Alberta Watson
Encyclopedia
Faith Susan Alberta Watson (born March 6, 1955), known professionally as Alberta Watson, is a Canadian
movie
and television series actress.
. She grew up in Toronto with her mother Grace, a factory worker, and her brother. She began performing with a local Toronto theater group, T.H.O.G. (Theater House of God), of the Bathurst Street United Church at age 15. She took a workshop for the Hair musical
. While doing this workshop she did Hamlet, which was directed by René Bonnière who later directed her in La Femme Nikita.
's In Praise of Older Women (1978), for which she received a Genie nomination
. A year later she received the Best Actress award at the Yorkton Film Festival
for "Exposure". She then moved Los Angeles, California
and later to New York City
.
Watson lived in New Jersey
for eight years with her husband until they divorced. She then returned to Toronto and focused on finding roles in independent films. She worked with director Colleen Murphy on the film Shoemaker (1996), for which she received a second Genie nomination for Best Actress
.
Among her well-known film roles are the bed-ridden mother Susan Aibelli in the 1994 American independent film Spanking the Monkey
, Lauren Murphy (the mother of Jonny Lee Miller's character Dade, aka "Crash Override"/"Zero Cool") in the 1995 cult film Hackers
, and Risa in the 1997 Academy Award nominated Canadian film The Sweet Hereafter
, directed by Atom Egoyan
.
In Spanking the Monkey, Watson plays her favorite character, a mother who has an incestuous relationship with her son. The role was turned down by several actresses such as Susan Sarandon
, Jessica Lange
and others. Watson has said:
Watson played the major role of Madeline in the TV series La Femme Nikita for four seasons from 1997–2001 (with guest appearances in the short fifth season). During the show's second season (in 1998), Watson was diagnosed with lymphoma
, for which she had to undergo chemotherapy
treatment which caused her to lose her hair. Producers at Nikita worked around her treatment and limited her appearances. Watson wore wigs in the show when she lost her hair. But, when her hair started to grow, she sported the short haircut in her role as Madeline in the show's third season.. In the season finale of Nikita
, the 2010 CW series based on the Luc Besson film rather than 1997 series, she played the role of the 'Senator' who is among the many public figures to privately fund the secret anti-terrorist organization known as Division.
Alberta Watson's first name inspired the character Alberta Green in the first season of 24
. In 2005, Watson joined the cast of 24, playing CTU Director Erin Driscoll for 12 episodes of the show's fourth season.
During 2007 and 2008, Watson played a supporting role in the Canadian television series The Border
as the Minister of Public Safety.
She is now cancer-free.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television series actress.
Early life
Alberta Watson was born in Toronto, Ontario, CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. She grew up in Toronto with her mother Grace, a factory worker, and her brother. She began performing with a local Toronto theater group, T.H.O.G. (Theater House of God), of the Bathurst Street United Church at age 15. She took a workshop for the Hair musical
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
. While doing this workshop she did Hamlet, which was directed by René Bonnière who later directed her in La Femme Nikita.
Acting career
Watson got her first role at age 19 in a CBC movie called Honor Thy Father. Early in her career she portrayed the role of Mitzi in George KaczenderGeorge Kaczender
George Kaczender is an Hungarian-born Canadian film director. He directed 26 films between 1963 and 2001.Kaczender left Hungary in 1956 as a political refugee after studying film and working as an Assistant Director at the Pannonina Film Studios in Budapest.Before coming to Los Angeles in the...
's In Praise of Older Women (1978), for which she received a Genie nomination
Genie Award
Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
. A year later she received the Best Actress award at the Yorkton Film Festival
Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival
The Yorkton Film Festival, also known as the Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival, is a film festival in Yorkton, Saskatchewan.It was Canada's first film festival and bills itself the as longest running film festival in North America. It was established in 1947 as the Yorkton Film Council, with...
for "Exposure". She then moved Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and later to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Watson lived in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
for eight years with her husband until they divorced. She then returned to Toronto and focused on finding roles in independent films. She worked with director Colleen Murphy on the film Shoemaker (1996), for which she received a second Genie nomination for Best Actress
18th Genie Awards
-Best Picture:*The Sweet Hereafter, Atom Egoyan and Camelia Frieberg, producers*Cosmos, Roger Frappier, producer*The Hanging Garden, Thom Fitzgerald and Louise Garfield, producers*Karmina, Nicole Robert, producer...
.
Among her well-known film roles are the bed-ridden mother Susan Aibelli in the 1994 American independent film Spanking the Monkey
Spanking the Monkey
Spanking the Monkey is a 1994 US independent black comedy written and directed by David O. Russell. The title of the movie is a slang phrase for masturbation and is used in the film by one of the teenage characters...
, Lauren Murphy (the mother of Jonny Lee Miller's character Dade, aka "Crash Override"/"Zero Cool") in the 1995 cult film Hackers
Hackers (film)
Hackers is a 1995 American thriller film directed by Iain Softley and starring Angelina Jolie, Jonny Lee Miller, Renoly Santiago, Matthew Lillard, Lorraine Bracco and Fisher Stevens...
, and Risa in the 1997 Academy Award nominated Canadian film The Sweet Hereafter
The Sweet Hereafter
The Sweet Hereafter is a 1991 novel by American author Russell Banks. It is set in a small town in the aftermath of a deadly school bus accident that has killed most of the town's children...
, directed by Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan, OC is a critically acclaimed Armenian-Canadian stage director and film director. Egoyan made his career breakthrough with Exotica...
.
In Spanking the Monkey, Watson plays her favorite character, a mother who has an incestuous relationship with her son. The role was turned down by several actresses such as Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon is an American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She had also been nominated for the award for four films before that and has received other recognition for her...
, Jessica Lange
Jessica Lange
Jessica Phyllis Lange is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. The recipient of several awards, including two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes and one Emmy, Lange is regarded as one of the première female actors of her generation.Lange was discovered by producer...
and others. Watson has said:
Watson played the major role of Madeline in the TV series La Femme Nikita for four seasons from 1997–2001 (with guest appearances in the short fifth season). During the show's second season (in 1998), Watson was diagnosed with lymphoma
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
, for which she had to undergo chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
treatment which caused her to lose her hair. Producers at Nikita worked around her treatment and limited her appearances. Watson wore wigs in the show when she lost her hair. But, when her hair started to grow, she sported the short haircut in her role as Madeline in the show's third season.. In the season finale of Nikita
Nikita (TV series)
La Femme Nikita is a Canadian action/drama television series based on the French film Nikita by Luc Besson. The series was co-produced by Jay Firestone of Fireworks Entertainment and Warner Brothers. It was adapted for television by Joel Surnow...
, the 2010 CW series based on the Luc Besson film rather than 1997 series, she played the role of the 'Senator' who is among the many public figures to privately fund the secret anti-terrorist organization known as Division.
Alberta Watson's first name inspired the character Alberta Green in the first season of 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
. In 2005, Watson joined the cast of 24, playing CTU Director Erin Driscoll for 12 episodes of the show's fourth season.
During 2007 and 2008, Watson played a supporting role in the Canadian television series The Border
The Border (TV series)
The Border is a Canadian drama airing on CBC Television and 20 other TV networks worldwide. It was created by Peter Raymont, Lindalee Tracey, Janet MacLean and Jeremy Hole of White Pine Pictures. The Executive in Charge of Production is Janice Dawe. Episodes in the first season were directed by...
as the Minister of Public Safety.
She is now cancer-free.
Filmography
- NikitaNikita (TV series)La Femme Nikita is a Canadian action/drama television series based on the French film Nikita by Luc Besson. The series was co-produced by Jay Firestone of Fireworks Entertainment and Warner Brothers. It was adapted for television by Joel Surnow...
(2011)... as Madeline Pierce - HeartlandHeartland (Canadian TV series)Heartland is a Canadian television drama series which debuted on CBC Television on October 14, 2007. The series is loosely based on the Heartland books by Lauren Brooke....
(2010)...as Sarah Craven - The SpineThe SpineThe Spine is the tenth full-length studio album by They Might Be Giants. The album was released on July 5, 2004 in the UK, and July 13 in the U.S.....
(2009)...as Mary Rutherford - Growing Op (2008)... as Marilla
- HelenHelen (film)Helen is a 2009 drama starring Ashley Judd and directed by Sandra Nettelbeck. It follows a professor who overcomes severe depression after a massive breakdown, with the help of new friend Matilda...
(2008)... as Dr.Sherman - The BorderThe Border (TV series)The Border is a Canadian drama airing on CBC Television and 20 other TV networks worldwide. It was created by Peter Raymont, Lindalee Tracey, Janet MacLean and Jeremy Hole of White Pine Pictures. The Executive in Charge of Production is Janice Dawe. Episodes in the first season were directed by...
(2007) ... as Suzanne Fleischer - A Lobster Tale (2006) ... as Martha Brewer
- 2424 (season 4)Season Four, also known as Day 4 of the television series 24 premiered on January 9, 2005 and aired its season finale on May 23, 2005.The Season Four storyline starts and ends at 7:00 am....
(2005) ... as Erin Driscoll - The Prince and MeThe Prince and MeThe Prince and Me is a 2004 romantic comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge, and starring Julia Stiles, Luke Mably, and Ben Miller, with Miranda Richardson, James Fox, and Alberta Watson...
(2004) ... as Amy Morgan - Puppets Who KillPuppets Who KillPuppets Who Kill is a Canadian television comedy programme co-produced by The Comedy Network. It premiered in Canada on the Comedy Network in 2002, and in Australia on The Comedy Channel in 2004....
("Bill Sue's") (2004) ... as Judge - The NewsroomThe NewsroomThe Newsroom is a Canadian television comedy-drama series which ran on CBC Television in the 1996-97, 2003–04 and 2004-05 seasons. A two-hour television movie, Escape from the Newsroom, was broadcast in 2002....
(2004) ... as Susan - 1-800-Missing1-800-MissingMissing is a Canadian-American crime drama television series based on the 1-800-WHERE-R-YOU book series by Meg Cabot...
(2003) (pilot) ... Mrs. Mastriani - Irish Eyes (2002) ... as Anne Phelan
- TartTart (film)Tart is a 2001 coming of age film starring Dominique Swain, Bijou Phillips, and Brad Renfro. Phillips and Renfro both starred in the 2001 film Bully.-Plot:...
(2001) ... as Lily Storm - Hedwig and the Angry InchHedwig and the Angry Inch (film)Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a 2001 American musical comedy-drama film based on the stage musical of the same title about a fictional rock band fronted by an East German transgender singer. The film was adapted and directed by John Cameron Mitchell, who also portrayed the title role...
(2001) ... as Hansel's Mom/Hedwig Schmitt - La Femme Nikita (1997–2001) ... as Madeline
- DeeplyDeeplyDeeply is a 2000 movie directed by Sheri Elwood, starring Julia Brendler, Lynn Redgrave and Kirsten Dunst.-Synopsis:Claire McKay —having suffered the death of her boyfriend—is brought by her mother to Ironbound Island in the hopes that time away from the city will allow her to recover emotionally...
(2000) ... as Fiona McKay - The Sweet HereafterThe Sweet HereafterThe Sweet Hereafter is a 1991 novel by American author Russell Banks. It is set in a small town in the aftermath of a deadly school bus accident that has killed most of the town's children...
(1997) ... as Risa - Giant MineGiant Mine (film)Giant Mine was a Canadian television film, which dramatized the events of the 1992 Giant Mine labour dispute and the subsequent bomb explosion which killed nine replacement workers...
(1996) ... as Peggy Witte - Sweet Angel MineSweet Angel MineSweet Angel Mine is a 1996 thriller directed by Curtis Radclyffe-Synopsis:Paul, a young man from London, arrives in the small Nova Scotia town of Milestone, where his long lost father was last seen years earlier. Paul is eager to find out what brought his father to this remote community...
(1996) ... as Megan - Gotti (1996) ... as Victoria Gotti
- HackersHackers (film)Hackers is a 1995 American thriller film directed by Iain Softley and starring Angelina Jolie, Jonny Lee Miller, Renoly Santiago, Matthew Lillard, Lorraine Bracco and Fisher Stevens...
(1995) ... as Lauren Murphy - The Outer LimitsIf These Walls Could Talk (episode)"If These Walls Could Talk" is an episode of The Outer Limits television show. It first aired on 30 July 1995, during the first season.-Introduction:...
(1995) ... as Lynda Tillman - Spanking the MonkeySpanking the MonkeySpanking the Monkey is a 1994 US independent black comedy written and directed by David O. Russell. The title of the movie is a slang phrase for masturbation and is used in the film by one of the teenage characters...
(1994) ... as Susan Aibelli - Law & OrderLaw & OrderLaw & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
("His Hour Upon the Stage") (1991) ... as Hanley, ("Skin Deep") (1992) ... as Angela Brandt - Street LegalStreet Legal (TV series)Street Legal is a Canadian television series, which aired on CBC Television from 1987 to 1994.-Synopsis:A spinoff from the 1985 television movie Shellgame, Street Legal focused on the professional and private lives of the partners in a small Toronto, Ontario law firm, Barr, Robinovitch and Tchobanian...
("Tango Bellarosa") (1987) ... as Mercedes Puentes, ("Partners and Other Strangers") (1989) ... as Maria Lopez - Red Earth, White Earth (1987)
- The EqualizerThe EqualizerThe Equalizer is an American television series that ran for four seasons, initially on CBS, between 1985 and 1989. It starred Edward Woodward as an aging New York vigilante with a mysterious past...
("The Distant Fire") (1985) ... as Carla Holden - The Hitchhiker ("Remembering Melody") (1984) ... as Jill Friedlander
- Hill Street BluesHill Street BluesHill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
("Fuched Again") (1984) ... as Prostitute - The KeepThe Keep (film)The Keep is a 1983 horror film directed by Michael Mann and starring Scott Glenn, Gabriel Byrne, Jürgen Prochnow, Alberta Watson and Ian McKellen. It was released by Paramount Pictures. The story is based on the F...
(1983) ... as Eva Cuza - The SoldierThe Soldier (film)The Soldier is a 1982 action film directed by James Glickenhaus and starring Ken Wahl. The film also features Klaus Kinski, Alberta Watson and a cameo by country music superstar George Strait.-Cast:...
(1982) ... as Susan Goodman - King of KensingtonKing of KensingtonKing of Kensington was a Canadian television sitcom which aired on CBC Television from 1975 to 1980.The show starred Al Waxman as Larry King, a convenience store owner in Toronto's Kensington Market who was known for helping friends and neighbours solve problems. His multicultural group of friends...
("War and Peace") (1980) ... as Mitzi - In Praise of Older Women (1978) ... as Mitzi