Ann-Marie MacDonald (born October 29, 1958) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

, author, actress, and

broadcast Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...

host who lives in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Life and career

MacDonald is the daughter of a member of Canada's military; she was born at an air force base near

Baden-Baden Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

. She is of partial Lebanese descent through her mother. MacDonald won the

Commonwealth Writers Prize Commonwealth Foundation has presented a number of prizes since 1987. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Best First ...

for her first novel, ''

Fall on Your Knees ''Fall on Your Knees'' is a 1996 novel by Canadian playwright, actor and novelist Ann-Marie MacDonald. The novel takes place in late 19th and early 20th centuries and chronicles four generations of the complex Piper Family. It is a story of "in ...

'' (1996), which was selected for

Oprah Winfrey's Book Club Oprah's Book Club was a book discussion club segment of the American talk show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey started the book club in 1996, selecting a new book, usually a novel, for viewers ...

in January 2002. MacDonald received the Governor General's Award for Drama, the

Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award The Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award was a Canadian literary award given to Canadian plays produced by any professional Canadian theatre company, and having performances in the Toronto area. The prize had a monetary value of $25,000, and wa ...

, and the

Canadian Authors Association The Canadian Authors Association is Canada's oldest association for writers and authors. The organization has published several periodicals, organized local chapters and events for Canadian writers, and sponsors writing awards, including the Gover ...

Drama Award for her play, ''

Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) ''Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)'' is a 1988 comedic play by Ann-Marie MacDonald in which Constance Ledbelly, a young English literature professor from Queen's University, goes on a subconscious journey of self-discovery. Constanc ...

''. MacDonald hosted the

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

documentary series '' Life and Times'' for seven seasons. MacDonald also hosted CBC's flagship documentary program, ''

Doc Zone ''Doc Zone'' was a documentary series on CBC Television which showed both independently produced and in-house productions. It was presented by the author, actor and playwright Ann-Marie MacDonald. The series started in 2006 and concluded in 2015, ...

'' for eight seasons. She appeared in the films ''

I've Heard the Mermaids Singing Ive or IVE may refer to: Music * Ive (group), a South Korean girl group * I've Sound (aka "I've"), a Japanese musical group People * Ive (given name), a Croatian and Slovenian given name * Bert Ive (1875–1939), British-born Australian cinemato ...

'' and ''

Better Than Chocolate ''Better Than Chocolate'' is a 1999 Canadian romantic comedy film shot in Vancouver and directed by Anne Wheeler. Plot Maggie ( Karyn Dwyer) has moved out on her own and has started a relationship with Kim ( Christina Cox). Maggie's mother Lil ...

'', among others. MacDonald's 2003 novel, '' The Way the Crow Flies'', was partly inspired by the

Steven Truscott Steven Murray Truscott (born January 18, 1945) is a Canadian man who, at age fourteen, was convicted and sentenced to death in 1959 for the rape and murder of classmate Lynne Harper. Truscott had been the last known person to see her alive. He wa ...

case. Her third novel '' Adult Onset'' was released in 2014 and has been translated into five languages. Her fourth novel ''Fayne'' was published in 2022. She was the inaugural Mordecai Richler Reading Room Writer in Residence at

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

, and she coaches students in the Acting and Playwriting Programs at the

National Theatre School of Canada The National Theatre School of Canada (NTS, ) is a private institution of professional theatre studies in Montreal, Quebec. Established in 1960, the NTS receives its principal funding from grants awarded by the Government of Canada and cultural ...

. In 2008, MacDonald was awarded an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

of humanities by the

University of Windsor The University of Windsor (UWindsor, U of W, or UWin) is a public university, public research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has approximately 17,500 students. The university was incorporated by ...

. In May 2015, MacDonald was the "big-name author" and "public face" of the inaugural Canadian Authors for Indies Day, organized to bring attention to

independent bookstores An independent bookstore is a retail bookstore which is independently owned. Usually, independent stores consist of only a single actual store (although there are some multi-store independents). They may be structured as sole proprietorships, ...

across the country. Nearly 100 stores and 270 authors participated in the nationwide event. In December 2018, MacDonald was named as an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

, in recognition of "her multi-faceted contributions to the arts in Canada and for her advocacy of

LGBTQ+ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group i ...

and

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

". In 2019, MacDonald was diagnosed with seronegative

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects synovial joint, joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and h ...

, which affected every aspect of her life, including work. She finished her novel ''Fayne'' while strapped to a chair in order to be able to type. Her illness caused the novel's completion to be delayed by a year. As of 2023, she is symptom-free. MacDonald is married to the Canadian playwright and theatre director

Alisa Palmer Alisa Palmer is a Canadian theatre director and playwright. She was the artistic director of Nightwood Theatre from 1993 to 2001. Palmer served as the artistic director of the English section of the National Theatre School of Canada for eleven ye ...

Works

Theatre

* '' This is For You, Anna'' - 1983 (play, collective creation) * ''Nancy Drew, The Case of the Missing Mother'' - 1984 (play, co-authored with

Beverley Cooper Beverley Cooper is a Canadian actor, director, dramaturg, and playwright who works in film, radio, television, and theatre. Acting Cooper trained in acting and graduated from Studio 58 in Vancouver in 1979. In 1982, ''Toronto Star'' critic Gina ...

) * ''Clue in the Fast Lane'' - 1985 (play, co-authored with Beverley Cooper) * ''

'' – 1988 (play) * '' The Arab's Mouth'' – 1990 (play) * '' Nigredo Hotel'' – 1992 (opera libretto) * ''

The Attic, the Pearls and Three Fine Girls ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' ...

'' – 1995 (play, co-authored with Jennifer Brewin, Martha Ross, Leah Cherniak, and

) * ''

Anything That Moves ''Anything That Moves'' was a literary, journalistic, and topical magazine published in the United States from 1990 to 2001. The magazine's mission was to confront and redefine concepts of sexuality and gender, to defy stereotypes and broad defi ...

'' – 2000 (book and lyrics for musical) * '' Belle Moral'' – 2005 (play; a substantially revised version of ''The Arab's Mouth'' (above))

Novels

* ''

'' (1996) * '' The Way the Crow Flies'' (2003) * '' Adult Onset'' (2014) * ''Fayne'' (2022)

Filmography

Films

* ''

The Wars ''The Wars'' is a 1977 novel by Timothy Findley that follows Robert Ross, a nineteen-year-old Canadian who enlists in World War I after the death of his beloved older sister in an attempt to escape both his grief and the social norms of oppressiv ...

'' (1983) * '' Unfinished Business'' (1984) * ''

'' (1987) * ''

Where the Spirit Lives ''Where the Spirit Lives'' is a 1989 television film about Aboriginal children in Canada being taken from their tribes to attend residential schools for assimilation into majority culture. Written by Keith Ross Leckie and directed by Bruce P ...

'' (1989) * '' Where the Heart Is'' (1990) * ''

Paint Cans ''Paint Cans'' is a 1994 Canadian comedy film written, produced and directed by Paul Donovan and based on his book of the same name. A satire of Canadian film and television production, the film stars Chas Lawther as Wick Burns, a bureaucrat in t ...

'' (1994) * '' Getting Away with Murder'' (1996) * ''

'' (1999) * ''The Girlfriend Interviews'' (short, 2001) * ''Interviews with My Next Girlfriend'' (short, 2002)

Television (as actress or host)

* '' Rubberface'' (TV movie, 1981) * ''Mafia Princess'' (TV movie, 1986) * '' Hot Shots'' (TV series, 1986) * ''

Airwolf ''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series. It centers on a high-technology attack helicopter, code-named '' Airwolf'', and its crew. They undertake various exotic missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War the ...

'' (TV series, 1987) * ''

Adderly ''Adderly'' is a Canadian television adventure-drama series which aired from 1986 to 1988. It was broadcast on both Canadian TV and on CBS in the United States. It starred Vancouver-born Winston Rekert as "charming and witty V. H. Adderly," an o ...

'' (TV series, 1987) * ''

Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future ''Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future'' is a science fiction-action television series, merging live action with animation based on computer-generated images, that ran for 22 episodes in Canadian and American syndication. A toy line was ...

'' (TV series, 1987) * ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' (TV series, 1987–1989) * ''

Diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of electricity, and insol ...

'' (TV series, 1988) * '' Rin Tin Tin: K-9 Cop'' (TV series, 1988–1991) * '' Street Legal'' (TV series, 1990) * '' Beyond Reality'' (TV series, 1991–1992) * ''

E.N.G. ''E.N.G.'' is a Canadian television drama, following the staff of a fictional Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capi ...

'' (TV series, 1992–1993) * '' Shattered Trust: The Shari Karney Story'' (TV movie, 1993) * '' The Babymaker: The Dr. Cecil Jacobson Story'' (TV movie, 1994) * ''

Due South ''Due South'' is a Canadian crime comedy-drama television series created by Paul Haggis, and produced by Alliance Communications from its premiere on April 23, 1994, to its conclusion after four seasons on March 14, 1999. The series starred P ...

'' (TV series, 1995) * ''Friends at Last'' (TV movie, 1995) * ''Her Desperate Choice'' (TV movie, 1996) * '' Life and Times'' (TV documentary series host, 1996–2006) * ''Too Close to Home'' (TV movie, 1997) * ''A Taste of Shakespeare'' (TV series, 1997) * '' The Industry'' (TV series, 2003) * ''The Unsexing of Emma Edmonds'' (TV movie, 2004) * ''

The L Word ''The L Word'' is a television drama series that aired on Showtime in the United States from 2004 to 2009. The series follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The premise originated wit ...

'' (TV series, 2006) * ''

Slings & Arrows ''Slings & Arrows'' is a Canadian television series set at the fictional New Burbage Festival, a Shakespearean festival similar to the real-world Stratford Festival. It stars Paul Gross, Stephen Ouimette and Martha Burns. Rachel McAdams appeared ...

'' (TV series, 2006) * ''

'' (TV documentary series host, 2009–2015)

Television (as writer)

* '' Street Legal'' (TV series, 1988) * '' Beyond Reality'' (TV series, 1992) * ''

Ready or Not Ready or Not may refer to: Film and television * ''Ready or Not'' (2009 film), an American comedy film * ''Ready or Not'' (2019 film), an American comedy horror film * ''Ready or Not'' (British TV series), a 2018 comedy game show * ''Ready or ...

'' (TV series, 1994–1995)

References

External links

Ann-Marie MacDonald official websiteAnn-Marie MacDonald's
entry in

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

*
Publisher's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Ann-Marie 1958 births Living people Canadian women dramatists and playwrights Canadian film actresses Canadian women novelists Canadian television hosts Governor General's Award–winning dramatists Canadian lesbian actresses Canadian lesbian writers Canadian LGBTQ broadcasters 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists Canadian LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights Canadian LGBTQ novelists Officers of the Order of Canada People from Baden-Baden 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers Canadian people of Lebanese descent Canadian expatriates in Germany Expatriate actresses in Germany Canadian women television personalities Canadian women television journalists Canadian women television hosts Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Canadian Screen Award winners 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people Lesbian dramatists and playwrights Lesbian novelists Actresses from Baden-Württemberg Actresses from Toronto

Life and career

Works

Theatre

Novels

Filmography

Films

Television (as actress or host)

Television (as writer)

See also

References

External links