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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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Wikipedia: Helen Shaver
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Helen Shaver
Born February 24, 1951 (1951-02-24) (age 58)
St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada

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

Contents

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

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 GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Helen Shaver" Read more

 

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