Joan Orenstein (December 4, 1923 – October 10, 2009) was a British-born

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) 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 ...

actress, primarily on stage, although she performed in other media. One of her best-known roles was in the 1997 film '' The Hanging Garden'' as the dotty old grandmother, Grace.

Acting career

Joan Travell was born in 1923 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, and emigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

in the 1940s after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

.Orenstein, Joan
''Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia''. She acted across Canada but mostly acted for Halifax's Neptune Theatre. She also performed lead roles on most of the major Canadian stages, including the Centaur Theatre, the National Arts Centre, the Belfry Theatre, the Tarragon Theatre, Theatre Calgary, the Shaw Festival, the

Canadian Stage Canadian Stage is a non-profit contemporary performance arts company based in Toronto, Ontario, ''Canada''. About Canadian Stage Canadian Stage is one of Canada's largest not-for-profit contemporary theatre companies, based in Toronto, Ontari ...

and the Manitoba Theatre Centre. She also performed on television, in film, on radio and in the recording industry.

Family

She was married to

Henry Orenstein Henry Orenstein (born Henryk Orenstein; October 13, 1923 – December 14, 2021) was a Polish-born Jewish-American toymaker, professional poker player, entrepreneur and Holocaust survivor who resided in Verona, New Jersey. A survivor of five Na ...

, an artist and CBC production designer. They had five daughters, including actress Sarah Orenstein, a Dora Award winner, dancer Cia Tweel , designer Edie Orenstein, flutist Ruth Orenstein

Awards

Atlantic Film Festival

*Atlantic Canadian Award Best Acting - Female (winner) for: ''The Hanging Garden'' (1997) *Atlantic Canadian Award Outstanding Performance by an Actress (winner) for: ''The Event'' (2003)

Genie Awards

* Genie Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (nominated) for: ''The Hanging Garden'' (1997)

Theatre work

*Centaur Theatre **''Juno and the Paycock'' **''People Are Living There'' **''Stone Angel'' **''Road to Mecca'' **'' Albertine in Five Times'' **''

La Sagouine ''La Sagouine'' is a play written by New Brunswick author Antonine Maillet that tells the story of ''la Sagouine'', an Acadian cleaning lady from rural New Brunswick. The play is a collection of monologues, written in Acadian French Acadian F ...

'' * National Arts Centre **''Waiting for the Parade'' **''

Mother Courage Mother Courage (German ''Mutter Courage'') is a character from a Grimmelshausen novel ''Lebensbeschreibung der Ertzbetrügerin und Landstörtzerin Courasche'' (''The Runagate Courage'') dating from around 1670. The character had played a cameo r ...

'' **''

Ghosts A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to re ...

'' *Neptune Theatre **''Forever Yours'' **''Marie-Lou'' **''Memories of You'' *

**''Odd Jobs'' *Belfry Theatre **''The Magnificent Voyage of Emily Carr'' **''If We Are Women'' * Tarragon Theatre **''Mrs. Klein'' (with daughter Sarah Orenstein) * Theatre Calgary **''Transit of Venus'' * Shaw Festival **''

Mrs. Warren's Profession ''Mrs. Warren's Profession'' is a play written by George Bernard Shaw in 1893, and first performed in London in 1902. The play is about a former prostitute, now a madam ( brothel proprietor), who attempts to come to terms with her disapproving ...

'' **'' Hedda Gabler'' * Manitoba Theatre Centre **'' night, Mother'' *Vancouver East Cultural Centre **''Song of this Place'' (with daughter Sarah Orenstein)

Filmography

*'' Charlie Grant's War'' - 1985 *'' Henry & Verlin'' - 1994 *'' Never Too Late'' - 1996 *'' The Hanging Garden'' - 1997 *'' Emily of New Moon: Eye of Heaven & Storms of the Heart'' - 1998 *''Emily of New Moon: Paradise Lost & The Enchanted Doll'' - 1998 *''Emily of New Moon: The Wild Rover, The Ghost of Whyther Grange & A Child Shall Lead Them'' - 1998 *''Emily of New Moon: A Winter's Tale & The Sound of Silence'' - 1998 *''Baba's House'' - 2002 *''Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion'' - 2003 *'' The Event'' - 2003 *''Hunger Point'' - 2003

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Orenstein, Joan 1923 births 2009 deaths Canadian film actresses Canadian stage actresses Canadian television actresses British emigrants to Canada Actresses from London