Frances Hyland
Frances Hyland OC (April 25, 1927 – July 11, 2004) was a Canadian stage, film and television actress.
Frances Hyland | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 25, 1927 Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Died | July 11, 2004 (aged 77) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Children | Evan |
In 1964, Hyland was in the CBC's drama series, "Festival," and she was one of the first actresses in Canada to achieve this career objective. She starred in many movies, television shows, and famous plays, which in turn, was a major accomplishment for a Canadian woman during this time. Not only did Hyland act in a variety of media, her roles were also vastly different. While acting in film, she played a farmer's wife who aged from 30 to 60 over the course of the movie. In "Festival" she played a Salvation Army officer whose life became complicated by love, and on the stage she played the queen of Egypt. [1]
Hyland studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, making her professional debut in London as Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire, opposite John Gielgud. In 1954, she returned to Canada, becoming a regular at the Stratford Festival in Ontario. Her roles there included Isabella (in Measure for Measure), Portia (in The Merchant of Venice), Olivia (in Twelfth Night), Perdita (in The Winter's Tale), Desdemona (in Othello) and Ophelia in (in Hamlet).[2] She appeared in movies such as The Changeling (1980), The Hounds of Notre Dame (1980), Happy Birthday to Me (1981), The Lotus Eaters (1993) and Never Talk to Strangers (1995), and on television, including a role on Road to Avonlea.[3]
Hyland was considered to be one of the highest-ranked Shakespearean actresses of her time. In Canada, she and her close friend, Kate Reid, were acknowledged to be two of the greatest actresses, as stated by Weekend Magazine. [1]
Along with being a well-established actress, Hyland has also co-starred with many actors who have gone on to find fame in the USA, such as Christopher Plummer and Robert Goulet. However, as stated earlier, Hyland remained in Canada, even though it was harder for actresses to succeed. She was often questioned as to why she decided to stay in Canada, because other countries held greater career opportunities for her. [1]
Personal life and awards
Hyland was born in 1927 in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, a small town south-west of Swift Current, to Jessie (née Worden), a teacher, and Thomas Hyland, a salesman. She lived there until her parents divorced when she was one year old. She was raised by her mother's family in Ogema, Saskatchewan. When she was seven, she moved to Regina when her parents tried, and failed, to save their marriage. She had no relationship with her father after 1937.[1]
Her mother put herself through teacher's college to support her daughter's acting career. Hyland's dreams were clouded because her family did not have a great deal of money, thus she was unable to get an adequate education. Nevertheless, she always believed that she could achieve her dreams.[1]
Frances Hyland graduated in 1948 from the University of Saskatchewan with a BA in English.[4] After graduating, she returned to the school to work as an assistant for their drama department. Her professor, Emrys Jones, offered her scholarships which allowed her to perform in London.[1]
While in London, she could envision her dreams of becoming an actress, however while in Canada she often questioned her abilities and future on the stage. There were not as many job opportunities for her in Canada as there were when she travelled to London, New York or other well-known cities. She also stated in an interview with Weekend Magazine that her self-esteem was at risk while working in Canada.[1]
Despite her ambitions to work in London or New York, Hyland stayed in Canada because she fell in love with George McCowan, a fellow Canadian actor and director. They had a son, Evan, in 1957. Unfortunately, the couple separated shortly after.[1]
Her decision to reside in Canada caused her financial income to suffer due to the doubled income that imported London actresses earned.[1]
In 1970, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 1994, Hyland received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts, for her lifetime contribution to Canadian theatre.[1]
Hyland was described as sensible, modest, and honest with herself and others.[1]
Filmography
Movies
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Drylanders | Liza | |
| 1966 | Each Day That Comes | Short | |
| 1972 | Another Smith for Paradise | Marie Smith | |
| 1980 | The Changeling | Mrs. Grey | |
| The Hounds of Notre Dame | Mother Therese | ||
| 1981 | Happy Birthday to Me | Mrs. Patterson | |
| 1983 | The Sight | Short | |
| 1993 | The Lotus Eaters | Flora Kingswood | |
| 1995 | Never Talk to Strangers | Mrs. Slotnick | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950-54 | Sunday Night Theatre | Megan Owen / Sonia / Penelope Blessington | 4 Episodes: Deep Are the Roots, Adam's Apple, Crime and Punishment, The Gift |
| 1955 | Scope | 1 Episode: Prelude to Marriage | |
| On Camera | 1 Episode: The Queen's Ring | ||
| 1955-61 | Encounter | Nellie / Shevawn Flaherty / Melissa Turner | 6 Episodes |
| 1957 | Twelfth Night | Lady Olivia | TV Movie |
| 1957-59 | Folio | Zuzushka / Mariana / Frances | 3 Episodes: Proud Passage, The Master of Santiago, Ivanov |
| 1958 | Till Death Do Us Part | 1 Episode: Panic at Parth Bay | |
| 1959 | Hudson's Bay | Susan Murray | 1 Episode: Bosom Friends |
| 1959-60 | The Unforeseen | Martha | 3 Episodes: The Storm, The Wreath, Desire |
| R.C.M.P. | Lucy Dodds / Mrs.Phillips | 2 Episodes: The Replacement, The Hunt | |
| 1960 | Suspense | Ethel | 1 Episode: Love Story |
| Startime | Miss Miller / Catherine Stockmann | 2 Episodes: An Enemy of the People, An Enemy of the People | |
| 1960-62 | Festival | Margot / Duchess / Olga | 5 Episodes |
| 1962 | First Person | 1 Episode: My Home Is Here | |
| Salt of the Earth | TV Movie | ||
| 1961-62 | Playdate | Ethel / Nellie Bancroft / Alice | 3 Episodes: The Salt of the Earth, The Vigilante, Love Story 1910 |
| 1967 | The Mystery Maker | 1 Episode | |
| 1973-80 | The Beachcombers | Sadie | 4 Episodes: Sadie, Keep Your Shirt On, The Sasquatch Walks by Night, Sadie is a Lady |
| 1974 | The Naked Mind | 1 Episode | |
| 1978 | Home to Stay | Aunt Martha | TV Movie |
| 1979 | The Albertans | Marjanne Hardin | TV Movie |
| The Great Detective | Mrs. Eglantyne | 1 Episode: Death Takes a Curtain Call | |
| 1980 | Matt and Jenny | Martha Jane | 1 Episode: A Woman's Place |
| 1981 | Tales of the Haunted | Dody | TV Movie |
| Titans | Elizabeth I. | 1 Episode: Elizabeth I. | |
| 1983 | Pygmalion | Mrs. Higgins | TV Movie |
| 1985 | The Hearst and Davies Affair | Rose Duras | TV Movie |
| 1986 | Kay O'Brien | Dr. Sarah McDonovan | 1 Episode: Princess of the City |
| 1987 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Edith Ferris | 1 Episode: The Impatient Patient |
| 1988 | Liberace: Behind the Music | Florence Bettray Kelly | TV Movie |
| The Twilight Zone | Laura Kincaid | 1 Episode: Dream Me a Life | |
| Night Heat | Marie | 1 Episode: No Regrets | |
| Lonely Knights | Maggie | TV Movie | |
| 1989 | Glory! Glory! | Velma | TV Movie |
| 1990 | E.N.G. | Thelma | 1 Episode: Division of Labour |
| 1990-95 | Avonlea | Nanny Louisa Banks | 3 Episodes: The Journey Begins, Sara's Homecoming, Comings and Goings |
| 1993 | Survive the Night | TV Movie | |
| The Hidden Room | Rita | 1 Episode: After the Crash | |
| 1993-94 | Street Legal | Caroline Diamond | 3 Episodes: Thicker Than Water, Forgiveness, Persons Living or Dead |
| 1994 | Lonesome Dove | Clementine Coffey | 1 Episode: Duty Bound |
| Broken Lullaby | Maria | TV Movie | |
| Tales from the Cryptkeeper | Aunt Melva | 2 Episodes: The Avenging Phantom/Myth Conceptions, The Haunted Mine | |
| Lives of Girls & Women | Aunt Grace | TV Movie | |
| 1995 | Due South | Fraser's Grandmother | 1 Episode: Letting Go |
| When the Dark Man Calls | Dr. Martha Petrie | TV Movie | |
| 1996 | Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal | Catherine Cartwright | 1 Episode: Reptilian Revenge/Ghostly Voices |
| 1997 | A Prayer in the Dark | Anna | TV Movie |
| I'll Be Home for Christmas | Thelma Jenkins | TV Movie | |
| 1996 | Moonlight Becomes You | Nuala Moore | TV Movie |
References
- Franklin, Stephen. "'Frances Hyland: She's Battling Canada's No-Star System' from Weekend Magazine" (1964) [textual record]. Elizabeth Long, Series: 5: Subject Files, File: Entertainers: actors, ID: File 415. Waterloo, Ontario: Special Collections & Archives, University of Waterloo.
- "Frances Hyland acting & directing credits". Stratford Festival Archives. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
- Frances Hyland on IMDb
- Profile, journals.hil.unb.ca; accessed January 28, 2015.
External links
Authority control  |
|
|---|