Charmion King
Charmion King | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | July 25, 1925 |
| Died | January 6, 2007 (aged 81) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1952–2002 |
| Spouse | Gordon Pinsent |
| Family | Leah Pinsent |
Charmion King (July 25, 1925 – January 6, 2007) was a Canadian actress.
Biography
Born in Toronto, Ontario. King studied theatre at the University of Toronto, where she performed at the University's Hart House Theatre, getting notice in Shaw's Saint Joan.[1]
In 1947, King joined the Straw Hat Players, a summer circuit troupe in the Muskoka Lake district. In 1951, King went to England for two years of study.[1]
In 1953, King returned to Canada and joined the cast of the new Crest Theatre. She gave notable performances as the main character in the Madwoman of Chaillot (1961) and in Chekhov's Three Sisters (1956).[1] It was at the Crest that she met her future husband Gordon Pinsent.
King went on to the Stratford Festival appearing in productions of The Winter's Tale, Three Sisters and Uncle Vanya. In 1960, she appeared in Toronto at the Royal Alexandra Theatre (Royal Alex) and on Broadway in Tyrone Guthrie's production of Love and Libel.[1]
After appearing in Orpheus Descending at the Crest (her 18th appearance at the Crest) in 1962, King took a break from acting. In 1964, her daughter Leah was born. King raised Leah while Gordon developed his career. After a while, King stopped receiving offers to act.[2] It would be a decade before she returned to acting.[3]
In 1972, King appeared at the Shaw Festival in a production of The Royal Family, directed by the Crest's Donald Davis, and also starring Jonathan White, Ruth Nelson, Patricia Gage and Paul Kligman.[4] In 1977, King returned to the Toronto stage at the St Lawrence Centre in Easter. She also appeared in S.H.O.R.T.S at Toronto's Redlight Theatre, and in Sweet Bird of Youth at Hart House Theatre.[3] In 1979, King created the role of Jessica Logan in Jitters for the Toronto Free Theatre.[1] She reprised the role at New Haven's Long Wharf Theatre that year and in a revival in Toronto in 1986.[5] In 1980, King starred with Alan Scarfe, Frances Hyland and Eric House in Night of the Iguana by Theatre Plus.[6] In 1988, King starred with Kate Reid in Arsenic and Old Lace at Hart House Theatre. Her final stage role was in February 2006 with Toronto's Soulpepper Theatre Company in Our Town.[5]
In 1991, King played Noah's wife in Timothy Findley's Not Wanted On The Voyage for CBC-Radio's "Arts National" series.[7]
King has also acted in notable television films, including Anne of Green Gables (as Josephine Barry) and Jackie, Ethel, Joan: The Women of Camelot (as Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy). She also starred in the Canadian television series Wind at My Back and House of Pride. In 1988, she appeared in the film Shadow Dancing.
King won the Nellie Award in 1985 for best radio actress in Canada.[1]
Personal life
King was married to Gordon Pinsent for 44 years until her death. Their daughter, Leah Pinsent, is also a noted Canadian television actress.
King died, aged 81, in Toronto, reportedly from complications of emphysema.
Her papers are in the collection of the Toronto Public Library.[8]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Nobody Waved Good-bye | Mother | |
| 1966 | Affair with a Killer | ||
| 1969 | Don't Let the Angels Fall | Myrna | |
| 1977 | Who Has Seen the Wind | Mrs. Abercrombie | |
| 1988 | Shadow Dancing | Grace Meyerhoff | |
| 1998 | Last Night | Grandmother | |
| 2001 | Picture Claire | Lady on the Train | |
| 2002 | A Promise | Mum | Short |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Theatre Royal | Julie Cavendish | TV film |
| Anne of Green Gables | Mrs. Allen | "Great Aunt Josephine" | |
| 1953, 1955-1957 & 1959 - 1961 | Encounter | Rosalind Marshall/Mrs. Davenport, Mable / Mary Brock, Grace Shearing, Grace Slidell, Jean & Ruby Crawford | "Star Light, Star Bright" & "The Coming Out of Ellie Swan", "The Magic Life", "Failure to Remain", "Guest Appearance", "Some Of My Best Friends", "A Wind from the South" & "Company Party" |
| 1955 | Playbill | "The Typewriter Murder" | |
| 1956 | Folio | Gwendolyn Fairfax | "The Importance of Being Earnest" |
| 1957 | The Adventures of Tugboat Annie | Lydia | "The Romance of Horatio Bullwinkle" |
| 1957 & 1958 | On Camera | Martha Madison / Grace & Joan | "A Lesson in Psychology", "Wait for Me" & "The Beard" |
| 1959 | The Family Reunion | Mary | TV film |
| 1960 | First Person | Ethel Blanton | "Some Are So Lucky" |
| 1961 & 1962 | Playdate | Ursula Bennett, "Nightmare" & "The Eye Opener Man and the Wages of Zinn" | "Valerie" & Ellen / Laura |
| 1961 | Q for Quest | Karin Hildebrandt | "The Standard of Dying" |
| Quest | Marion | "Sam" | |
| Festival | Mrs. Provocateur | "The Police" | |
| 1962 | Queen / Aurore | "The Queen and the Rebels" & "Bousille and the Just" | |
| 1963 | Playdate | Ruth Rutledge / Anne / Mrs. Wenfield | "The Man Who Cheered the Leafs", "Willow Circle", "The Fight for Martin Wheeler" |
| The Forest Rangers | Juliette Davis | "The Deputy" | |
| 1964 | A Very Close Family | Daughter | TV film |
| 1965 & 1966 | Seaway | Emily Paneau & Anna Amorest | "Nothing But a Long Goodbye" & "Don't Forget to Wipe the Blood Off: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1969 | Room 222 | Dora Hughes | "The Exchange Teacher" |
| 1973 | McMillan & Wife | Ann Grey | "Death of a Monster... Birth of a Legend" |
| 1974 | House of Pride | Mary Kirby | TV series |
| 1985 | Anne of Green Gables | Great Aunt Josephine Barry | TV miniseries |
| 1987 | Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel | ||
| 1988 | Katts and Dog | Princess Rosa | "Comedy of Errors", "Princess Rosa" & "Protective Custody" |
| The Twilight Zone | Diane Brockman | "Our Selena Is Dying" | |
| 1990 | The Hitchhiker | Margaret Cabot | "Hard Rhyme" |
| 1994 | Broken Lullaby | Natalia Rostova | TV film |
| 1997 | Traders | Frankie Beal | "Family Legacy" |
| Psi Factor | Bridget Jamieson | "The Damned" | |
| 1997–2001 | Wind at My Back | Daisy Whitney | Recurring role |
| 1998 | My Own Country | Young Man's Mother | TV film |
| Witness to Yesterday | Mary Pickford | "Mary Pickford" | |
| 2000 | Twitch City | Meals Lady | "Klan Bake" |
| 2001 | Jackie, Ethel, Joan: The Women of Camelot | Rose Kennedy | TV film |
| Twice in a Lifetime | Anne | "Final Flight" |
References
- ^ a b c d e f Benson & Conolly 1989, p. 285.
- ^ "Pinsent on the move". Toronto Star. September 16, 1967. pp. 21, 22.
- ^ a b Kirkland, Bruce (April 9, 1977). "A theatrical pioneer returns to the stage". Toronto Star. p. H3.
- ^ "Shaw Festival '72". Toronto Star. June 24, 1972. p. A7.
- ^ a b Ouzounian, Richard (January 8, 2007). "Charmion King-Pinsent, 81: Stage veteran". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
- ^ "Night of the Iguana advertisement". Toronto Star. September 12, 1980. p. G4.
- ^ Adilman, Sid (December 12, 1991). "A snowbird for the White House". Toronto Star. p. C4.
- ^ "Charmion King Collection" (PDF). Toronto Public Library. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
Sources
- Illidge, Paul (2005). Glass Cage: The Crest Theatre Story. Toronto: Creber Monde (Canada). ISBN 0968634796.
- Benson, Eugene; Conolly, L. W., eds. (1989). The Oxford Companion to Canadian Theatre. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195406729.