geoff ewart (@geoffewart) March 23, 2015. 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. A year later she received the Best Actress award at the Yorkton Film Festival for "Exposure". I seized the character and made her something. Her son visits for the summer and she's laid up in a cast with a broken leg and things get out of hand. Her Canadian TV series credits include roles in Heartland, The Newsroom, The Border and Show Me Yours. 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). Alberta Watson, a Canadian actress who had roles in the 24 and Nikita dramas over a four-decade movie and TV career, has died. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. Actress Alberta Watson is photographed during the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006, in Toronto. All Rights Reserved. Outside acting, Watson championed more production in Canada and more opportunities for Canadian actors. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Her son visits for the summer and she's laid up with a broken leg and things get out of hand. (Theatre House of God),[3] of the Bathurst Street United Church, at age 15. [10], Watson lived in New Jersey for eight years[11] with her husband until they divorced. Congrats, Alberta!! During 2007 and 2008, Watson played a supporting role in the Canadian television series The Border as the Minister of Public Safety. Watson died at Toronto's Kensington Hospice with her husband Ken at her side.. :)Song: \"We build bridges\" by Liz DurrettWe build bridgesDon't weSometimes need a handDespite our best laid plansDon't weSometimes miss what we hadAnd we struggleDon't weSometimes lose the reasonsBut in the peaceful morningWe can clearly seeWhere we've beenOh, and the tide pulls us out, alrightOh, and the tide pulls us out, alrightOh, when the tide brings us backHow sweet it is 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. She worked with director Colleen Murphy on the film Shoemaker (1996), for which she received a second Genie nomination for Best Actress. [citation needed] In 2005, Watson joined the cast of 24, playing CTU Director Erin Driscoll for 12 episodes of the show's fourth season. 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. She won a Gemini Award in 2010. 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). Her husband Ken was at her side. 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. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. [13] When her hair started to regrow, she sported the short haircut in her role as Madeline in the show's third season.[13]. 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. Want to discuss? "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. I think Im still in shock about @Alberta_Watsons death. Winter says Watson "died in the arms of her beloved Ken after a long and incredibly courageous battle.". 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. The Tony Award-nominated Broadway actor, 41, died in a hospital in Los Angeles after suffering severe medical complications after contracting the coronavirus. Canadian actress Alberta Watson has died after a long battle with cancer. Courtesy of Everett Collection. TV Actresses. ALBERTA WATSON won a Gemini (pretty much, a Canadian Emmy) to Best Performance by an Actress, Guest Role in a Dramatic Series, for her portrayal of Sarah Craven ('Where the Truth Lies', S4 E05, CBC's series Heartland). And I'm not a name with an image to protect. Faith Susan Alberta Watson (March 6, 1955 March 21, 2015), better known as Alberta Watson, was a Canadian film and television actress. Watson came closer to fame with the role of Madeline, the cunning force on the Canadian syndicated spy series La Femme Nikita, adapted from the 1990 Luc Besson film. She moved to Los Angeles and landed her first Hollywood role in Michael Manns 1983 horror film, The Keep. Watsons final credits included such Canadian and independent films as Some Things That Stay (2004), Citizen Duane (2006), A Lobster Tale (2006), and Sarah Polleys Genie-winning Away from Her (2006) opposite Gordon Pinsent, with whom she performed in Chris Landreths Genie-nominated animated short The Spine (2009). Alberta Watson, well known to television audiences for her Gemini CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. In 1998 Watson was diagnosed with lymphoma. 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. io. #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. Patrick Mullen is a writer, blogger, film critic, film festival programmer, and social media coordinator. 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. The role was turned down by several actresses such as Susan Sarandon, Jessica Lange and others. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). (Surnow was such a fan that he not only hired her again but also named a character in the series, Alberta Green, after her.) Her first major credit was in Robert Lantos and Claude Hrouxs In Praise of Older Women (1978). In her final performance, Watson played Senator Madeline Pierce when La Femme Nikita was rebooted as Nikita in 2010. U.K. agency missed chance to stop attack at Ariana Grandes Manchester concert: report, Travis Scott accused of assaulting nightclub worker, calls incident a misunderstanding. Get a roundup of the most important and intriguing national stories delivered to your inbox every weekday. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. 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. And I'm not a name with an image to protect. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. 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Audience Relations, CBC P.O. (Carlo. 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. Watson was diagnosed with lymphoma in 1998. She was nominated for Genie Awards for her work in 1978s In Praise of Older Women and 1996s Shoemaker. Watsons list of credits includes 24, The Newsroom and The Border as well as movies like Away from Her and The Sweet Hereafter. Watson began acting at age 15 with the Theater House of God at the Bathurst Street United Church in Toronto. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. Omissions? [13] Watson wore wigs in the show when she lost her hair. Many of Watsonspeers and fans took to Twitter to remember her. I took it because it was a heck of a challenge. 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. Watson earned a Gemini Award in 2011 for her guest role on Heartland. 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. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. 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. Watson gambled by playing the seductive mother in David O. Russells incest-tinged first feature, Spanking the Monkey (1994). Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. . Alberta Watson - IMDb She began performing with a local Toronto theatre group, T.H.O.G. It didn't scare me at all. Watson died on March 21, 2015 due to complications from cancer at Kensington Hospice in Toronto; she was 60 years old. Watson then played the grieving and lonely mother, Risa Walker, in Atom Egoyans critically acclaimed The Sweet Hereafter (1997). She was 60. Alberta Watson | Biography, Movies, TV Shows, & Facts I had the pleasure of working with her. lp Alternate titles: Faith Susan Alberta Watson. Watson played Erin Driscoll, head of the fictional intelligence agency that employs operative Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland). The subject was incest. After a long battle with cancer, Watson died at the age of 60 from complications of the disease. Corrections? RIP #AlbertaWatson. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. No details are available on a memorial service for Watson. 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. She was 60. Watson died on March 21, 2015, due to complications from cancer at Kensington Hospice in Toronto fifteen days after her 60th birthday.[14]. She was 60. zh. In 2008, Alberta Watson received a Career Achievement Award from the Boston-based Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film. Canadian actress Alberta Watson dies at 60 - Globalnews.ca It didn't scare me at all. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. The original version of this entry was published by When I had to talk to Alberta Watson on set of THE BORDER I was always nervous. She was a deeply disturbed woman with a roller coaster of emotions. 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. Best as Madeline in La Femme Nikita/Nikita. Madeleine is the most badass character ever. Renowned for her consistency and reliability, Watson was perhaps best known for the TV series La Femme Nikita (19972001) and 24 (200405), but she also gave memorable performances in David O. Russells Spanking the Monkey (1994), Atom Egoyans The Sweet Hereafter (1997), and John Cameron Mitchells Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001). Born in Toronto, Watson started out in acting with a local theater group, and by the 1970s had regular Canadian film and TV roles. She played Dr. Rebecca Myer in the 1980s Buck James TV series, and Erin Driscoll, the head of a counter-terrorist unit, in 24. Oh! Incredible char and actor. Lovely woman. Comments are welcome while open. 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). Yeeeehaaaa! She underwent treatment but continued to act prolifically, often wearing wigs to conceal the effects of chemotherapy. [3][8] Early in her career she portrayed the role of Mitzi in George Kaczender's[9] In Praise of Older Women (1978), for which she received a Genie nomination. A decade later, she had a recurring role as a different character (with the same first name) on the seriesNikita. [7], Watson got her first role at age 19 in a CBC movie called Honor Thy Father. Alberta Watson - Wikipedia 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. Heyn, Christopher. [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. 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 .