On Saturday, Charmion King-Pinsent passed away at the age of 81.
While Anne fans will remember her as Aunt Josephine Barry in the first two Anne miniseries and Wind at My Back devotees will remember her as Mrs. Whitney (the principal of New Bedford’s school), she is perhaps better-known for her work in the theatre.
Charmion’s first stage performance was the title character in Hart House Theatre’s production of St. Joan in 1947. She also spent several seasons on stage at Stratford and appeared in the 1960 Broadway production of Love and Libel. Two years later, she met her husband (and former RTA and Wind guest star) Gordon Pinsent while playing in The Madwoman of Chaillot. Many years later, in 1988, she would appear onstage with daughter Leah in Emphysema for the Tarragon Theatre.
Perhaps her trademark performance was as Jessica Logan, the temperamental actress attempting a comeback in David French’s show-business comedy Jitters. King originated the part at Tarragon in 1979 and later played it in New Haven’s Long Wharf Theatre in the same year, as well as in a Toronto revival in 1986.
Anyone who ever saw King in the role never forgot her. She managed to be earthy, grand, theatrical, touching, warm and waspish all at the same time. “Jessica’s a lot like me and she’s very different from me,” she once volunteered, “and I’m damned if I’m going to tell you which is which.”
Her last theatre appearance took place in February 2006 as part of Soulpepper’s lauded production of Our Town, which she was planning to perform in again this season.
On screen, Charmion’s first appearance was in the teleplay Wait for Me in 1957. She’d also appeared in episodes of The Adventures of Tugboat Annie, The Forest Rangers, Room 222, Katts and Dog, and PSI Factor, among other TV series. On the big screen, credits include Last Night, Who Has Seen the Wind, Shadow Dancing, and her final film A Promise.
She has asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in her honour to the Actors’ Fund of Canada.
Toronto Star obituary
Internet Movie Database
Actors’ Fund of Canada
Patricia Hamilton will be back at the Shaw Festival this year for her eleventh season.
Megan Follows will be appearing in two of Soulpepper’s productions for 2007: Top Girls and Three Sisters.
Congratulations to the cast and crew of the short film Snapshots for Henry (which includes RTA’s own Molly Atkinson) on their Genie nomination for Best Live Action Short Drama.