Helen Shaver

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

Biography

Personal life

Shaver was born and raised in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, a small city located near London, Ontario, with her five sisters. As a child, she suffered from rheumatic fever and was forced to spend six months of each year in bed. Later she dated screenplay writer Stephen C. Peters. Shaver is now married to top key grip Steve Smith whom she met on the set of Desert Hearts; they have a son named Mackenzie.

Career

Shaver has worked with such directors as Sam Peckinpah, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Brian De Palma. In 1978, she won a Canadian Film Award for her role as "Ann MacDonald" in the film In Praise of Older Women.

In 1985, she appeared in the film Desert Hearts as a 1950s university professor who falls in love with another woman, for which she won the Bronze Leopard Award at the Locarno International Film Festival. Shaver's performance, as well as realistic love scenes with co-star Patricia Charbonneau, drew critical praise.

Her most prominent film appearance came in 1986 as the love interest opposite Paul Newman in his Oscar-winning portrayal of "Fast Eddie Felson" in The Color of Money, a sequel to 1961's The Hustler. In 1990, she guested as the murderer in Columbo: Rest In Peace, Mrs. Columbo. She also appeared on television programs such as Hill Street Blues, T. J. Hooker and as the title character of the short-lived series, Jessica Novak. In 1980, she starred with Beau Bridges in the short lived Fox TV series "United States". Developed by Larry Gelbart. This series broke sitcom molds by looking at edgy issues and not necessarily resolving the conflicts.

From 1996 to 1999, she co-starred on the TV series, Poltergeist: The Legacy. She played Dr. Rachel Corrigan == A psychiatrist who is helped by the Legacy in the pilot episode. Impressed by her skills and strength of character, Derek invited Rachel to join his team. Rachel is a widow with an 8-year-old daughter, Kat. She is as much a skeptic as is possible to be with so many magical occurrences always happening. Rachel also struggles with alcoholism.

In 2000, she won a Genie Award for her portrayal of a drug-addicted prostitute in the independent feature We All Fall Down. In 2003, she won a Gemini award for best direction in a dramatic series for the Just Cause television series. In 2004, she was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.^[1]

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. She made her feature-length directorial debut in 1999 with Summer's End; the film went on to win an Emmy.

Filmography

• Starship Invasions (1977)
• High-Ballin' (1978)
• In Praise of Older Women (1978)
• The Osterman Weekend (1983)
• Best Defense (1984)
• Countdown to Looking Glass (1984)
• Desert Hearts (1985)
• The Color of Money (1986)
• The Park is Mine (1986)
• The Believers (1987)
• The Land Before Time (1988)
• Columbo: Rest In Peace, Mrs. Columbo (1990)
• Tremors 2: Aftershocks (1996)
• The Sweetest Gift (1998)
• We All Fall Down (2000)

References

External links

• Canadian Film Encyclopedia: A publication of The Film Reference Library/a division of the Toronto International Film Festival Group
• Helen Shaver at the Internet Movie Database
• Helen Shaver at TV.com