Ann-Marie MacDonald (born October 29, 1958) is a Canadian

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

, author, actress, and broadcast host who lives in

Montreal, Quebec, Canada Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...

. MacDonald is the daughter of a member of Canada's military; she was born at an air force base near Baden-Baden, West Germany. She is of partial Lebanese descent through her mother.

Life and career

MacDonald won the

Commonwealth Writers Prize Commonwealth Foundation presented a number of prizes between 1987 and 2011. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Best ...

for her first novel, ''

Fall on Your Knees ''Fall on Your Knees'' is a 1996 novel by Canadian playwright, actor and novelist Ann-Marie MacDonald. The novel takes place in late 19th and early 20th centuries and chronicles four generations of the complex Piper Family. It is a story of ...

'' (1996), which was selected for

Oprah Winfrey's Book Club Oprah's Book Club was a book discussion club segment of the United States, American talk show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey started the book club in 1996, selecting a new book, usually a nov ...

in January 2002. MacDonald received the Governor General's Award for Drama, the

Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award The Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award was a Canadian literary award given to Canadian plays produced by any professional Canadian theatre company, and having performances in the Toronto area. The prize had a monetary value of $25,000, and wa ...

, and the Canadian Authors Association Drama Award for her play, ''

Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) ''Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)'' is a 1988 comedic play by Ann-Marie MacDonald in which Constance Ledbelly, a young English literature professor from Queen's University, goes on a subconscious journey of self-discovery. Constance ...

''. MacDonald hosted the CBC documentary series '' Life and Times'' for seven seasons. MacDonald also hosted CBC's flagship documentary program, ''

Doc Zone ''Doc Zone'' was a documentary series on CBC Television which showed both independently produced and in-house productions. It was presented by the author, actor and playwright Ann-Marie MacDonald. The series started in 2006 and concluded in 2015 ...

'' for eight seasons. She appeared in the films ''

I've Heard the Mermaids Singing ''I've Heard the Mermaids Singing'' is a 1987 Canadian comedy-drama film directed by Patricia Rozema and starring Sheila McCarthy, Paule Baillargeon, and Ann-Marie MacDonald. It was the first English-language Canadian feature film to win an awar ...

'' and '' Better Than Chocolate'', among others. MacDonald's 2003 novel, ''

The Way the Crow Flies ''The Way the Crow Flies'' is the second novel by the Canadian writer and author Ann-Marie MacDonald. It was first published by Knopf Canada in 2003. The story revolves around a fictionalized version of the death of Lynne Harper, and the subseque ...

'', was partly inspired by the

Steven Truscott Steven Murray Truscott (born January 18, 1945) is a Canadians, Canadian man who was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in 1959 for the rape and murder of classmate Lynne Harper. Truscott had been the last known person to see her alive. He w ...

case. Her third novel ''

Adult Onset ''Adult Onset'' is a 2014 novel by Canadian writer Ann-Marie MacDonald. Set in The Annex neighbourhood of Toronto, the story centers on one week in the life of a successful writer of young adult fiction, Mary Rose MacKinnon, who finds herself tak ...

'' was released in 2014 and has been translated into five languages. Her fourth novel ''Fayne'' was published in 2022. She was the inaugural Mordecai Richler Reading Room Writer in Residence at

Concordia University Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

, and she coaches students in the Acting and Playwriting Programs at the National Theatre School of Canada. In 2008, MacDonald was awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities by the University of Windsor. In May 2015, MacDonald was the "big-name author" and "public face" of the inaugural Canadian Authors for Indies Day, organized to bring attention to independent bookstores across the country. Nearly 100 stores and 270 authors participated in the nationwide event. In December 2018, MacDonald was named as an Officer of the Order of Canada, in recognition of "her multi-faceted contributions to the arts in Canada and for her advocacy of LGBTQ+ and women's rights". MacDonald is married to the Canadian playwright and theatre director Alisa Palmer.

Works

Theatre

* ''

This is For You, Anna ''This is For You, Anna'' is a 1983 play devised by The Anna Collective. Initially developed as a 20-minute production for the Women's Perspective Festival, ''This is For You, Anna'' was re-written into a longer piece that premiered in 1984. The ...

'' - 1983 (play, collective creation) * ''Nancy Drew, The Case of the Missing Mother'' - 1984 (play, co-authored with Beverley Cooper) * ''Clue in the Fast Lane'' - 1985 (play, co-authored with Beverley Cooper) * ''

'' – 1988 (play) * ''

The Arab's Mouth ''The Arab's Mouth'' is a 1990 play by Ann-Marie MacDonald which she later revised to create '' Belle Moral'', at which point most of the Arabic references were cut. The title refers to a shape found on a stone by the central character—a circle ...

'' – 1990 (play) * ''

Nigredo Hotel ''Nigredo Hotel'' is a chamber opera in one act composed by Nic Gotham to a libretto by Ann-Marie MacDonald. It premiered on 13 May 1992 at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto in a production by Tapestry New Opera Works who had commissioned the opera. ...

'' – 1992 (opera libretto) * ''

The Attic, the Pearls and Three Fine Girls ''The Attic, The Pearls and Three Fine Girls'' is a Canadian comedic play collectively written by Jennifer Brewin, Martha Ross, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Alisa Palmer, and Leah Cherniak. The title is sometimes stylized ''The Attic, The Pearls And 3 ...

'' – 1995 (play, co-authored with Jennifer Brewin, Martha Ross,

Leah Cherniak Leah Cherniak (born 1956) is a Canadian playwright, actor, and teacher. She is a co-founder of Theatre Columbus (now called Common Boots). Early life and education Cherniak graduated from the University of Toronto with a BA in 1979. She later s ...

, and Alisa Palmer) * '' Anything That Moves'' – 2000 (book and lyrics for musical) * ''

Belle Moral ''Belle Moral'' is a play by Ann-Marie MacDonald which premiered at the Shaw Festival in 2005. A substantial reworking of MacDonald's earlier play, ''The Arab's Mouth'', ''Belle Moral'' is a gothic comedy set in Scotland in 1899. Following her ...

'' – 2005 (play; a substantially revised version of ''The Arab's Mouth'' (above))

Novels

* ''

'' (1996) * ''

'' (2003) * ''

'' (2014) * ''Fayne'' (2022)

Filmography

Films

* ''

The Wars ''The Wars'' is a 1977 novel by Timothy Findley that follows Robert Ross, a nineteen-year-old Canadian who enlists in World War I after the death of his beloved older sister in an attempt to escape both his grief and the social norms of oppressiv ...

'' (1983) * '' Unfinished Business'' (1984) * ''

'' (1987) * ''

Where the Spirit Lives ''Where the Spirit Lives'' is a 1989 television film about Aboriginal children in Canada being taken from their tribes to attend residential schools for assimilation into majority culture. Written by Keith Ross Leckie and directed by Bruce Pi ...

'' (1989) * '' Where the Heart Is'' (1990) * ''

Paint Cans ''Paint Cans'' is a 1994 Canadian comedy film written, produced and directed by Paul Donovan and based on his book of the same name. A satire of Canadian film and television production, the film stars Chas Lawther as Wick Burns, a bureaucrat in t ...

'' (1994) * '' Getting Away with Murder'' (1996) * '' Better Than Chocolate'' (1999) * ''The Girlfriend Interviews'' (short, 2001) * ''Interviews with My Next Girlfriend'' (short, 2002)

Television (as actress or host)

* ''

Rubberface ''Rubberface'' is a 1981 television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network ...

'' (TV movie, 1981) * ''Mafia Princess'' (TV movie, 1986) * '' Hot Shots'' (TV series, 1986) * '' Airwolf'' (TV series, 1987) * ''

Adderly ''Adderly'' is a Canadian television adventure-drama series which aired from 1986 to 1988. It was broadcast on both Canadian TV and on CBS in the United States. It starred Vancouver-born Winston Rekert as "charming and witty V.H. Adderly," an ope ...

'' (TV series, 1987) * '' Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future'' (TV series, 1987) * ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...

'' (TV series, 1987–1989) * '' Diamonds'' (TV series, 1988) * '' Rin Tin Tin: K-9 Cop'' (TV series, 1988–1991) * '' Street Legal'' (TV series, 1990) * '' Beyond Reality'' (TV series, 1991–1992) * ''

E.N.G. ''E.N.G.'' is a Canadian television drama, following the staff of a fictional Toronto television news station. The show aired on CTV from 1989 to 1994. The series ran for 96 episodes, produced by the Alliance Entertainment Corporation. Plot ...

'' (TV series, 1992–1993) * '' Shattered Trust: The Shari Karney Story'' (TV movie, 1993) * '' The Babymaker: The Dr. Cecil Jacobson Story'' (TV movie, 1994) * ''

Due South ''Due South'' is a Canadian crime comedy-drama television series created by Paul Haggis, and produced by Alliance Communications from its premiere on April 26, 1994, to its conclusion after four seasons on March 14, 1999. The series starred Pau ...

'' (TV series, 1995) * ''Friends at Last'' (TV movie, 1995) * ''Her Desperate Choice'' (TV movie, 1996) * '' Life and Times'' (TV documentary series host, 1996–2006) * ''Too Close to Home'' (TV movie, 1997) * ''A Taste of Shakespeare'' (TV series, 1997) * '' The Industry'' (TV series, 2003) * ''The Unsexing of Emma Edmonds'' (TV movie, 2004) * ''

The L Word ''The L Word'' is a television drama that aired on Showtime from January 18, 2004 to March 8, 2009. The series follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The premise originated with Ilene Ch ...

'' (TV series, 2006) * '' Slings & Arrows'' (TV series, 2006) * ''

'' (TV documentary series host, 2009–2015)

Television (as writer)

* '' Street Legal'' (TV series, 1988) * '' Beyond Reality'' (TV series, 1992) * '' Ready or Not'' (TV series, 1994–1995)

References

External links

Ann-Marie MacDonald official website

Ann-Marie MacDonald's
entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia *
Publisher's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Ann-Marie 1958 births Living people Canadian women dramatists and playwrights Canadian film actresses Canadian women novelists Canadian television hosts Governor General's Award-winning dramatists Canadian lesbian actresses Canadian lesbian writers LGBT broadcasters from Canada 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists LGBT dramatists and playwrights Canadian LGBT novelists Officers of the Order of Canada People from Baden-Baden Canadian television journalists 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers Canadian people of Lebanese descent Canadian expatriates in Germany Expatriate actresses in Germany Canadian women television personalities Canadian women television journalists Canadian women television hosts Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Canadian Screen Award winners 21st-century LGBT people

Life and career

Works

Theatre

Novels

Filmography

Films

Television (as actress or host)

Television (as writer)

See also

References

External links