Sonja Smits (born September 8, 1958) is a Canadian actress. She was nominated for two

Genie Awards The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978), known as the "Etrog Awards" for sculpt ...

: for '' Videodrome'' (1983) and '' That's My Baby!'' (1984). On television, she starred in '' Street Legal'' (1987-1992) and '' Traders'' (1996-2000).

Life and career

Smits was born in the Ottawa Valley,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. She went to Bell High School in Bells Corners, she also attended Woodroffe High School and South Carleton High School in Richmond, a village outside

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. She studied acting at Ryerson Polytechnic Institute until she was invited to join the Centre Stage theatre company in

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

. Smits has played roles in many television series, including ''

Falcon Crest ''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera created by Earl Hamner Jr. that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Cha ...

'', '' Airwolf'', ''

Odyssey 5 ''Odyssey 5'' is a Canadian science fiction television series, which was shown in 2002 on Space in Canada and on Showtime in the United States. The premise involves five space travelers who witness the destruction of the Earth; they are given ...

'', '' The Outer Limits'', '' Street Legal'', '' Traders'', '' The Best Laid Plans'' and '' The Eleventh Hour''. Smits also played Bianca O'Blivion in the David Cronenberg horror movie '' Videodrome'' (1983) and was lead actress in 2021 drama film '' Drifting Snow''. She portrayed Mona Parsons in Heritage Minutes: Mona Parsons (Historica Canada) Smits is married to Atlantis Films co-founder Seaton McLean with whom she has two children. They live in the Rosedale neighbourhood of Toronto and are the owners of the Closson Chase winery in Prince Edward County. They also own a farm close to the winery. In 2009, Smits was elected president of the board of directors of the Harbourfront Centre. Smits has been nominated for five

Gemini Awards 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 th ...

, winning in 1988, and two

. She has also received the

ACTRA The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) is a Canadian trade union representing performers in English-language media. It has over 30,000 members working in film, television, radio, and all other recorded media. Th ...

Toronto Award of Excellence.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smits, Sonja 1958 births Living people Best Actress in a Drama Series Canadian Screen Award winners Canadian television actresses Canadian people of Dutch descent Actresses from Ontario Toronto Metropolitan University alumni