Dinah Christie
Encyclopedia
Dinah Barbara Christie is a Canadian
comedic actor and singer.
The daughter of actors Robert
and Margot Christie, she came to Canada at the age of two with her parents and grew up in Toronto
. At age 13, she worked as a call boy
at the Stratford Festival
and became an apprentice at the Festival in 1960. Before she was out of her teens, Christie had been cast as a performer at Stratford, including roles in Macbeth
, The Tempest
and Cyrano de Bergerac
in 1962. She starting singing while attending North Toronto Collegiate Institute
and performed as a folk
singer in her teens, taking voice lessons from Portia White
. Christie got to Grade 13 at NTCI but did not graduate. In 1961, she sang in a comedy revue in Toronto starring Dave Broadfoot
and Jean Templeton that was directed by her father.
In 1965, Christie was selected by Tom Kneebone
to co-star in a stage revue
, and the two would frequently work together for decades. Also that year, she joined CBC Television
's This Hour Has Seven Days
, for which she regularly sang satirical
songs.
Christie was a regular performer on the TV series Party Game
(1970–1980) and Check it Out! (1985–1988). In 1981, she won an ACTRA Award
for best variety performance for her performance on the D.C. and Friends TV special. She and Kneebone won the 1984 ACTRA for best radio variety performers, and Christie won the 1987 Gemini Award
for best actress in a continuing series for Check it Out!.
and lived there with photographer Bob Warren. In the late 1980s, she founded a design and manufacturing company called The Badd Sisters, initially with her sister, Cedar Christie. The company still sells products made from hemp and recycled cotton. Christie now makes her home in Holstein, Ontario.
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...
comedic actor and singer.
The daughter of actors Robert
Robert Christie (actor)
Robert Christie was a Canadian actor and director.He was born in Toronto in 1913 and received a B.A. from the University of Toronto. In 1936, he moved to England where he performed with various companies including the Old Vic Company. He served with the Canadian Army during World War II. After the...
and Margot Christie, she came to Canada at the age of two with her parents and grew up in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. At age 13, she worked as a call boy
Call boy (theatre)
Call boy is the job title of a stagehand in the theatre. They are hired by either the director, producer or stage crew chief...
at 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...
and became an apprentice at the Festival in 1960. Before she was out of her teens, Christie had been cast as a performer at Stratford, including roles in Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
, The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
and Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac (play)
Cyrano de Bergerac is a play written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand. Although there was a real Cyrano de Bergerac, the play bears very scant resemblance to his life....
in 1962. She starting singing while attending North Toronto Collegiate Institute
North Toronto Collegiate Institute
North Toronto Collegiate Institute is a non-semestered public high school of over 1,000 students located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Toronto District School Board....
and performed as a folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer in her teens, taking voice lessons from Portia White
Portia White
Portia May White , was a singer who achieved international fame because of her voice and stage presence. As a Black Canadian, her popularity helped to open previously closed doors for talented blacks who followed....
. Christie got to Grade 13 at NTCI but did not graduate. In 1961, she sang in a comedy revue in Toronto starring Dave Broadfoot
Dave Broadfoot
Dave Broadfoot is a Canadian comedian who was born on December 5, 1925 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In 1943, he joined the merchant navy serving until 1947...
and Jean Templeton that was directed by her father.
In 1965, Christie was selected by Tom Kneebone
Tom Kneebone
Tom Kneebone, was a Canadian cabaret performer and actor.Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Kneebone went to England to study at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He moved to Canada in 1963 and performed in various revues in Toronto and across Canada for decades, often with onstage partner Dinah...
to co-star in a stage revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
, and the two would frequently work together for decades. Also that year, she joined CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
's This Hour Has Seven Days
This Hour Has Seven Days
This Hour Has Seven Days is a controversial CBC Television newsmagazine which ran from 1964 to 1966. The show, inspired by the BBC-TV and NBC-TV satire series That Was The Week That Was, was created by Patrick Watson and Douglas Leiterman as an avenue for a more stimulating and boundary-pushing...
, for which she regularly sang satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
songs.
Christie was a regular performer on the TV series Party Game
Party Game (game show)
Party Game was a Canadian television game show in the 1970s, produced by Hamilton independent station CHCH-TV from 1970 to 1981. It aired throughout Canada in syndication, broadcast on 32 stations at its peak....
(1970–1980) and Check it Out! (1985–1988). In 1981, she won an ACTRA Award
ACTRA Award
The ACTRA Awards were first presented in 1972 to celebrate excellence in Canada's television, film and radio industry. Organized and presented by ACTRA, the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists, which represented performers, writers and broadcast journalists, the Nellie statuettes...
for best variety performance for her performance on the D.C. and Friends TV special. She and Kneebone won the 1984 ACTRA for best radio variety performers, and Christie won the 1987 Gemini Award
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
for best actress in a continuing series for Check it Out!.
Personal life
Christie became a Scientologist in the 1960s. In 1971, she bought a 100 acre (0.404686 km²) farm near Mount Forest, OntarioMount Forest, Ontario
Mount Forest is an unincorporated community located on the junction of the 6 and the 89 in the township of Wellington North, Ontario. The town's motto is "High, Happy, Healthy", which can be seen on the water tower when approaching the town from the south....
and lived there with photographer Bob Warren. In the late 1980s, she founded a design and manufacturing company called The Badd Sisters, initially with her sister, Cedar Christie. The company still sells products made from hemp and recycled cotton. Christie now makes her home in Holstein, Ontario.