She underwent treatment but continued to act prolifically, often wearing wigs to conceal the effects of chemotherapy. In a nod to her La Femme Nikita role, Alberta played a recurring character Madeline Pierce in Nikita, the CW's 2010-2013 reboot of the film and TV series. - YouTube 0:00 / 1:49 Video unavailable This video contains content from Adrev Affiliate, who has blocked it in your country. The Tony Award-nominated Broadway actor, 41, died in a hospital in Los Angeles after suffering severe medical complications after contracting the coronavirus. After living in the New YorkNew Jersey area for eight years, she returned to Canada and starred in Shoemaker (1996), an early production for the Canadian Film Centres Feature Film Project, which earned her a Genie Award nomination. (Carlo. She amassed some devoted fans and engaged with them frequently on fan sites. Patrick Mullen is a writer, blogger, film critic, film festival programmer, and social media coordinator. During 2007 and 2008, Watson played a supporting role in the Canadian television series The Border as the Minister of Public Safety. Several high-profile actresses declined the role, including Susan Sarandon, Faye Dunaway, Jessica Lange, and Isabella Rossellini, but Watson relished it, later calling it her best performance and her favourite role. [1], Watson was born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1955. (Theatre House of God),[3] of the Bathurst Street United Church, at age 15. Her son visits for the summer and she's laid up in a cast with a broken leg and things get out of hand. Want to discuss? Lovely woman. [2] She grew up in Toronto with her mother Grace, a factory worker, and her brother. In 2008, Alberta Watson received a Career Achievement Award from the Boston-based Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). It didn't scare me at all. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. I seized the character and made her something. Watson's agent Pam Winter says the La Femme Nikitastar died Saturday in Toronto. [5] While at the workshop she acted in Hamlet, which was directed by Ren Bonnire,[6] who later directed her in La Femme Nikita. She moved south and worked for many years in New York and Los Angeles. Alberta Watson, well known to television audiences for her Gemini award-nominated role as Madeline on La Femme Nikita (1997), enjoys a long and diverse career in television and film. The offbeat black comedy proved to be a defining moment in her career; the film won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and drew largely positive reviews. The Tony Award-nominated Broadway actor, 41, died in a hospital in Los Angeles after suffering severe medical complications after contracting the coronavirus. [4] She moved to Los Angeles, California, and later to New York City. The provocative film was controversial when it premiered at the Toronto Festival of Festivals (now the Toronto International Film Festival), but it earned 10 Canadian Film Award nominations, including one for Watson for Best Supporting Actress. She was nominated for Genie Awards for her work in 1978s In Praise of Older Women and 1996s Shoemaker. Omissions? Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Watson later expressed disappointment with her early television work, but these roles inevitably shaped her career, pushing her to pursue strong, complex characters in projects that challenged her. WARNING: Major spoilers for the Season 14 premiere of Heartland are ahead!. Canadian actress Alberta Watson has died after a long battle with cancer. [citation needed] In 2005, Watson joined the cast of 24, playing CTU Director Erin Driscoll for 12 episodes of the show's fourth season. Watson continued acting with the hit CBC TV series The King of Kensington and such tax shelter films as Stone Cold Dead (1979), Dirty Tricks (1981), and The Soldier (1982). Renowned for her consistency and reliability, Watson was perhaps best known for the TV series La Femme Nikita (1997-2001) and 24 (2004-05), but she also gave memorable performances in David O . While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. I seized the character and made her something. Alberta Watson, well known to television audiences for her Gemini "Young Actress Is Behind Bars -- For A Movie", "Three Hours On A Plane Is All She Can Stand: Great Escapes - Alberta Watson", "Alberta Watson: The Toughest Woman on Television", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alberta_Watson&oldid=1133861902, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2009, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. [4], In Spanking the Monkey, Watson plays her favourite character,[12] a mother who has an incestuous relationship with her son. In her final performance, Watson played Senator Madeline Pierce when La Femme Nikita was rebooted as Nikita in 2010. I have such wonderful memories, and I cant believe shes gone. The Canadian Encyclopedia CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. Madeleine is the most badass character ever. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. [4], Watson took a workshop for the Hair musical. She also appeared in The Lookout (2007) with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as well as in the TV series Angelas Eyes (2006), The Border (2008), and Heartland (2010), for which she won a Gemini Award. Watson shared the National Board of Review award for Best Ensemble and helped bring the film international recognition. Born in Toronto, Watson started out in acting with a local theater group, and by the 1970s had regular Canadian film and TV roles. Alberta Watson, Canadian actress, dies after battle with cancer Her first major credit was in Robert Lantos and Claude Hrouxs In Praise of Older Women (1978). Comments are welcome while open. She was 60. . And I'm not a name with an image to protect. '24' Actress Alberta Watson Dies at 60 - The Hollywood Reporter Watson played Erin Driscoll, head of the fictional intelligence agency that employs operative Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland). She was a deeply disturbed woman with a roller coaster of emotions. street, Chinese Canadian parliamentarians among greater targets for interference: Trudeau, Markham caregiver plans to travel, possibly buy new home after $60M lottery win, RCMP believe Slave Lake toddler Jeffrey Dupres, missing for 43 years, is still alive, Survivor of B.C. Watson then played the grieving and lonely mother, Risa Walker, in Atom Egoyans critically acclaimed The Sweet Hereafter (1997). [10], Watson lived in New Jersey for eight years[11] with her husband until they divorced. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. Heyn, Christopher. avalanche lost father, brother-in-law, family friend in slide, Trudeau says probes into foreign election interference ongoing, Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murder of wife, son, Heated debate in B.C. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Alberta Watson, congrats on your Gemini win 2011, for Heartland! Her husband Ken was at her side. Alberta Watson, a Canadian actress who had roles in the 24 and Nikita dramas over a four-decade movie and TV career, has died. TV Actresses. Alberta Watson | Biography, Movies, TV Shows, & Facts Alberta Watson - Wikipedia Courtesy of Everett Collection. Watson died on March 21, 2015, due to complications from cancer at Kensington Hospice in Toronto fifteen days after her 60th birthday.[14]. Many of Watsonspeers and fans took to Twitter to remember her. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. "A Conversation with Alberta Watson". Id loved her in so many things, I was star struck. No details are available on a memorial service for Watson. Watson re-teamed with La Femme Nikita co-creator Joel Surnow for season four of his hit action-drama 24. In 1998 Watson was diagnosed with lymphoma. Watsons list of credits includes 24, The Newsroom and The Border as well as movies like Away from Her and The Sweet Hereafter. Get a roundup of the most important and intriguing national stories delivered to your inbox every weekday. Alberta Watson - IMDb https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alberta-Watson, The Canadian Encyclopedia - Biography of Alberta Watson. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Watson died at Torontos Kensington Hospice with her husband Ken at her side. Canadian actor, director, writer, and producer. After performing the lead role of Madelaine on the Canadian-made La Femme Nikita series between 1997 and 2001, Watson later played the recurring role of Senator Madeline Pierce on the CWs follow-up Nikita series, also shot in Toronto. A year later she received the Best Actress award at the Yorkton Film Festival for "Exposure". Through regional and national programming on multiple platforms, including CBC Television, CBC News Network, CBC Radio, CBCNews.ca, mobile and on-demand, CBC News and its internationally recognized team of award-winning journalists deliver the breaking stories, the issues, the analyses and the personalities that matter to Canadians. Watson eventually returned to Canada and landed a leading role in La Femme Nikita, which ran from 1997 to 2001. Alberta Watson, in full Faith Susan Alberta Watson, (born March 6, 1955, Toronto, Canadadied March 21, 2015, Toronto), Canadian film and television actress whose career spanned four decades. She played Dr. Rebecca Myer in the 1980s Buck James TV series, and Erin Driscoll, the head of a counter-terrorist unit, in 24. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. She followed this with The Prince and Me (2004) and recurring roles in such TV series as Show Me Yours (2004) and Ken Finklemans The Newsroom (2004). [4], Among her well-known film roles are the bed-ridden mother Susan Aibelli in the 1994 American independent film Spanking the Monkey, Lauren Murphy (the mother of Jonny Lee Miller's character Dade, also called "Crash Override"/"Zero Cool") in the 1995 cult film Hackers, and Risa in the 1997 Academy Award-nominated Canadian film The Sweet Hereafter, directed by Atom Egoyan. Corrections? Her film credits include Atom Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter,Sarah Polley's Away from Her,David O. Russell's Spanking the Monkeyand George Kaczender's In Praise of Older Women. [About her portrayal of the mother in, Choice: The Henry Morgentaler Story (2005). And I'm not a name with an image to protect. To encourage thoughtful and respectful conversations, first and last names will appear with each submission to CBC/Radio-Canada's online communities (except in children and youth-oriented communities). #cdntv, Denis McGrath (@DMcWriterboy) March 23, 2015, I had the pleasure of working with @albertawatson on my first film #alobstertale rent the movie on iTunes to see Albertas great performance, Adam Massey (@lee_adam_massey) March 23, 2015. [12][13] Producers at La Femme Nikita worked around her treatment and limited her appearances. Watson began acting at age 15 with the Theater House of God at the Bathurst Street United Church in Toronto. She worked with director Colleen Murphy on the film Shoemaker (1996), for which she received a second Genie nomination for Best Actress. Youll be missed :'(, Dylan Matthews (@iHeyes) March 23, 2015. In 2010, Watson guest-starred in Heartland, a series on CBC Television, and she won a 2011 Gemini Award for her portrayal of Sarah Craven. She was 60. zh. In a nod to her La Femme Nikita role, Alberta played a recurring character Madeline Pierce in Nikita, the CW's 20102013 reboot of the film and TV series. He has used his social media skills to transform his past interest in blogging about Canadian film Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Although the film received mostly negative reviews, Watsons performance led to appearances on such American television series as Hill Street Blues, The Equalizer, and Law & Order and a continuing role on the short-lived ABC drama Buck James. [2] Watson said:[7].mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}. Died (60) Add to list Awards 3 wins & 6 nominations Photos 28 Known for Hedwig and the Angry Inch 7.7 A decade later, she had a recurring role as a different character (with the same first name) on the seriesNikita. Watson then appeared in several notable projects, including the early Angelina Jolie vehicle Hackers (1995) and the Golden Globe-nominated, Emmy-winning TV movie Gotti (1996), playing the wife of infamous New York mobster John Gotti. Canadian actress Alberta Watson dies at 60, Ex-husband of Edmonton soldier who tried to kill their children plans to sue Canadian military on Facebook, Ex-husband of Edmonton soldier who tried to kill their children plans to sue Canadian military on Twitter. Updates? Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted. Colorectal cancer cases rising among younger adults in Canada and U.S. Ex-husband of Edmonton soldier who tried to kill their children plans to sue Canadian military, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle evicted from their U.K. home by King Charles, Angry parents speak out on their daughter who froze to death on N.S. She briefly lived on a communal farm outside the city with other actors before returning to Toronto to act professionally, landing her first role in the CBC TV movie Honour Thy Father (1974). Outside acting, Watson championed more production in Canada and more opportunities for Canadian actors. Deeply saddened to hear the wonderful @Alberta_Watson has died. Alberta Watson, pictured in an undated publicity photo. In 2010, Watson guest-starred in Heartland, a series on CBC Television, and she won a 2011 Gemini Award for her portrayal of Sarah Craven. Watson gambled by playing the seductive mother in David O. Russells incest-tinged first feature, Spanking the Monkey (1994). By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. Besides her turn as the operative Madeline Pierce on La Femme Nikita,Watson became known to TV audiences through roles on 24,The Newsroom,Heartlandand The Border. Her Gary Goddard Agency rep, Pam Winter, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Watson passed away on Saturday at Torontos Kensington Hospice after a long battle with cancer. (Surnow was such a fan that he not only hired her again but also named a character in the series, Alberta Green, after her.) She won a Gemini Award in 2010. legislature over commercialization of hard drugs, Milton man accused of murdering armed intruder released on bail. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. She followed La Femme Nikita with a string of notable independent films, including The Art of Woo (2001), John Cameron Mitchells Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001), Thom Fitzgeralds The Wild Dogs, (2002) and Jeremy Podeswas TV movie, After the Harvest (2001), which brought her another Gemini nomination. Her Canadian TV series credits include roles in Heartland, The Newsroom, The Border and Show Me Yours. Watson starred in four seasons of La Femme Nikita, along with a return appearance in its fifth season, and earned a Gemini nomination for season two. Watson found additional strong TV work playing Detective Denise McGoohan in Chasing Cain (2001) and Chasing Cain: Face (2002). 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This page was last edited on 15 January 2023, at 21:52. During the show's second season (in 1998), Watson was diagnosed with lymphoma, for which she had to undergo chemotherapy treatment which caused her to lose her hair. She was 60. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. Her final film role was in the Vancouver-shot Helen (2009), starring Ashley Judd. Incredible char and actor. Watson earned a Gemini Award in 2011 for her guest role on Heartland. She began performing with a local Toronto theatre group, T.H.O.G. She was a deeply disturbed woman with a roller coaster of emotions. award-nominated role as Madeline on, Her name was the basis for the character Alberta Green, played by, I took it because it was a heck of a challenge. Alternate titles: Faith Susan Alberta Watson. Her Gary Goddard Agency . Her son visits for the summer and she's laid up with a broken leg and things get out of hand. The role was turned down by several actresses such as Susan Sarandon, Jessica Lange and others. lp She was 60.