Charmion King
Encyclopedia
Charmion King was one of Canada
's leading actresses.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, she was part of the country's burgeoning theatre and television scene in the decade of the 1950s. Fresh out of the University of Toronto
's Hart House, she quickly became known for her fresh beauty and roles at the new Crest Theatre and their Straw Hat Players summer circuit in the Muskoka Lake district.
She went on to the Stratford Festival
appearing in productions of The Winter's Tale
, Three Sisters and Uncle Vanya
, and appeared on Broadway in Tyrone Guthrie
's production of Love and Libel.
She also acted in notable television films, including Anne of Green Gables (as Josephine Barry) and Jackie, Ethel, Joan: The Women of Camelot (as Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy
). She also starred in the Canadian
television series Wind at My Back
and House of Pride
. In 1988 she appeared in the film Shadow Dancing
.
for 44 years. Their daughter, Leah Pinsent
, is also a noted Canadian television actress.
.
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...
's leading actresses.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, she was part of the country's burgeoning theatre and television scene in the decade of the 1950s. Fresh out of the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
's Hart House, she quickly became known for her fresh beauty and roles at the new Crest Theatre and their Straw Hat Players summer circuit in the Muskoka Lake district.
She went on to the Stratford Festival
Stratford Festival of Canada
The Stratford Shakespeare Festival is an internationally recognized annual celebration of theatre running from April to November in the Canadian city of Stratford, Ontario...
appearing in productions of The Winter's Tale
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, some modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics, among them W. W...
, Three Sisters and Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897 and received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski....
, and appeared on Broadway in Tyrone Guthrie
Tyrone Guthrie
Sir William Tyrone Guthrie was an English theatrical director instrumental in the founding of the Stratford Festival of Canada, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, at his family's home, Annaghmakerrig, in County Monaghan, Ireland.-Life and career:Guthrie...
's production of Love and Libel.
She also acted in notable television films, including Anne of Green Gables (as Josephine Barry) and Jackie, Ethel, Joan: The Women of Camelot (as Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy
Rose Elizabeth Kennedy was the wife of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and the mother of nine children, among them United States President John F. Kennedy, United States Senator Robert F...
). She also starred in the Canadian
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...
television series Wind at My Back
Wind at My Back
Wind at My Back is a television series which aired in Canada on CBC Television between 1996 and 2001. It was created and produced by Kevin Sullivan, best known for his adaptation of Anne of Green Gables and Road to Avonlea...
and House of Pride
House of Pride
House of Pride was a Canadian television soap opera, which aired on CBC Television from 1974 to 1976.The series opened with the death of family patriarch Dan Pride, and focused on the families of his five adult children...
. In 1988 she appeared in the film Shadow Dancing
Shadow Dancing (1988 film)
Shadow Dancing Also Known As La bailarina Venezuelais is a 1988 thriller shot in Toronto Canada.-Plot:Jess is a struggling dancer trying to land a dream role in musical about Medusa. As she practices, the director, who has been haunted for decades by the memory of his former dancer and lover,...
.
Family
She was married to actor Gordon PinsentGordon Pinsent
Gordon Edward Pinsent, CC, FRSC is a Canadian television, theatre and film actor.-Early life:Pinsent, the youngest of six children, was born in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, the son of Flossie ; originally from Clifton, Newfoundland, and Stephen Arthur Pinsent, a papermill worker and cobbler;...
for 44 years. Their daughter, Leah Pinsent
Leah Pinsent
Leah Pinsent is a Canadian television and film actress.She was born in Toronto, Ontario, the daughter of Canadian actors Gordon Pinsent and Charmion King....
, is also a noted Canadian television actress.
Death
King died, aged 81, in Toronto, reportedly from complications of emphysemaEmphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
.