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Helen Shaver

 
Actor: Helen Shaver
  • Born: Feb 24, 1951 in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada
  • Occupation: Actor, Director
  • Active: '70s-2000s
  • Major Genres: Drama, Science Fiction
  • Career Highlights: The Color of Money, Desert Hearts, Bethune: The Making of a Hero
  • First Major Screen Credit: The Supreme Kid (1976)

Biography

Classically trained at the Banff School of Fine Arts and celebrated in her native country for her brilliant stage interpretations of Shaw and Ibsen, Canadian actress Helen Shaver made her American debut in, of all things, a TV sitcom -- 1980's United States. Neither this nor her second series Jessica Novak (1981) was successful, but she remained in demand in films and theatre productions in both the U.S. and Canada. The best of Shaver's many movie roles include fortyish Ann MacDonald in In Praise of Older Women (filmed in 1978, when she was 25) and Paul Newman's ever-patient lady friend in The Color of Money (1986). Additionally, Shaver was showcased in several made-for-TV movies, among them Lovey: A Circle of Children 2 (1978) and This Park is Mine (1985). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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Helen Shaver
Born February 24, 1951 (1951-02-24) (age 58)
St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada
Spouse(s) Steve Smith (1988-present)
Steven Reuther (1979-1982)

Helen Shaver (born February 24, 1951) is a Canadian actress and film and television director.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Shaver was born and raised in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, a small city located near London, Ontario, with five sisters. As a child she suffered from chronic rheumatic fever and between the ages of five and twelve was forced to spend six months of each year in bed or in hosptials, which she has said fostered her introspective side. She later attended the Banff School of Fine Arts (as a teenager) and studied acting at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.

Career

After roles in such Canadian features as Outrageous! (1977), Starship Invasions (1977), Who Has Seen the Wind (1977) and High Ballin’ (1978), Shaver won a Canadian Film Award as Best Lead Actress opposite Tom Berenger (for her performance as "Ann MacDonald") in In Praise of Older Women (1978). She has since worked with such directors as Sam Peckinpah, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Brian De Palma.

In 1985, Shaver appeared in the film Desert Hearts as a 1950s university professor who falls in love with another woman. Her performance, as well as realistic love scenes with co-star Patricia Charbonneau, drew critical praise and Shaver won the Bronze Leopard Award at the Locarno International Film Festival. Another prominent film performance during that time came in 1986 as the love interest of Paul Newman in his Oscar-winning portrayal of "Fast Eddie Felson" in The Color of Money, directed by Scorsese (a sequel to 1961's The Hustler).

In 1980, Shaver starred with Beau Bridges in the short-lived Fox TV series "United States" developed by Larry Gelbart. The series broke sitcom molds by looking at edgy issues and not necessarily resolving conflicts. In 1990 she guest-starred as the murderer in Columbo: Rest In Peace, Mrs. Columbo, and has since appeared on such television shows as Hill Street Blues, T. J. Hooker and as the title character of the short-lived series Jessica Novak. From 1996-1999, Shaver co-starred on the TV series Poltergeist: The Legacy, playing Dr. Rachel Corrigan, a widowed psychiatrist with an 8-year-old daughter who is helped by the Legacy in the pilot episode. In 2000, she won a Genie Award for her portrayal of a drug-addicted prostitute in the independent feature We All Fall Down

Shaver has also turned to directing, making her feature-length directorial debut in 1999 with Summer's End. The film went on to win an Emmy. Shaver has also directed a number of television shows and cable movies, including The Outer Limits, Judging Amy, Joan of Arcadia, Medium, The OC, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The L Word, Jericho, Journeyman, Private Practice, and Crusoe. In 2003, she won a Gemini award for Best Direction in a Dramatic Series for the Just Cause television series.

In 2004, Helen Shaver was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.[1]

Personal Life

Shaver dated screenwriter Stephen C. Peters, and is currently married to Steve Smith, the kep grip she met during the filming of Desert Hearts. They have a son, Mackenzie.

Filmography

References

  1. ^ [1] Canada Walk of Fame induction

External links


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Actor. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Helen Shaver" Read more