Lisa Langlois (born March 15, 1959) is a Canadian actress, who has appeared in movies, television and theater.

Life and career

Langlois was born in

North Bay, Ontario North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing. North Bay developed as a railroad centre, and its airport was an important military ...

. spent her childhood years in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

, where she attended a French language school becoming fluent in French. In 1974 she represented Hamilton in the

Miss Teen Canada Miss Teen Canada was a personality and beauty competition in Canada for women aged 14 to 17. The event started in 1969 and was televised on CTV. The pageant was named Miss Teenage Canada for its first three years and was originally sponsored by A ...

beauty pageant, where she finished second. Langlois graduated from

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Ga ...

in Hamilton. She made her film debut in

Claude Chabrol Claude Henri Jean Chabrol (; 24 June 1930 – 12 September 2010) was a French film director and a member of the French New Wave (''nouvelle vague'') group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s. Like his colleagues an ...

's mystery ''

Blood Relatives ''Blood Relatives'' (original French title: ''Les Liens de sang'') is a 1978 Canadian-French mystery film directed by Claude Chabrol from a screenplay that he and Sydney Banks adapted from the 1975 novel of the same name by Ed McBain. Set in ...

'' (1978) opposite

Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (born 17 July 1935) is a Canadian actor whose film career spans over six decades. He has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films ''Citizen X'' (1995) an ...

. Chabrol also cast her in his next feature, ''

Violette Nozière ''Violette Nozière'' is a 1978 French crime film directed by Claude Chabrol and starring Isabelle Huppert and Stéphane Audran. The film, based on a true French murder case in 1933, is about an eighteen-year-old girl named Violette and her encou ...

'' (1978). Langlois made a number of other films in Canada, including the thriller ''

Phobia A phobia is an anxiety disorder defined by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Phobias typically result in a rapid onset of fear and are usually present for more than six months. Those affected go to great lengths to avo ...

'' (1980), directed by

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...

. She appeared in another 1980 film, ''

Klondike Fever ''Klondike Fever'' is a 1980 Canadian adventure film, based on the writings of Jack London. It follows London's journey from San Francisco to the Klondike gold fields of the Yukon Territory, Canada in 1898. Cast * Jeff East as Jack London * R ...

'', and played leading roles in three films that have acquired cult followings: the horror film '' Happy Birthday to Me'' (1981), the teen actioner ''

Class of 1984 ''Class of 1984'' is a 1982 crime action thriller film directed by Mark Lester and co-written by Tom Holland and John Saxton, based on a story by Holland. The film stars Perry King, Merrie Lynn Ross (who also served as co-executive producer), Tim ...

'' (1982) (co-starring a young

Michael J. Fox Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian-American retired actor. Beginning his career in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom ''Family Ties'' (1 ...

), and the killer rat shocker '' Deadly Eyes'' (1982). After this work in Paris and

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Langlois moved to Los Angeles to pursue American projects. She appeared in two

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

comedy features: '' The Man Who Wasn't There'' (1983), a 3-D production, and ''

National Lampoon's Joy of Sex ''Joy of Sex'' (sometimes referred to as ''National Lampoon's Joy of Sex'') is a 1984 American sex comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge. It was written by Kathleen Rowell and J.J. Salter, based on the sex manual by Alex Comfort. Plot Lesli ...

'' (1984), directed by

Martha Coolidge Martha Coolidge (born August 17, 1946) is an American film director and former President of the Directors Guild of America. She has directed such films as ''Valley Girl'', ''Real Genius'' and '' Rambling Rose''. Early life Coolidge was born in N ...

. In 1985 Langlois co-starred in the

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

The Slugger's Wife ''The Slugger's Wife'' is a 1985 romantic comedy film about a baseball star who falls for a singer. Written by Neil Simon, directed by Hal Ashby and produced by Ray Stark, the film stars Michael O'Keefe, Rebecca De Mornay, and Randy Quaid. It w ...

'', where she played a struggling singer and performed her own musical numbers after auditioning for

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

. She made guest appearances on television programs such as ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'' in 1986, and she performed on stage in the

La Jolla Playhouse La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. History La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under ...

's production of '' Once in a Lifetime'' in 1988. She played the heroine in

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

's horror film '' The Nest'' (1988) and co-starred in a

made for TV movie 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, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

, ''

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...

'' (1989). During the 1990s Langlois moved back to Canada. She worked steadily including parts in the action pictures ''

The White Tiger A white tiger is a tiger with a genetic condition affecting its pelt's pigmentation. White tiger, White Tiger or The White Tiger may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Characters * White Tiger (comics), various Marvel Comics superhero ...

'' (1995) and '' The Final Cut'' (1995), alongside

Sam Elliott Samuel Pack Elliott (born August 9, 1944) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Board of Review Award, and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Aw ...

. She made appearances in the television series '' Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction?'' (1998), ''

Vengeance Unlimited ''Vengeance Unlimited'' is an American crime drama series broadcast during 1998–1999 on ABC which lasted for one season of sixteen episodes. The show starred Michael Madsen and Kathleen York. Premise Mr. Chapel was a mysterious stranger ke ...

'' (1999), and '' Relic Hunter'' (2000). After a brief hiatus she returned to the Los Angeles stage in 2004, starring in '' Jungle Express'' in Malibu. More recently, Langlois had a co-starring role in ''

The Perfect Marriage ''The Perfect Marriage'' is a 1947 American comedy film directed by Lewis Allen and written by Leonard Spigelgass. The film stars Loretta Young, David Niven, Eddie Albert, Charlie Ruggles, Virginia Field, and Rita Johnson. The film was re ...

'' (2006), a thriller that premiered on

Lifetime Television Lifetime is an American basic cable channel that is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a subsidiary of A&E Networks, which is jointly owned by Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company. It features programming that is geared toward ...

; in 2007 she had a recurring role in the TV series ''

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 ...

''. In 2010, she appeared in ''Summer Eleven'' directed by Joseph Kelly, her former co-star from '' Deadly Eyes'' (1982). Langlois has a son, Emerson.

Filmography

Movies

Television

References

External links

The Beauty & the Beasts: An Interview with Lisa Langlois
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Langlois, Lisa 1959 births Living people Actresses from Ontario Canadian beauty pageant contestants Canadian film actresses Canadian television actresses Franco-Ontarian people McMaster University alumni People from North Bay, Ontario 20th-century Canadian actresses 21st-century Canadian actresses