Wikipedia / Helen Shaver
Wikipedia / Helen Shaver
Helen Shaver (born February 24, 1951) is a Canadian actress and film and television director. After appearing in a number of Canadian movies, she received a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress for her performance in the romantic drama In Praise of Older Women (1978). She later appeared in the films The Amityville Horror (1979), The Osterman Weekend (1983), Desert Hearts (1985), The Color of Money (1986), The Believers (1987), The Craft (1996), Tremors 2: Aftershocks (1996) and Down River (2013). She received another Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress nomination for the 1986 drama film Lost!, and won a Best Supporting Actress for We All Fall Down (2000). Shaver also starred in some short-lived television series, including United States (1980) and Jessica Novak (1981), and from 1996 to 1999 starred in the Showtime horror series, Poltergeist: The Legacy, for which she received a Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television nomination.
In the mid-1990s, Shaver began working as a television director, directing more than 50 shows. She won three Directors Guild of Canada Awards, one Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Miniseries or TV Film, two Canadian Screen Awards, and three Women's Image Network Awards. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for directing the 1999 television movie Summer's End and in 2020 made her big screen debut with the drama film Happy Place. In 2004, Shaver was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.
Early life
Shaver was born and raised with five sisters in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada.
Career
After roles in Canadian features such as Outrageous! (1977), Starship Invasions (1977), Who Has Seen the Wind (1977) and High Ballin (1978), Shaver won a Canadian Film Award as Best Lead Actress opposite Tom Berenger (for her performance as "Ann MacDonald") in In Praise of Older Women (1978).
Shaver was one of the stars of director Sam Peckinpah's final film, 1983's The Osterman Weekend. In 1985, Shaver starred in Desert Hearts as a 1950s university professor who falls in love with another woman. Her performance, with co-star Patricia Charbonneau, drew critical praise and Shaver won the Bronze Leopard Award at the Locarno International Film Festival. Another prominent film performance during that time came in 1986 as the love interest of Paul Newman in his Oscar-winning portrayal of "Fast" Eddie Felson in Martin Scorsese's The Color of Money, a sequel to 1961's The Hustler. In 1980, Shaver starred with Beau Bridges in the short-lived NBC television series United States developed by Larry Gelbart. A year later she starred in the short-lived drama series Jessica Novak. She was in the 1984 Canadian-made Countdown to Looking Glass. She subsequently appeared on such television shows as Hill Street Blues and T. J. Hooker. In 1990, she guest-starred as the murderer in Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo, and later that year co-starred on the short-lived series WIOU, playing a television journalist (as she also did on Jessica Novak). From 1996-1999, Shaver co-starred on the television series Poltergeist: The Legacy, playing Dr. Rachel Corrigan, a widowed psychiatrist with an eight-year-old daughter who is helped by the Legacy in the pilot episode; her performance earned a Saturn Award nomination. In 2000, she won a Genie Award for her portrayal of a drug-addicted prostitute in the independent feature We All Fall Down.
Shaver made her feature-length directorial debut in 1999 with the television film Summer's End, which won an Emmy and earned her a directorial nomination. Shaver has also directed a number of television shows and cable movies, including The Outer Limits, Judging Amy, Joan of Arcadia, Medium, The O.C., Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The L Word, Jericho, Journeyman, Private Practice, The Unit, Crusoe, Orphan Black, Vikings, 13 Reasons Why, and Westworld. In 2003, she won a Gemini award for Best Direction in a Dramatic Series for the Just Cause television series episode "Death's Details".
In 2004, Shaver was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.
Happy Place, her first theatrical feature film after directing for television, premiered at the Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, and was screened at the 2020 Vancouver International Film Festival.
In 2021, Shaver picked up The Living Legend Tribute at the 23rd Women's Image Network Awards with fellow honoree JoJo Siwa its Rising Musical Star recipient.
In 2023, Shaver won the DGA award for directing episode 8 ("Who's There?") of Station Eleven.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1976 | Girl Hitch-Hiker | Make-up | |
Paula | |||
1977 | Jo | ||
Betty Duncan | |||
Ruth Thompson | |||
1978 | "Pickup" | ||
Ann MacDonald | |||
1979 | Carolyn | ||
1980 | Isobel | ||
1981 | Rhonda | ||
1982 | Catherine Tuttle | ||
1983 | Virginia Tremayne | ||
1984 | Clair Lewis | ||
Voice of Gloria Revelle (uncredited) | |||
1985 | Vivian Bell | ||
Maria | |||
1986 | Linda | Nominated — Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress | |
Sarah | |||
Janelle | |||
1987 | Jessica Halliday | ||
1988 | Littlefoot's Mother | ||
1989 | Benet Archdale | ||
1990 | Veronica Dowd | ||
1991 | The Devil | ||
1992 | Diane | ||
Ann O'Connor | |||
1993 | Lula Peak | ||
1995 | Open Season | Rachel Rowen | |
Margaret Heller | |||
1996 | Grace Downs | ||
"Slim" | |||
Dr. Kate Riley | |||
Egg Salad | Gladys | Short | |
1999 | Wallis Caldwell | ||
2000 | Bear with Me | Sara Bradley | |
Sherry | |||
2004 | Ruthie | ||
2007 | Audrey Milbank | ||
2013 | Birthday Cake | Judith Ferguson | |
Pearl | Nominated — Leo Award for Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Motion PictureNominated — ACTRA Award for Outstanding Performance - Female | ||
2018 | Shepherd One | Short |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1974 | "Affairs of the Heart" | ||
Gloria | "The Killer" | ||
1975 | Bonnie | "Web of Guilt" | |
1977 | Dr. Liz Warren | TV film | |
1978 | Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II | Patty | TV film |
1979 | Overlanders | Mrs. O'Mara | TV film |
1980 | Libby Chapin | Main role | |
1981 | Jessica Novak | Main role | |
1982 | Between Two Brothers | Susan Frazer | TV film |
Off Your Rocker | Miss Beecher | TV film | |
Teresa Hyler | 4 episodes | ||
1983 | Lisa Jericho | "The Shadow of Truth" | |
1984 | Dorian Waldorf | TV film | |
1985 | Valery | TV film | |
1986 | Karen | "Mirror, Mirror" | |
Belle Delaguerra | "Spanish Blood" | ||
Phyllis Dayton | "The Case of the Friendly Fugitive", "Gems and Jelly Beans", "The Maharajah of Weston" | ||
Many Happy Returns | Sally Robinson | TV film | |
1987 | Herself | TV talk show, June 25, 1987 | |
1988 | Miss Haight | "The Emissary" | |
No Blame | Amy Donaldson | TV filmNominated — Gemini Award for Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series | |
1989 | Diane Decker | "The Dancer's Touch" | |
Mothers, Daughters and Lovers | Claire Nichols | TV film | |
1990 | Pair of Aces | Rose | TV film |
Vivian Dimitri | |||
1990–1991 | Kelby Robinson | Main role | |
1992 | Sandra Brady | "Child's Play" | |
Fatal Memories | Elaine Tipton | TV film | |
1993 | Survive the Night | Stacy | TV film |
Edie Ballew | TV film | ||
Trial & Error | Katherine Woodfield | TV film | |
1994 | Monique | TV film | |
Ride with the Wind | Katherine Barnes | TV film | |
Nora Fields | TV film | ||
Janek: The Silent Betrayal | Monique Dessier | TV film | |
1995 | Falling for You | Mary | TV film |
Cathy Kress | "The Sandkings"Nominated — CableACE Award for Actress in a Dramatic Series | ||
1996–1999 | Dr. Rachel Corrigan | Main roleNominated — Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television | |
1997 | Dianna McKinney | "Next of Kin" | |
1998 | Mrs. Martin | TV film | |
1999 | Marjorie Litchfield | TV film | |
2000 | Janet | TV film | |
2001–2002 | Erica Bettis | Main role | |
2003 | Lynn Todd | TV film | |
Sandy Moose | TV film | ||
2004 | Faye Buckley | "Luck, Next Time", "Liberally" | |
Barbara Yates | "Becoming", "Trial by Fire" | ||
2008 | Rose | TV film | |
2010 | Iris Expanding | Iris's Mom | TV film |
Director
Year | Title | Note(s) |
1996–1999 | 2 episodes | |
1997–2000 | 6 episodes | |
1998 | Episode: "Stage Coach Marty" | |
Episode: "Bulls and Bears" | ||
1999 | TV movie | |
2000–2001 | 2 episodes | |
2001 | Unknown episodes | |
Episode: "This Crazy Life" | ||
2001–2005 | 11 episodes | |
2002 | Episode: "Shell Game" | |
Due East | TV movie | |
2003 | Episode: "Death's Details" | |
Episode: "Rest in Peace" | ||
Episode: "The Uncertainty Principle" | ||
2004 | Episode: "The Proposal" | |
Episode: "The New and Improved Carl Morrissey" | ||
2005 | Episode: "Divine Directions" | |
The Stranger I Married | TV movie | |
2006 | Episode: "Doctor's Orders" | |
2006–2007 | 3 episodes | |
2006 | Episode: "The Feed" | |
Episode: "Borderline" | ||
Ultra | TV movie | |
2007 | Episode: "Black Jack" | |
Episode: "Winterland" | ||
2008–2011 | 9 episodes | |
2008–2009 | 2 episodes | |
2 episodes | ||
2009 | Episode: "One Man's Treasure" | |
2010 | Episode: "Save the Last Dance" | |
2 episodes | ||
2 episodes | ||
2011 | Episode: "I'd Do Anything" | |
Episode: "Seizure" | ||
Episode: "Big Rock Mesa" | ||
2 episodes | ||
2012 | 5 episodes | |
2012–2015 | 3 episodes | |
2013 | Episode: "Firecracker" | |
2013–2014 | 3 episodes | |
2014 | Episode: "For King and Country" | |
Episode: "Dead Clade Walking" | ||
2014–2017 | 3 episodes | |
2015–2019 | 6 episodes | |
2016 | Episode: "100,000 Heartbeats" | |
2 episodes | ||
2017–2018 | 2 episodes | |
2017 | 2 episodes | |
2018 | Episode: "The Reluctant Taxidermist" | |
Episode: "The Eagle and the Bee" | ||
2 episodes | ||
2020 | Episode: "Passed Pawn" | |
2 episodes | ||
Episode: "Meet Me in Daegu" | ||
Feature film | ||
2021–2022 | 3 episodes | |
2022 | Episode: "What a Disaster!" | |
2023 | 4 episodes | |
2024 | Episodes: "Cent'Anni" and "Homecoming" | |
2026 | Episode: "The Greater Good" |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
1999 | Best Direction: Dramatic Series | The Outer Limits, episode: "Lithia" | ||
2001 | Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role | |||
Best Performance by a Female: Feature Length Drama | ||||
2014 | Best Lead Performance by a Female: Motion Picture | |||
2017 | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series | Vikings, episode: "Promised" | ||
2018 | Best Direction: Dramatic series | Anne With an E, episode: "I Am No Bird, And No Net Ensnares Me" | ||
2019 | Best Direction: Dramatic Series | Anne With an E, episode: "Youth Is The Season Of Hope" | ||
2022 | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series | Maid, episode: "String Cheese" | ||
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series | Station Eleven, episode: "Who's There?" | |||
2025 | Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | The Penguin, episode: "Cent'anni" |
References
External links