Watson played Erin Driscoll, head of the fictional intelligence agency that employs operative Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland). WARNING: Major spoilers for the Season 14 premiere of Heartland are ahead!. [4] She moved to Los Angeles, California, and later to New York City. Her husband Ken was at her side. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). She moved to Los Angeles and landed her first Hollywood role in Michael Manns 1983 horror film, The Keep. Watson's first name inspired the character Alberta Green in the first season of 24. The subject was incest. Watson died at Torontos Kensington Hospice with her husband Ken at her side. Best as Madeline in La Femme Nikita/Nikita. Faith Susan Alberta Watson (March 6, 1955 March 21, 2015), better known as Alberta Watson, was a Canadian film and television actress. 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). 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. A decade later, she had a recurring role as a different character (with the same first name) on the seriesNikita. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Youll be missed :'(, Dylan Matthews (@iHeyes) March 23, 2015. She briefly lived on a communal farm outside the city with other actors before returning to Toronto to act professionally, landing her first role in the CBC TV movie Honour Thy Father (1974). Alberta Watson, pictured in an undated publicity photo. Watson then appeared in several notable projects, including the early Angelina Jolie vehicle Hackers (1995) and the Golden Globe-nominated, Emmy-winning TV movie Gotti (1996), playing the wife of infamous New York mobster John Gotti. Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted. 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. geoff ewart (@geoffewart) March 23, 2015. Her son visits for the summer and she's laid up with a broken leg and things get out of hand. :)Song: \"We build bridges\" by Liz DurrettWe build bridgesDon't weSometimes need a handDespite our best laid plansDon't weSometimes miss what we hadAnd we struggleDon't weSometimes lose the reasonsBut in the peaceful morningWe can clearly seeWhere we've beenOh, and the tide pulls us out, alrightOh, and the tide pulls us out, alrightOh, when the tide brings us backHow sweet it is 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. In her final performance, Watson played Senator Madeline Pierce when La Femme Nikita was rebooted as Nikita in 2010. [4], In Spanking the Monkey, Watson plays her favourite character,[12] a mother who has an incestuous relationship with her son. Heyn, Christopher. [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. Canadian actress Alberta Watson has died after a long battle with cancer. CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. Alternate titles: Faith Susan Alberta Watson. [10], Watson lived in New Jersey for eight years[11] with her husband until they divorced. Watson died on March 21, 2015, due to complications from cancer at Kensington Hospice in Toronto fifteen days after her 60th birthday.[14]. Omissions? 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). [1], Watson was born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1955. We reserve the right to close comments at any time. Winter says Watson "died in the arms of her beloved Ken after a long and incredibly courageous battle.". #cdntv, Denis McGrath (@DMcWriterboy) March 23, 2015, I had the pleasure of working with @albertawatson on my first film #alobstertale rent the movie on iTunes to see Albertas great performance, Adam Massey (@lee_adam_massey) March 23, 2015. Id loved her in so many things, I was star struck. Watson died on Saturday at age 60 after a long battle with cancer. The Tony Award-nominated Broadway actor, 41, died in a hospital in Los Angeles after suffering severe medical complications after contracting the coronavirus. Watson's agent Pam Winter says the La Femme Nikitastar died Saturday in Toronto. 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. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. Patrick Mullen is a writer, blogger, film critic, film festival programmer, and social media coordinator. Watson re-teamed with La Femme Nikita co-creator Joel Surnow for season four of his hit action-drama 24. I seized the character and made her something. Canadian actress Alberta Watson dies at 60, Ex-husband of Edmonton soldier who tried to kill their children plans to sue Canadian military on Facebook, Ex-husband of Edmonton soldier who tried to kill their children plans to sue Canadian military on Twitter. She balanced her work in La Femme Nikita with roles in Canadian films including The Life Before This (1999), Desire (2000), and Deeply (2000). Alberta Watson, Canadian actress, dies after battle with cancer | CBC News Loaded. Corrections? [13] When her hair started to regrow, she sported the short haircut in her role as Madeline in the show's third season.[13]. [5] While at the workshop she acted in Hamlet, which was directed by Ren Bonnire,[6] who later directed her in La Femme Nikita. 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. A year later she received the Best Actress award at the Yorkton Film Festival for "Exposure". Want to discuss? Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. [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}. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. (Carlo. He has used his social media skills to transform his past interest in blogging about Canadian film Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. After living in the New YorkNew Jersey area for eight years, she returned to Canada and starred in Shoemaker (1996), an early production for the Canadian Film Centres Feature Film Project, which earned her a Genie Award nomination. I seized the character and made her something. Watson was diagnosed with lymphoma in 1998. 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. And I'm not a name with an image to protect. She was 60. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alberta-Watson, The Canadian Encyclopedia - Biography of Alberta Watson. I think Im still in shock about @Alberta_Watsons death. This page was last edited on 15 January 2023, at 21:52. heartland actor dies alberta watson. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. Watson eventually returned to Canada and landed a leading role in La Femme Nikita, which ran from 1997 to 2001. She was 60. zh. By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. She was 60. Please read our Commenting Policy first. When I had to talk to Alberta Watson on set of THE BORDER I was always nervous. Deeply saddened to hear the wonderful @Alberta_Watson has died. The role was turned down by several actresses such as Susan Sarandon, Jessica Lange and others. 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. Her Canadian TV series credits include roles in Heartland, The Newsroom, The Border and Show Me Yours. The subject was incest. "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. . Born in Toronto, Watson began performing in theatre and on television while still in her teens. 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], Watson got her first role at age 19 in a CBC movie called Honor Thy Father. Watson then played the grieving and lonely mother, Risa Walker, in Atom Egoyans critically acclaimed The Sweet Hereafter (1997). Her son visits for the summer and she's laid up in a cast with a broken leg and things get out of hand. - YouTube 0:00 / 1:49 Video unavailable This video contains content from Adrev Affiliate, who has blocked it in your country. All Rights Reserved. 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. She was a deeply disturbed woman with a roller coaster of emotions. .more .more Comments 405 Add a. She was 60. street, Chinese Canadian parliamentarians among greater targets for interference: Trudeau, Markham caregiver plans to travel, possibly buy new home after $60M lottery win, RCMP believe Slave Lake toddler Jeffrey Dupres, missing for 43 years, is still alive, Survivor of B.C. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. [citation needed] In 2005, Watson joined the cast of 24, playing CTU Director Erin Driscoll for 12 episodes of the show's fourth season. RIP Alberta Watson. 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. Her final film role was in the Vancouver-shot Helen (2009), starring Ashley Judd. The Canadian actress, who also had roles in the 'La Femme Nikita' and 'Nikita' TV series, passed away after a long battle with cancer. [2] She grew up in Toronto with her mother Grace, a factory worker, and her brother. 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. Died (60) Add to list Awards 3 wins & 6 nominations Photos 28 Known for Hedwig and the Angry Inch 7.7 Many of Watsonspeers and fans took to Twitter to remember her. Actress Alberta Watson is photographed during the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006, in Toronto. [About her portrayal of the mother in, Choice: The Henry Morgentaler Story (2005). Her Gary Goddard Agency . lp She was nominated for Genie Awards for her work in 1978s In Praise of Older Women and 1996s Shoemaker. Get a roundup of the most important and intriguing national stories delivered to your inbox every weekday. I have such wonderful memories, and I cant believe shes gone. Updates? Her film credits include Atom Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter,Sarah Polley's Away from Her,David O. Russell's Spanking the Monkeyand George Kaczender's In Praise of Older Women. TORONTO Canadian actress Alberta Watson passed away Saturday after a battle with cancer. Incredible char and actor. 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. Watson died at Toronto's Kensington Hospice with her husband Ken at her side.. Congrats, Alberta!! On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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). She moved south and worked for many years in New York and Los Angeles. [13] Watson wore wigs in the show when she lost her hair. Watson gambled by playing the seductive mother in David O. Russells incest-tinged first feature, Spanking the Monkey (1994). 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. Her first major credit was in Robert Lantos and Claude Hrouxs In Praise of Older Women (1978). Alberta Watson, congrats on your Gemini win 2011, for Heartland! Alberta Watson, well known to television audiences for her Gemini award-nominated role as Madeline on La Femme Nikita (1997), enjoys a long and diverse career in television and film. Death [ edit] 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. Oh! During 2007 and 2008, Watson played a supporting role in the Canadian television series The Border as the Minister of Public Safety. The Tony Award-nominated Broadway actor, 41, died in a hospital in Los Angeles after suffering severe medical complications after contracting the coronavirus. It didn't scare me at all. And I'm not a name with an image to protect. Canadian actor, director, writer, and producer. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Through regional and national programming on multiple platforms, including CBC Television, CBC News Network, CBC Radio, CBCNews.ca, mobile and on-demand, CBC News and its internationally recognized team of award-winning journalists deliver the breaking stories, the issues, the analyses and the personalities that matter to Canadians. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. Outside acting, Watson championed more production in Canada and more opportunities for Canadian actors. [12][13] Producers at La Femme Nikita worked around her treatment and limited her appearances.
