatre company - The Primetime Theatre Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesse Aaron Dwyre</span> Canadian actor, musician and writer

Jesse Aaron Dwyre is a Canadian actor, musician and writer. Jesse has appeared in film, theatre and television. He currently plays Henry is HBO's crime series Jett, and Young Hogarth in His Masters Voice. He has starred in independent films Imitation (film) and Adam's Wall. He has drummed since the age of five primarily with the rock group Stylewinder.

<i>Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day</i> 2009 film by Mike Clattenburg

Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day is a 2009 Canadian mockumentary black comedy crime film directed by Mike Clattenburg, and based on the Canadian television series Trailer Park Boys. It is the second film in the Trailer Park Boys franchise, following Trailer Park Boys: The Movie (2006). Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day is a conclusion to "Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys", the television special that ended the series after its seventh season. The film follows the characters of Ricky, Julian and Bubbles as they return to a life of crime after being released from prison.

Shannon Tarbet is a British actress who has transitioned from an extensive career in theatre to feature film with main roles in Love Is Blind (2019) and Love Sarah (2020), and on television with recurring roles in Genius and in Rellik (2017) and as Amber Peel in Killing Eve (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen LeBlanc</span> Canadian actress (active 1992– )

Karen LeBlanc is a Canadian film, television and musical theatre actress.

<i>Splinters</i> (2018 film) 2018 Canadian film

Splinters is a 2018 Canadian drama film written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald. An adaptation of the theatrical play by Lee-Anne Poole, the film stars Sofia Banzhaf as Belle, a woman whose relationship with her mother Nancy has been strained since she came out as lesbian, but who now faces the prospect of coming out all over again as she now identifies as bisexual and is dating Rob.

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.

Trailer Park Boys: The Animated Series is a Canadian adult animated series and sitcom created by John Paul Tremblay, Robb Wells, and Mike Smith. The series is a spin-off and sequel to the 2001 television mockumentary comedy series, Trailer Park Boys, itself a sequel to Mike Clattenburg's 1999 film of the same name.

References

  1. Lucas, Ralph (May 26, 2021). "Shelley Thompson". Northernstars.ca. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  2. Volmers, Eric. "Calgary-born filmmaker's feature debut explores community, family and belonging in rural Nova Scotia". Calgary Herald.
  3. 1 2 "Trailer Park Boys actress Shelley Thompson to direct first feature film after winning award". thestar.com. November 30, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  4. "FIN Makers: An Interview with Shelley Thompson". FIN. July 21, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2023.