Karen Robinson (born February 29, 1968) is a Canadian actress. She won the
Canadian Screen Award
The Canadian Screen Awards () are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series) productions. Given annually by the Academy ...
for Best Performance in a Guest Role in a Drama Series at the
Schitt's Creek
''Schitt's Creek'' (stylized as ''Schitt$ Creek'') is a Canadian television sitcom created by Dan Levy (Canadian actor), Dan Levy and his father, Eugene Levy, that aired on CBC Television from 2015 to 2020. It consists of 80 episodes spread ove ...
'' cast.
Early life
Born in England, raised in
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
, Robinson moved to
Drumheller
Drumheller is a town on the Red Deer River in the badlands of east-central Alberta, Canada. It is located northeast of Calgary and south of Stettler. The Drumheller portion of the Red Deer River valley, often referred to as Dinosaur Vall ...
,
Alberta
Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
with her family as a teenager. She was active in the arts in childhood, including singing in choirs, acting in school plays and reciting at poetry readings, and studied communication and theatre at
Mount Royal College
Mount Royal University (MRU) is a public university in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Originally “Mount Royal College,” Mount Royal University was granted university status in 2009 by the provincial government. The university has an average class s ...
in
Calgary
Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
before beginning to work as a professional actress in the early 1990s.
Theatrical work
On stage, she originated the role of
Marie-Joseph Angélique
Marie-Josèphe dite Angélique (died June 21, 1734) was the name given to a Portuguese-born black slave in New France by her last owners. She was tried and convicted of setting fire to her owner's home, burning much of what is now referred to as ...
in
Lorena Gale
Lorena Gale (May 9, 1958 – June 21, 2009) was a Canadian actress, playwright and theatre director. She was active onstage and in films and television since the 1980s. She also authored two award-winning plays, ''Angélique'' and ''Je me so ...
's play ''Angélique'' in 1998, for which she received a Betty Mitchell Award nomination for Best Actress in 1998."ATP leads awards parade". ''
Calgary Herald
The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network.
History
''The C ...
'', July 18, 1998. In 2003, she originated the role of Lily in the
Stratford Festival
The Stratford Festival is a repertory theatre organization that operates 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 Shak ...
production of
Timothy Findley
Timothy Irving Frederick Findley, (October 30, 1930 – June 20, 2002) was a Canadian novelist and playwright.
's play ''Shadows''; the following year, she played
Clytemnestra
Clytemnestra (, ; , ), in Greek mythology, was the wife of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, and the half-sister of Helen of Sparta. In Aeschylus' ''Oresteia'', she murders Agamemnon – said by Euripides to be her second husband – and the Trojan p ...
in three concurrent plays,
Aeschylus
Aeschylus (, ; ; /524 – /455 BC) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek tragedy, tragedian often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek tragedy is large ...
's ''
Agamemnon
In Greek mythology, Agamemnon (; ''Agamémnōn'') was a king of Mycenae who commanded the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans during the Trojan War. He was the son (or grandson) of King Atreus and Queen Aerope, the brother of Menelaus, the husband of C ...
'',
Jean Giraudoux
Hippolyte Jean Giraudoux (; ; 29 October 1882 – 31 January 1944) was a French novelist, essayist, diplomat and playwright. He is considered among the most important French dramatists of the period between World War I and World War II.
His wo ...
's ''
Electra
Electra, also spelt Elektra (; ; ), is one of the most popular Greek mythology, mythological characters in tragedies.Evans (1970), p. 79 She is the main character in two Greek tragedies, ''Electra (Sophocles play), Electra'' by Sophocles and ''Ele ...
'' and
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...
's ''
The Flies
''The Flies'' () is a play by Jean-Paul Sartre, produced in 1943. It is an adaptation of the Electra myth, previously used by the Greek playwrights Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides.
The play recounts the story of Orestes and his sister E ...
''. In 2006, she received a
Dora Mavor Moore Award
The Dora Mavor Moore Awards (also known as the Dora Awards or the Doras) are awards presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), honouring theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moor ...
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''
The Tempest
''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...
'', and won the
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award
The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award (also known as the Sterling Award) is a local Edmonton, Alberta award presented annually which honours excellence in theatre. The award covers a number of categories, including production, performance, direction ...
for Best Supporting Actress in a Play for her performance as Mrs. Muller in the
Citadel Theatre
The Citadel Theatre is the major venue for theatre arts in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, located in the city's downtown core on Churchill Square. It is the third largest regional theatre in Canada.
History
It began in a former Salvati ...
production of
John Patrick Shanley
John Patrick Shanley (born October 13, 1950) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and director. He won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film ''Moonstruck''. His play, '' Doubt: A Parable'', won the 2005 Pulitzer Pri ...
's ''Doubt''."Ovation for excellence in theatre". ''
Edmonton Journal
The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Postmedia Network.
History
The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunn ...
'', June 23, 2009.
She has also appeared in productions of M. NourbeSe Philip's ''Coups and Calypsos'', George F. Walker's ''Problem Child'', Shakespeare's ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream
''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...
'',
Djanet Sears
Djanet Sears is a Canadian playwright, nationally recognized for her work in African-Canadian theatre. Sears has many credits in writing and editing highly acclaimed dramas such as ''Afrika Solo'', the first stage play to be written by a Canadian ...
's ''Harlem Duet'', Beth Graham's ''The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble'' and
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
's ''
The Importance of Being Earnest
''The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde, the last of his four drawing-room plays, following ''Lady Windermere's Fan'' (1892), ''A Woman of No Importance'' (1893) and ''An Ideal Husban ...
''.
Film and television
Her film appearances have included ''
Against the Ropes
Against may refer to:
* ''Against'' (album), 1998 album by Brazilian metal band Sepultura
** "Against" (song) the title track song from the Sepultura album
*Against (American band)
Against (styled as AgainST) were an American crossover thras ...
'', ''
Love, Sex and Eating the Bones
''Love, Sex and Eating the Bones'' is a 2003 Canadian romantic comedy film directed and written by Sudz Sutherland, featuring a mostly African American and Black Canadian leading cast. It premiered and played twice at the 2003 Toronto Internation ...
Owning Mahowny
''Owning Mahowny'' is a 2003 Canadian film starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Minnie Driver, Maury Chaykin and John Hurt. The film is based on the true story of Brian Molony, a Toronto bank employee who embezzled more than $10 million to feed his g ...
'', ''
Short Hymn, Silent War
''Short Hymn, Silent War'' is a 2002 Canadian short drama film, directed by Charles Officer. The film centres on four Black Canadian women coping with an epidemic of gun violence in their community.
The film's cast includes Ngozi Paul, Mpho Ko ...
'', ''
Lars and the Real Girl
''Lars and the Real Girl'' is a 2007 American comedy-drama film written by Nancy Oliver and directed by Craig Gillespie. The film stars Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner, and Patricia Clarkson. Its plot follows Lars, ...
'', '' Final Jeopardy'' and '' Defund''. My Louisiana Sky(2001)
On television, she has had regular roles as Carlos's mother in '' The Line'', Ingrid Evans in ''
King
King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
'', Hani Suleman in ''
Shoot the Messenger
"Shooting the messenger" (also "killing the messenger", "attacking the messenger", "blaming the bearer of bad tidings", or "blaming the doom monger") is a metaphoric phrase used to describe the act of blaming the bearer of bad news, despite the ...
'', Mildred Clarke in ''
Frankie Drake Mysteries
''Frankie Drake Mysteries'' is a Canadian drama that ran on CBC Television from November 6, 2017 to March 8, 2021. The series stars Lauren Lee Smith and Chantel Riley as Frankie Drake and her partner Trudy Clarke who run an all-female privat ...
'' and Ronnie Lee in ''
Schitt's Creek
''Schitt's Creek'' (stylized as ''Schitt$ Creek'') is a Canadian television sitcom created by Dan Levy (Canadian actor), Dan Levy and his father, Eugene Levy, that aired on CBC Television from 2015 to 2020. It consists of 80 episodes spread ove ...
''. She appeared in season 1, episode 2 of ''
The Handmaid's Tale
''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a futuristic dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England in a patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state known as the Republic of Gilead, which has ...
Al Roker
Albert Lincoln Roker Jr. (born August 20, 1954) is an American weather presenter, journalist, television personality, and author. He is the weather anchor on NBC's ''Today'', and occasionally co-hosts '' 3rd Hour Today''. He has a lapsed Ameri ...
. She received a
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in t ...
nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Film or Miniseries at the
26th Gemini Awards
The 26th Gemini Awards was held on September 7, 2011 to honour achievements in Canadian television. The ceremony was broadcast live from the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto, and aired on CBC Television. The show was hosted by Russell Pet ...
Tiny Pretty Things
''Tiny Pretty Things'' is an American drama television series based on the novel of the same name by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton, created by Michael MacLennan. It premiered on Netflix on December 14, 2020, and aired for one season.
...
'', and in the drama series ''
Pretty Hard Cases
''Pretty Hard Cases'' is a Canadian police procedural crime comedy-drama television series that premiered on CBC Television on February 3, 2021. Originally announced with the working title ''Lady Dicks'', the series was created by Tassie Camero ...
''. She also has a recurring role in season 3 of ''
A Million Little Things
''A Million Little Things'' is an American family drama television series created by DJ Nash for ABC. Produced by ABC Signature and Kapital Entertainment, it features an ensemble cast including David Giuntoli, Grace Park, Romany Malco, Chris ...
''. In 2021 she had a recurring role as Margarita Vee in the ''
Titans
In Greek mythology, the Titans ( ; ) were the pre-Twelve Olympians, Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Sky) and Gaia (Earth). The six male ...
Deadline Hollywood
''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...