Rosemary Dunsmore

Last updated

Rosemary Dunsmore
Rosemary Dunsmore (cropped).jpg
Rosemary Dunsmore in August 2014
Born (1952-07-13) July 13, 1952 (age 71)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
OccupationActress
Years active1980 – present

Rosemary Dunsmore (born July 13, 1952) is a Canadian TV, film, and theatre actress, director, and educator. She was awarded a Dora Mavor Moore Award for her 1982 performance in Straight Ahead/Blind Dancers. In 2009 she won the ACTRA Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film The Baby Formula . She has starred in some well-known Canadian productions, including The Campbells , Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel , Road to Avonlea , Mom P.I. , Murdoch Mysteries and Orphan Black . [1]

Contents

Life and career

Born on July 13, 1952, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Dunsmore was trained in drama at York University from which she graduated in 1973. [2] She began her professional career in 1975 touring in Cedric Smith and George Luscombe's play Ten Lost Years. [2] She soon appeared in productions in several important Canadian theatres, including the Stratford Festival, the Centaur Theatre. and the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts. [2] For her 1982 performance in Straight Ahead/Blind Dancers she was awarded both a Dora Mavor Moore Award and the best performer award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. [2]

A prolific television actress, Dunsmore began her screen career with appearances in The Littlest Hobo in 1980. [2] She became well known for her portrayal of Katherine Brooke in the 1987 miniseries Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (more widely known as Anne of Avonlea outside Canada). [2] She later appeared in the recurring role of Abigail MacEwan in Road to Avonlea (1990–1996). [2] From 1990–1992 she starred as the central character of Sally Sullivan in two seasons of the Canadian television comedy-drama series Mom P.I. . [2] She has guest starred on the Canadian television programs Being Erica , Degrassi: The Next Generation , Hangin' In , Lost Girl , Murdoch Mysteries , and ReGenesis . [2] On American television she has appeared in Beauty and the Beast , L.A. Law , Queer as Folk , and The Twilight Zone . [2]

In film, Dunsmore had roles in the Hollywood films Twins (1988), Total Recall (1990) and Cliffhanger (1993). [2] In 2009, she won the ACTRA Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film The Baby Formula . [3]

She was formerly married to actor Peter Dvorsky. [4]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1988 Twins Miss Busby
1990 Total Recall Dr. Renata Lull
1993 Cliffhanger Treasury Secretary
1995 Bach's Fight for Freedom Gerta
1996 Natural Enemy JudyVideo
1998 Strike! Page SawyerAKA, All I Wanna Do
2001Good StuffDoctorShort film
2003 Dreamcatcher Roberta Cavell
2004White KnucklesVictoria Conrad
2006 Citizen Duane Mayor Kelly Milton
2007Bonded PairsRosemaryShort film
2008 The Baby Formula Wanda
2009 Orphan Grandma Barbara
2009 At Home by Myself...With You Bessie
2010EmptyMargaret BurkeVideo short
2011 Faces in the Crowd Dr. Langenkamp #2
2012The RiverbankMiranda Magos
2012MiskateGrandmaShort fim
2013The Hot FlashNanaShort film
2014Don't Get Killed in AlaskaJan
2015 How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town Seth's Mother
2017 Blood Honey Louisa Lippe
2020 The Toll Lorraine
2020Dear JesusSister BernadetteShort film
2021 Kicking Blood Bernice
2023 To Catch a Killer Mrs. Possey

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1980 The Littlest Hobo Dixie"Ghost Rig"
1981 The Littlest Hobo Di Jarrett"Airport"
1982Off Your RockerBarbara "Babs"TV film
1982 Hangin' In Jocelyn"The Reunion"
1983 As You Like It Celia TV film
1985 ABC Weekend Special Mrs. Settergren"Pippi Longstocking"
1986 The Frantics: Four on the Floor Various CharactersTV show (Episodes 1.02-1.04)
1986Miles to Go...CynthiaTV film
1986–1990 The Campbells Mary McTavishRecurring role
1987 Race for the Bomb Jean O'LearyTV miniseries
1987 Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel Katherine BrookeTV miniseries
1987 After the Promise Florence JacksonTV film
1987 Danger Bay Agnes Calhoun"A Tangled Web"
1987 Street Legal Samantha Greene"Romeo and Carol"
1988A Father's HomecomingDoloresTV film
1988 Go Toward the Light SallyTV film
1988 Favorite Son Mrs. Harriet FallonTV miniseries
1988 L.A. Law Ina Toland"The Princess and the Pee"
1988 The Twilight Zone Elise"Appointment on Route 17"
1988 Blades of Courage Carla LaRocheTV film
1989 My Two Dads Dr. Stuart"Who's on First?"
1989 Hunter Rachel Sands"Me, Myself & Die"
1989 Beauty and the Beast Virginia Sheets"Trial"
1990 MacGyver Dr. Gwen Carpenter"Deep Cover"
1990PersonalsSusan MerchantTV film
1990 E.N.G. Kathleen Kenner"Catch a Falling Star"
1990 Mom P.I. Sally SullivanTV film
1990 Street Legal Marlene Weiss"Shadow Boxing"
1990–1996 Road to Avonlea Abigail MacEwan5 episodes
1991 The Boys HeleneTV film
1993Liar, Liar: Between Father and DaughterMary FarrowTV film
1993 E.N.G. Dr. Boyd"And the Winner Is..."
1993 Shattered Trust: The Shari Karney Story Rose BeckmanTV film
1994 RoboCop: The Series Ms. Leachman"Mother's Day"
1996 Kung Fu: The Legend Continues Rachel"Dragon's Lair"
1996Undue InfluenceCarla MorganTV film
1996We the JuryDr. Ruth QuinteroTV film
1997 Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story Frances LouganisTV film
1997 Poltergeist: The Legacy Dr. Emily Randall"Fear"
1998The Long Way HomeMrs. BossertTV film
1998When He Didn't Come HomeMrs. BlairTV film
1998 Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal Dr. Ruth Godwin"The Undead, The/Stalker"
1999Freak CityMary ManmouthTV film
1999Dear America: The Winter of Red SnowMamaTV short
1999At the Mercy of a StrangerJan ScottTV film
2000 Secret Cutting Principal LuceTV film
2001 Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows Ida Koverman TV miniseries
2001The WardenMrs. WinchwoodTV film
2001HangmanDr. Natalie WalshTV film
2001 Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series E.J. Lark (voice)"A Welcome Hero"
2001 Blue Murder Principal Leona Harcourt"All Saints"
2001 Dangerous Child MargoTV film
2001–2003 Soul Food Judge Priscilla Barnes"Games People Play", "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Shades of Grey"
2002 The Associates Judge Martin"Soulmates", "Liar, Liar"
2002The Interrogation of Michael CroweDorothy SorensonTV film
2003Profoundly NormalCharlotte JohnsonTV film
2003 Queer as Folk Judge"Stop Hurting Us"
2004 Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story Warden WoodfordTV film
2004 Degrassi: The Next Generation Judge"Ghost in the Machine"
2004 The Grid Lois AveryTV miniseries
2004 Wild Card Mrs. Sutton"Premonition Mission"
2004A Very Married ChristmasOsa LarsonTV film
2004–2005 ReGenesis Congresswoman ShulerRecurring role
2005 Kevin Hill Judge Landell"Occupational Hazard"
2006 Playing House MadelineTV film
2006 At the Hotel Marcia Bridge"Modern Solutions to Modern Problems"
2006 Covert One: The Hades Factor Nancy LangfordTV miniseries
2006 Wedding Wars Claire WellingTV film
2007 St. Urbain's Horseman HannahTV miniseries
2007They Come BackMrs. CarrTV film
2007The Altar Boy GangKateTV series
2008 A Raisin in the Sun Mrs. ArnoldTV film
2008 Burn Up Margo"1.2"
2008For the Love of GraceAliciaTV film
2009 Being Erica Tania"Til Death"
2009 Guns Janet PattersonTV miniseries
2009The Good Times Are Killing MeMelanieTV film
2009 Too Late to Say Goodbye Narda BarberTV film
2009 Cra$h & Burn Mrs. McCutcheon"Trust"
2009NureyevDianeTV film
2010 Murdoch Mysteries Bernice Taylor"Me, Myself and Murdoch"
2010 When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story Matilda BurnhamTV film
2010 Living in Your Car Mira Shaw"Chapter 3"
2010 Unnatural History Mrs. Elaine Dunsmoor"Public School Enemies"
2010 Red: Werewolf Hunter Grandmother SullivanTV film
2010–2012 Ruby Skye P.I. Ava O'DearyRecurring role
2011The Santa SuitMargeTV film
2011 Little Mosque on the Prairie Mrs. Harper"Love at First Fight"
2012 Guidestones Jacqueline Glenndenning"The Truth: Parts 1 & 2"
2012Fugitive at 17GrandmotherTV film
2013The Surrogacy TrapBeth FranklinTV film
2013 Cracked Mrs. Dunlow"How the Light Gets In"
2014 Remedy Violet Patterson"Shadow of Doubt"
2015–2016 Between Minister MillerRecurring role
2015 The Plateaus Nun #1Recurring role
2015–2017 Orphan Black Professor Susan DuncanRecurring role
2018 PAW Patrol Ms. Marjorie (voice)Recurring role
2019 Coroner Mrs. Panych"Black Dog", "Bridges"
2019 Street Legal Renee DarlingRecurring role
2019 The Hot Zone Nancy's Aunt"Arrival", "Expendable", "Hidden"
2021–2022 Chucky Dr. MixterRecurring role
2022 Good Sam Helen Fletcher"Attachments", "To Whom It May Concern"
2022 Three Pines Irene Morrow"The Murder Stone: Part One", "The Murder Stone: Part Two"
2023 Fellow Travelers Estelle FullerEpisode: "Bulletproof"

Awards and nominations

Awards
YearAwardCategoryProductionResult
1988 Gemini Best Performance by a Supporting ActressBlades of CourageNominated
2001 Gemini Best Performance by an Actress in a Guest Role in a Dramatic SeriesBlue MurderNominated
2008 ACTRA Awards Best Female PerformanceThe Baby FormulaWon

Related Research Articles

<i>Anne of Green Gables</i> 1908 novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Anne of Green Gables is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, the novel recounts the adventures of 11 year old orphan girl Anne Shirley sent by mistake to two middle-aged siblings, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who had originally intended to adopt a boy to help them on their farm in the fictional town of Avonlea in Prince Edward Island, Canada. The novel recounts how Anne makes her way through life with the Cuthberts, in school, and within the town.

Road to Avonlea is a Canadian television series first broadcast in Canada between January 7, 1990, and March 31, 1996, as part of the CBC Family Hour anthology series, and in the United States starting on March 5, 1990. It was created by Kevin Sullivan and produced by Sullivan Films in association with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and the Disney Channel, with additional funding from Telefilm Canada. It follows the adventures of Sara Stanley, a young girl sent to live with her relatives in early 20th-century eastern Canada. It was loosely adapted from novels by Lucy Maud Montgomery, with many characters and episodes inspired by her stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendy Crewson</span> Canadian actress

Wendy Jane Crewson is a Canadian actress and producer. She began her career appearing on Canadian television, before her breakthrough role in 1991 dramatic film The Doctor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie Burroughs</span> Canadian actress (1939–2010)

Jacqueline Burroughs was a British-born Canadian actress. Burroughs starred in over 100 films and television shows over her career including Heavy Metal, The Care Bears Movie, The Grey Fox, Anne of Green Gables and was most well-known for her role as Hetty King in the TV series Road to Avonlea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colleen Dewhurst</span> Canadian-American actress (1924–1991)

Colleen Rose Dewhurst was a Canadian-American actress mostly known for theatre roles. She was a renowned interpreter of the works of Eugene O'Neill on the stage, and her career also encompassed film, early dramas on live television, and performances in Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival. One of her last roles was playing Marilla Cuthbert in the Kevin Sullivan television adaptations of the Anne of Green Gables series and her reprisal of the role in the subsequent TV series Road to Avonlea. In the United States, Dewhurst won two Tony Awards and four Emmy Awards for her stage and television work. In addition to other Canadian honors over the years, Dewhurst won two Gemini Awards for her portrayal of Marilla Cuthbert; once in 1986 and again in 1988. It is arguably her best known role because of the Kevin Sullivan produced series’ continuing popularity and also the initial co-production by the CBC; allowing for rebroadcasts over the years on it, and also on PBS in the United States. The initial broadcast alone was seen by millions of viewers.

<i>Anne of Green Gables</i> (1985 film) 1985 film

Anne of Green Gables is a 1985 Canadian made-for-television drama film based on the 1908 novel of the same name by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, and is the first in a series of four films. The film stars Megan Follows in the title role of Anne Shirley and was produced and directed by Kevin Sullivan for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It was released theatrically in Iran, Israel, Europe, and Japan.

<i>Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel</i> 1987 film

Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel is a 1987 Canadian television miniseries film. A sequel to the 1985 miniseries Anne of Green Gables, it is based on Lucy Maud Montgomery's novels Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, and Anne of Windy Poplars. The story follows Anne Shirley as she leaves Green Gables in Avonlea, Prince Edward Island to teach at a prestigious ladies' college in New Brunswick. The main cast from the original film reprised their roles, including Megan Follows, Jonathan Crombie, Colleen Dewhurst, Patricia Hamilton, and Schuyler Grant.

The Earle Grey Award is the lifetime achievement award for television acting of the Canadian Screen Awards, and its predecessor the Gemini Awards. It can be presented to an individual or collaborative team.

Dalmar Abuzeid is a Canadian actor. He initially became known for portraying Danny Van Zandt in Degrassi: The Next Generation from 2004 until 2010. Since Degrassi, he has appeared in a variety of television series such as Murdoch Mysteries (2014), Hemlock Grove (2015), Shoot the Messenger (2016), Crawford (2018), and The Comey Rule (2020).

Fiona Reid, CM is an English-born Canadian television, film, and stage actress. She is best known for her roles as Cathy on the TV series King of Kensington and Harriet Miller in the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Lally Cadeau is a Canadian stage, television, film, and radio actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivien Endicott-Douglas</span> Canadian actress

Vivien Endicott-Douglas is a Canadian actress on stage and screen.

Patricia Ruth Hamilton was a Canadian actress who had an active career on stage, television, and film from the 1960s through the 2010s. She had a lengthy association as a stage actress with the Tarragon Theatre with whom she appeared in multiple world premieres of works by Canadian playwrights; including Judith Thompson's I Am Yours (1987) for which she won a Dora Mavor Moore Award in 1988. She also appeared as a guest actress at other theaters in Canada and internationally including the American Shakespeare Theatre, the Stratford Festival, the Edinburgh International Festival, and The Old Vic.

<i>Lantern Hill</i> (film) Canadian TV series or program

Lantern Hill is a 1989 television film written and directed by filmmaker Kevin Sullivan and based L.M. Montgomery's novel Jane of Lantern Hill. The film was co-produced by Sullivan Entertainment, the Disney Channel and CBC Television.

Theresa Tova is a Canadian actress, singer and playwright. She is most noted for her play Still the Night, which won several Dora Mavor Moore Awards in 1997 and was a shortlisted finalist for the Governor General's Award for English-language drama at the 1999 Governor General's Awards.

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.

Susan Wright was an award-winning Canadian actress. Most prominently associated with stage roles, she also had a number of supporting roles in film and television.

Patricia Collins is a British-Canadian actress, prominently associated with the Stratford Festival.

Patricia Phillips is a Canadian actress and documentary film producer. She is most noted for her performances as Sharon in the 1985 film Bayo, for which she was an ACTRA Award nominee for Best Television Actress at the 15th ACTRA Awards in 1986, and Helen in the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts' 1985 production of And a Nightingale Sang, for which she received a Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination for Best Leading Actress at the 1986 Dora Mavor Moore Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cara Ricketts</span> Canadian film, stage and television actor

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.

References

  1. "Dunsmore, Rosemary". Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia. March 30, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Aidan Morgan (July 11, 2013). "Rosemary Dunsmore". The Canadian Encyclopedia.
  3. "Rosemary Dunsmore". Canadian Film Centre. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  4. Iona Monahan, "Mother-in-law taught actress art of dress". Montreal Gazette , May 27, 1986.