Martha Henry
Encyclopedia
Martha Henry, is a Canadian
stage, film, and television actress, who is best known for her appearances at the Stratford Festival.
, and very quickly became a leading actress at the Stratford Festival, appearing in leading roles from the late 1960s until the early 1980s. During these years she won great acclaim in many roles including Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream
(1969), Isabella in Measure for Measure
(1976), Olga in Three Sisters
(1976), and Paulina in The Winter's Tale
(1978).
She and a team of three other directors (Urjo Kareda
, Pam Brighton, and Peter Moss) were hired to lead Stratford's 1981 season after the resignation of Robin Phillips
. The subsequent dismissal of the team a few months later caused a huge national uproar, and caused Henry and several other Stratford veterans to work away from the Festival for several years.
in London, Ontario from 1988 to 1994. In 1993 she traveled to Guyana
, South America where she starred in Darrell Wasyk
's film Mustard Bath (film)
, winning a Genie Award
for Best Supporting Actress. She returned to the Stratford stage to play Mary Tyrone in the widely respected 1994 and 1995 production of Long Day's Journey into Night
. She won a Best Actress Genie award
for the 1996 film version that followed.
In February 2007, she was appointed Director of Stratford's Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre Training.
She was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
in 1981, and promoted to Companion in 1990.
miniseries H20 and the owner of the Chateau Rousseau in Ken Finkleman
's At the Hotel
.
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...
stage, film, and television actress, who is best known for her appearances at the Stratford Festival.
Background
Martha Henry grew up in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills and attended Kingswood School (today Cranbrook Kingswood School).Leading actress at Stratford
She was an early graduate from the National Theatre School in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, and very quickly became a leading actress at the Stratford Festival, appearing in leading roles from the late 1960s until the early 1980s. During these years she won great acclaim in many roles including Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
(1969), Isabella in Measure for Measure
Measure for Measure
Measure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604. It was classified as comedy, but its mood defies those expectations. As a result and for a variety of reasons, some critics have labelled it as one of Shakespeare's problem plays...
(1976), Olga in Three Sisters
Three Sisters (play)
Three Sisters is a play by Russian author and playwright Anton Chekhov, perhaps partially inspired by the situation of the three Brontë sisters, but most probably by the three Zimmermann sisters in Perm...
(1976), and Paulina in The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics, among them W. W...
(1978).
She and a team of three other directors (Urjo Kareda
Urjo Kareda
Urjo Kareda was a Canadian theatre and music critic, dramaturge and stage director....
, Pam Brighton, and Peter Moss) were hired to lead Stratford's 1981 season after the resignation of Robin Phillips
Robin Phillips
Robin Phillips is an English actor and director.Phillips was born in Haslemere, Surrey, the son of EllenAnne and James William Phillips. He trained at the Bristol Old Vic and worked as an actor and director for many years in the United Kingdom, finishing as Artistic Director at the Greenwich...
. The subsequent dismissal of the team a few months later caused a huge national uproar, and caused Henry and several other Stratford veterans to work away from the Festival for several years.
Artistic director and awards
She was Artistic Director of the Grand TheatreGrand Theatre, Ontario
The Grand Theatre is a professional theatre located at 471 Richmond Street just south of Dufferin Avenue in London, Ontario, Canada.Its main auditorium has a seating capacity of 839 with a regular season running from September to May...
in London, Ontario from 1988 to 1994. In 1993 she traveled to Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, South America where she starred in Darrell Wasyk
Darrell Wasyk
Darrell Wasyk is a Canadian film director.-Biography:Darrell Wasyk was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada...
's film Mustard Bath (film)
Mustard Bath (film)
Mustard Bath is a 1993 Canadian film written and directed by Darrell Wasyk.-Plot:Matthew, a young medical student from Toronto, Ontario, returns to his birthplace in Guyana on receiving a letter from his mother three months after her death...
, winning a Genie Award
Genie Award
Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
for Best Supporting Actress. She returned to the Stratford stage to play Mary Tyrone in the widely respected 1994 and 1995 production of Long Day's Journey into Night
Long Day's Journey Into Night
Long Day's Journey Into Night is a 1956 drama in four acts written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. The play is widely considered to be his masterwork...
. She won a Best Actress Genie award
Genie Award
Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
for the 1996 film version that followed.
In February 2007, she was appointed Director of Stratford's Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre Training.
She was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
in 1981, and promoted to Companion in 1990.
Television roles
Notable television roles include the Prime Minister's mother in the Paul GrossPaul Gross
Paul Michael Gross is a Canadian actor, producer, director, singer and writer born in Calgary, Alberta. He is known for his lead role as Constable Benton Fraser in the television series Due South as well as his 2008 war film Passchendaele, which he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in...
miniseries H20 and the owner of the Chateau Rousseau in Ken Finkleman
Ken Finkleman
Ken Finkleman is a Canadian television and film writer, producer and actor.In Canada, Finkleman is best known as the writer, creator and producer of the CBC Television series The Newsroom, in which he starred as television news producer George Findlay...
's At the Hotel
At The Hotel
At the Hotel is a Canadian drama-comedy-musical mini-series concerning the goings-on at an illustrious Montreal hotel, known for its favourable treatment of struggling artists. Created by Ken Finkleman and produced by One Hundred Percent Television, the series aired on CBC Television in 2006. The...
.