Frances Hyland (April 25, 1927 – July 11, 2004) was a

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 ...

stage, film and television actress. She earned recognition for roles on stage (including ten seasons with

Stratford Festival The Stratford Festival is a theatre festival which runs from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shakespearean Festival ...

) and screen (including her performance as Nanny Louisa on ''

Road to Avonlea ''Road to Avonlea'' is a Canadian television series first broadcast in Canada between January 7, 1990, and March 31, 1996, as part of the ''CBC Family Hour'' anthology series, and in the United States starting on March 5, 1990. It was created b ...

''). Honoured with the

Governor General's Performing Arts Award A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

in 1994, she was called "the first lady of Canadian theatre".

Early life and education

Hyland was born in 1927 in

Shaunavon, Saskatchewan Shaunavon (, ) is a town in southwest Saskatchewan. At the junction of Highways 37 and 13, it is 110 kilometres from Swift Current, 163 kilometres from the Alberta border, and 74 kilometres from the Montana border. Shaunavon was establi ...

, a small town south-west of

Swift Current Swift Current is the fifth largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is situated along the Trans Canada Highway west of Moose Jaw, and east of Medicine Hat, Alberta. Swift Current grew 6.8% between 2011 and 2016, ending up at ...

, to Jessie (née Worden), a teacher, and Thomas Hyland, a salesman. She lived there until her parents divorced when she was one year old. She was raised by her mother's family in

Ogema, Saskatchewan Ogema is a town with a population of 403 located in south Central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is approximately south of Saskatchewan's capital city, Regina, and about midway between Weyburn and Assiniboia on Saskatchewan Highway 13. History The ...

. When she was seven, she moved to Regina when her parents tried, and failed, to save their marriage. She had no relationship with her father after 1937. Her mother put herself through teacher's college to support her daughter's acting career. Hyland's dreams were clouded because her family did not have a great deal of money, thus she was unable to get an adequate education. Nevertheless, she always believed that she could achieve her dreams. Hyland graduated in 1948 from the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

with a BA in English. She earned a scholarship to and graduated from the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sena ...

in London. Hyland married

George McCowan George McCowan (June 27, 1927 – November 1, 1995) was a Canadian film and television director in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. McCowan began his career working for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He worked as an actor and director fo ...

, a fellow Canadian actor and director. They had a son, Evan, in 1957. The couple separated shortly after.

Career

After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Hyland made her professional debut in London in 1950, as Stella in ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of pe ...

.'' In 1954, she returned to Canada to perform as Isabella in the

production of Shakespeare's ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604, according to available records. It was published in the ''First Folio'' of 1623. The play's plot features its ...

.'' She became a regular at the festival, performing in ten seasons. Her roles there included Isabella (in ''

''), Portia (in ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

''), Olivia (in ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins V ...

''), Perdita (in ''

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some cri ...

''),

Desdemona Desdemona () is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello, a Moorish Venetian ...

(in ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cyp ...

'') and Ophelia in (in ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depi ...

''). She directed the Stratford Festival's 1979 production of ''Othello''. She also performed with the

Shaw Festival The Shaw Festival is a not-for-profit theatre festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. It is the second largest repertory theatre company in North America. The Shaw Festival was founded in 1962. Originally, it only featured production ...

and on Broadway (opposite Tony Perkins in ''

Look Homeward, Angel ''Look Homeward, Angel: A Story of the Buried Life'' is a 1929 novel by Thomas Wolfe. It is Wolfe's first novel, and is considered a highly autobiographical American coming-of-age story. The character of Eugene Gant is generally believed to be ...

''). On television, Hyland co-starred on ''

The Albertans ''The Albertans'' is a Canadian dramatic television miniseries that aired on CBC Television in 1979. Premise The drama resembled a Canadian version of ''Dallas'', with the plot involving the cattle ranching and petroleum industries, eco-terrori ...

'' and played Nanny Louisa on ''

.'' Hyland was considered a "champion" of Canadian actors' campaign for higher status and pay.

Awards and honours

In 1970, Hyland was appointed an

Officer of the Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

. In 1994, Hyland received the

, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts, for her lifetime contribution to Canadian theatre.

Filmography

Movies

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hyland, Frances 1927 births 2004 deaths Canadian film actresses Canadian stage actresses Deaths from respiratory failure Officers of the Order of Canada People from Shaunavon, Saskatchewan Actresses from Saskatchewan University of Saskatchewan alumni Governor General's Performing Arts Award winners Canadian Shakespearean actresses