WARNING: Major spoilers for the Season 14 premiere of Heartland are ahead!. To read more: http://cbc.ca/1.5638577\r\r Subscribe to CBC News to watch more videos: http://bit.ly/1RreYWS\r\rConnect with CBC News Online:\r\rFor breaking news, video, audio and in-depth coverage: http://bit.ly/1Z0m6iX\rFind CBC News on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1WjG36m\rFollow CBC News on Twitter: http://bit.ly/1sA5P9H\rFor breaking news on Twitter: http://bit.ly/1WjDyks\rFollow CBC News on Instagram: http://bit.ly/1Z0iE7O\r\rDownload the CBC News app for iOS: http://apple.co/25mpsUz\rDownload the CBC News app for Android: http://bit.ly/1XxuozZ\r\r\rFor more than 75 years, CBC News has been the source Canadians turn to, to keep them informed about their communities, their country and their world. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Watson eventually returned to Canada and landed a leading role in La Femme Nikita, which ran from 1997 to 2001. A decade later, she had a recurring role as a different character (with the same first name) on the seriesNikita. Watson was diagnosed with lymphoma in 1998. Actress Alberta Watson is photographed during the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006, in Toronto. Handout TORONTO Canadian actress Alberta Watson passed away Saturday after a battle with cancer. avalanche lost father, brother-in-law, family friend in slide, Trudeau says probes into foreign election interference ongoing, Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murder of wife, son, Heated debate in B.C. To encourage thoughtful and respectful conversations, first and last names will appear with each submission to CBC/Radio-Canada's online communities (except in children and youth-oriented communities). Alberta Watson, Canadian actress, dies after battle with cancer | CBC News Loaded. [4], Among her well-known film roles are the bed-ridden mother Susan Aibelli in the 1994 American independent film Spanking the Monkey, Lauren Murphy (the mother of Jonny Lee Miller's character Dade, also called "Crash Override"/"Zero Cool") in the 1995 cult film Hackers, and Risa in the 1997 Academy Award-nominated Canadian film The Sweet Hereafter, directed by Atom Egoyan. 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"A Conversation with Alberta Watson". Her final film role was in the Vancouver-shot Helen (2009), starring Ashley Judd. [About her portrayal of the mother in, Choice: The Henry Morgentaler Story (2005). (Surnow was such a fan that he not only hired her again but also named a character in the series, Alberta Green, after her.) Watson played Erin Driscoll, head of the fictional intelligence agency that employs operative Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland). [12][13] Producers at La Femme Nikita worked around her treatment and limited her appearances. In a nod to her La Femme Nikita role, Alberta played a recurring character Madeline Pierce in Nikita, the CW's 2010-2013 reboot of the film and TV series. The Canadian actress, who also had roles in the 'La Femme Nikita' and 'Nikita' TV series, passed away after a long battle with cancer. She amassed some devoted fans and engaged with them frequently on fan sites. She balanced her work in La Femme Nikita with roles in Canadian films including The Life Before This (1999), Desire (2000), and Deeply (2000). Watson came closer to fame with the role of Madeline, the cunning force on the Canadian syndicated spy series La Femme Nikita, adapted from the 1990 Luc Besson film. Congrats, Alberta!! Watson re-teamed with La Femme Nikita co-creator Joel Surnow for season four of his hit action-drama 24. The role was turned down by several actresses such as Susan Sarandon, Jessica Lange and others. .more .more Comments 405 Add a. . Audience Relations, CBC P.O. award-nominated role as Madeline on, Her name was the basis for the character Alberta Green, played by, I took it because it was a heck of a challenge. She was 60. zh. Watson shared the National Board of Review award for Best Ensemble and helped bring the film international recognition. She won a Gemini Award in 2010. RIP Alberta Watson. She was nominated for Genie Awards for her work in 1978s In Praise of Older Women and 1996s Shoemaker. io. Alberta Watson, a Canadian actress who had roles in the 24 and Nikita dramas over a four-decade movie and TV career, has died. [1], Watson was born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1955. Omissions? I took it because it was a heck of a challenge. Watsons final credits included such Canadian and independent films as Some Things That Stay (2004), Citizen Duane (2006), A Lobster Tale (2006), and Sarah Polleys Genie-winning Away from Her (2006) opposite Gordon Pinsent, with whom she performed in Chris Landreths Genie-nominated animated short The Spine (2009). Heyn, Christopher. She followed this with The Prince and Me (2004) and recurring roles in such TV series as Show Me Yours (2004) and Ken Finklemans The Newsroom (2004). No details are available on a memorial service for Watson. All Rights Reserved. Id loved her in so many things, I was star struck. Renowned for her consistency and reliability, Watson was perhaps best known for the TV series La Femme Nikita (1997-2001) and 24 (2004-05), but she also gave memorable performances in David O . I had the pleasure of working with her. Alberta Watson, in full Faith Susan Alberta Watson, (born March 6, 1955, Toronto, Canadadied March 21, 2015, Toronto), Canadian film and television actress whose career spanned four decades. Alternate titles: Faith Susan Alberta Watson. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Watson starred in four seasons of La Femme Nikita, along with a return appearance in its fifth season, and earned a Gemini nomination for season two. She played the role of Madeline in La Femme Nikita for four seasons from 1997 to 2001 (with guest appearances in the short fifth season). TORONTO Canadian actress Alberta Watson passed away Saturday after a battle with cancer. [7], Watson got her first role at age 19 in a CBC movie called Honor Thy Father. Watson began acting at age 15 with the Theater House of God at the Bathurst Street United Church in Toronto. CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. Born in Toronto, Watson began performing in theatre and on television while still in her teens. "Young Actress Is Behind Bars -- For A Movie", "Three Hours On A Plane Is All She Can Stand: Great Escapes - Alberta Watson", "Alberta Watson: The Toughest Woman on Television", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alberta_Watson&oldid=1133861902, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2009, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. She followed La Femme Nikita with a string of notable independent films, including The Art of Woo (2001), John Cameron Mitchells Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001), Thom Fitzgeralds The Wild Dogs, (2002) and Jeremy Podeswas TV movie, After the Harvest (2001), which brought her another Gemini nomination. Died (60) Add to list Awards 3 wins & 6 nominations Photos 28 Known for Hedwig and the Angry Inch 7.7 She was a deeply disturbed woman with a roller coaster of emotions. Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted. [5] While at the workshop she acted in Hamlet, which was directed by Ren Bonnire,[6] who later directed her in La Femme Nikita. She was 60. In 2010, Watson guest-starred in Heartland, a series on CBC Television, and she won a 2011 Gemini Award for her portrayal of Sarah Craven. Born in Toronto, Watson started out in acting with a local theater group, and by the 1970s had regular Canadian film and TV roles. Although the film received mostly negative reviews, Watsons performance led to appearances on such American television series as Hill Street Blues, The Equalizer, and Law & Order and a continuing role on the short-lived ABC drama Buck James. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. Want to discuss? heartland actor dies alberta watson. Deeply saddened to hear the wonderful @Alberta_Watson has died. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. When I had to talk to Alberta Watson on set of THE BORDER I was always nervous. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. Canadian actor, director, writer, and producer. Best as Madeline in La Femme Nikita/Nikita. lp 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. The provocative film was controversial when it premiered at the Toronto Festival of Festivals (now the Toronto International Film Festival), but it earned 10 Canadian Film Award nominations, including one for Watson for Best Supporting Actress. Watson died on Saturday at age 60 after a long battle with cancer. She was 60. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Her son visits for the summer and she's laid up with a broken leg and things get out of hand. ALBERTA WATSON won a Gemini (pretty much, a Canadian Emmy) to Best Performance by an Actress, Guest Role in a Dramatic Series, for her portrayal of Sarah Craven ('Where the Truth Lies', S4 E05, CBC's series Heartland). Watson gambled by playing the seductive mother in David O. Russells incest-tinged first feature, Spanking the Monkey (1994). Several high-profile actresses declined the role, including Susan Sarandon, Faye Dunaway, Jessica Lange, and Isabella Rossellini, but Watson relished it, later calling it her best performance and her favourite role. [2] Watson said:[7].mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}. In a nod to her La Femme Nikita role, Alberta played a recurring character Madeline Pierce in Nikita, the CW's 20102013 reboot of the film and TV series. She also appeared in The Lookout (2007) with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as well as in the TV series Angelas Eyes (2006), The Border (2008), and Heartland (2010), for which she won a Gemini Award. Renowned for her consistency and reliability, Watson was perhaps best known for the TV series La Femme Nikita (19972001) and 24 (200405), but she also gave memorable performances in David O. Russells Spanking the Monkey (1994), Atom Egoyans The Sweet Hereafter (1997), and John Cameron Mitchells Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001). The Tony Award-nominated Broadway actor, 41, died in a hospital in Los Angeles after suffering severe medical complications after contracting the coronavirus. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). RIP #AlbertaWatson. She began performing with a local Toronto theatre group, T.H.O.G. She was 60. It didn't scare me at all. Patrick Mullen is a writer, blogger, film critic, film festival programmer, and social media coordinator. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alberta-Watson, The Canadian Encyclopedia - Biography of Alberta Watson. We reserve the right to close comments at any time. She moved to Los Angeles and landed her first Hollywood role in Michael Manns 1983 horror film, The Keep. Her Canadian TV series credits include roles in Heartland, The Newsroom, The Border and Show Me Yours. Her husband Ken was at her side. She was a deeply disturbed woman with a roller coaster of emotions. Besides her turn as the operative Madeline Pierce on La Femme Nikita,Watson became known to TV audiences through roles on 24,The Newsroom,Heartlandand The Border. She was 60. Watson continued acting with the hit CBC TV series The King of Kensington and such tax shelter films as Stone Cold Dead (1979), Dirty Tricks (1981), and The Soldier (1982). I think Im still in shock about @Alberta_Watsons death. Watson later expressed disappointment with her early television work, but these roles inevitably shaped her career, pushing her to pursue strong, complex characters in projects that challenged her. Watsons list of credits includes 24, The Newsroom and The Border as well as movies like Away from Her and The Sweet Hereafter. Watson died on March 21, 2015 due to complications from cancer at Kensington Hospice in Toronto; she was 60 years old. Alberta Watson, a Canadian actress who had roles in the 24 and Nikita dramas over a four-decade movie and TV career, has died. [7] She then returned to Toronto and focused on finding roles in independent films. [10], Watson lived in New Jersey for eight years[11] with her husband until they divorced. She played Dr. Rebecca Myer in the 1980s Buck James TV series, and Erin Driscoll, the head of a counter-terrorist unit, in 24. During 2007 and 2008, Watson played a supporting role in the Canadian television series The Border as the Minister of Public Safety. I seized the character and made her something. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. After performing the lead role of Madelaine on the Canadian-made La Femme Nikita series between 1997 and 2001, Watson later played the recurring role of Senator Madeline Pierce on the CWs follow-up Nikita series, also shot in Toronto.