Lori Hallier (born July 8, 1959) 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 ...

film, stage, and television actress. She made her film debut in 1981, starring as Sarah Mercer in George Mihalka's

slasher film A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer or a group of killers stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic ...

'' My Bloody Valentine'' (1981). She subsequently starred in ''

Warning Sign A warning sign is a type of sign which indicates a potential hazard, obstacle, or condition requiring special attention. Some are traffic signs that indicate hazards on roads that may not be readily apparent to a driver. While warning traffic ...

'' (1985), '' Night of the Twisters'' (1996), '' My Name Is Tanino'' (2002), and '' Monte Walsh'' (2003). Hallier had a recurring role as Shannon Pressman in the television series '' Santa Barbara'' (1990). In 2017, Hallier portrayed Alice in the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

comedy film '' Christmas Inheritance''.

Early life

Hallier was born July 8, 1959, in Victoria,

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, to Gerry and Vivian Hallier. She has a sister, Kerry, and a brother, Dale. Hallier was raised in Victoria, where she attended the Reynolds Secondary School. She studied theatre for two years at the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay, British Columbia, Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1903 as Victoria College, British Columbia, Victoria Col ...

before graduating from the National Theatre School in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

in 1980.

Career

Hallier made her film debut as Sarah Mercer in the 1981 cult classic

'' My Bloody Valentine''. After filming ''My Bloody Valentine'' in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, Hallier returned to Victoria, where she appeared in stage productions for the Bastion Theatre Company, as well as a production of ''Names and Nicknames'' with Richard Margison. In 1982, Hallier appeared in a short-run Showtime

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

entitled ''Love at the Crossroads'', opposite George Touliatos, Eve Crawford, and Vivian Reis, in which she portrays Michelle, a starlet attempting to make it in Hollywood. A review of the series in the ''

Akron Beacon Journal The ''Akron Beacon Journal'' is a morning newspaper in Akron, Ohio, United States. Owned by Gannett, it is the sole daily newspaper in Akron and is distributed throughout Northeast Ohio. The paper's coverage focuses on local news. The Beacon Jo ...

'' dismissed the series, but noted: "Lori Hallier and Eve Crawford vindicate themselves despite the horrid script; their performances are better than those in most daytime soaps." The following year, she appeared in two episodes of the Canadian series '' Loving Friends and Perfect Couples'', after which she relocated to

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, California, to pursue further work in television. She made appearances on several 1980s American television series such as ''

The Dukes of Hazzard ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy television series created by Gy Waldron that aired on CBS from January 26, 1979, to February 8, 1985, with a total of seven seasons consisting of List of The Dukes of Hazzard episodes, 147 ...

'', '' Trapper John, M.D.'', and ''

Simon & Simon ''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who ope ...

''. In 1986, Hallier co-starred with

Harvey Keitel Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor and film producer, known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running associatio ...

in the thriller ''

Blindside Blindside, Blind Side or The Blind Side may refer to: Books * ''The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game'', a 2006 book about American football by Michael Lewis Films and television * Blindside (film), ''Blindside'' (film), a 1986 film starring Harvey ...

'', and in 1989, she appeared as Yvette on the popular soap opera ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that aired on the network NBC from November 8, 1965, to September 9, 2022; the soap has streamed n ...

'', following this role with a recurring role as Shannon Pressman on the daytime drama '' Santa Barbara'' in 1990. In 1996, Hallier appeared in the horror film '' Night of the Twisters''. After appearing in the television movies ''Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean'' and ''A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story'', Hallier became associated with supernatural and science fiction through her work on series such as '' Star Trek: Voyager'' and '' Poltergeist: The Legacy'' in 1997. In 2000, she portrayed Joanna Lanier in the television series '' In a Heartbeat''. That same year, she appeared in ''

Thomas and the Magic Railroad ''Thomas and the Magic Railroad'' is a 2000 children's fantasy adventure film written and directed by Britt Allcroft and produced by Allcroft and Phil Fehrle; the cast includes Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda, Mara Wilson, Didi Conn, Russell Mean ...

'' as the mother of Lily (played by

Mara Wilson Mara Elizabeth Wilson (born July 24, 1987) is an American actress. As a child, she played Natalie Hillard in the film ''Mrs. Doubtfire'' (1993) and went on to play Susan Walker in ''Miracle on 34th Street (1994 film), Miracle on 34th Street'' (19 ...

). In 2002, she was cast in the film '' My Name Is Tanino''. The following year, she starred in the popular Canadian program ''

Strange Days at Blake Holsey High ''Strange Days at Blake Holsey High'' (also known as ''Black Hole High'') is a science fiction television series which first aired in North America in October 2002 on Global TV. It is set at the fictional boarding school of the title, where a Sci ...

'', followed by a supporting role in the Western '' Monte Walsh'' (2003), opposite

Tom Selleck Thomas William Selleck (; born January 29, 1945) is an American actor. His breakout role was playing private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series ''Magnum, P.I.'' (1980–1988), for which he received five Emmy Award nominations fo ...

and

Isabella Rossellini Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (; born 18 June 1952) is an Italian actress and model. The daughter of Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and Italian film director Roberto Rossellini, she is noted for her successful tenure as a Lancôme ...

. In 2008, she appeared in a supporting role in the Canadian-produced miniseries ''The Summitt'', opposite

Bruce Greenwood Stuart Bruce Greenwood (born August 12, 1956) is a Canadian actor and producer. He has starred in five films by Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan and has been nominated for three Canadian Screen Awards, once for Best Actor for '' Elephant Song'' ...

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage and television. His accolades included an Academy Aw ...

, and Wendy Crewson. In 2017, Hallier portrayed Alice in the

comedy film '' Christmas Inheritance'', opposite Eliza Taylor,

Jake Lacy Jameson Griffin "Jake" Lacy (born February 14, 1985) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Pete Miller on the ninth and final season of ''The Office'', as Fran Parker in the fourth and fifth seasons of HBO's '' Girls'', and Sha ...

, and Andie MacDowell.

Personal life

Hallier lived in Los Angeles for 17 years after relocating there in the mid-1980s. In a 2009 interview, she recalled: "I went on a lark and drove around in a rented convertible and lived the high life. My hair turned white, my skin turned brown. I had big hair, shoulder pads, big earrings. The '80s were a fun time... ut Los Angelesis a torture chamber of expectations." As of 2009, she resided in

Toronto 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 ...

, Ontario.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Lori Hallier
at ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hallier, Lori 1959 births 20th-century Canadian actresses 21st-century Canadian actresses Actresses from Victoria, British Columbia Canadian film actresses Canadian television actresses Living people National Theatre School of Canada alumni University of Victoria alumni