Roberta Maxwell

Roberta Maxwell
Born circa 1942
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupation Actress
Years active 1956 – present

Roberta Maxwell (born c. 1942, Toronto, Ontario[1]) is a Canadian actress.

Background

Roberta Maxwell began studying for the stage around the age of 12. She joined John Clark for 2 years as the child co-host of his Junior Magazine series for CBC Television. She first performed at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in 1956.[2]

Stratford Shakespeare Festival and England

She appeared as Ursula in Much Ado About Nothing, Lady Anne in Richard III, Olivia in Twelfth Night, and Anne in The Merry Wives of Windsor, before going on to England, where she spent three years in repertory. She made her West End debut with Robert Morley and Molly Picon in A Majority of One.

In 1982, she starred as Rosalind in the Stratford Festival's stage production of Shakespeare's As You Like It, a production which was videotaped and telecast on Canadian television in 1983. In 2011, she played the duchess of York in Richard III.

Broadway

She debuted on Broadway in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1968, going on to five more plays with the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1974 she was back on Broadway playing the role of Jill in Equus, which starred Anthony Hopkins.

TV and film

Those, and many more plays, took her on to a successful television and film career. She was particularly praised for her performance as Lavinia in the 1978 PBS adaption of Mourning Becomes Electra. In 2009 and 2010 she appeared in two episodes of the Syfy series Warehouse 13.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1968 Great Big Thing, AA Great Big Thing Eve
1979 Rich Kids Barbara Peterfreund
1980 Changeling, TheThe Changeling Eva Lingstrom
1980 Popeye Nana Oyl
1986 Psycho III Tracy
1989 Kingsgate
1993 Philadelphia Judge Tate
1995 Dead Man Walking Lucille Poncelet
1997 Fall Joan Alterman
1997 Postman, TheThe Postman Irene March
1998 Last Night Mrs. Wheeler
1999 Water Damage Dr. Winfrey
2001 Full Disclosure Sarah Archer Video
2005 Brokeback Mountain Jack's Mother
2007 Killing Floor, TheThe Killing Floor Ms. Alimet (uncredited)
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1960 Just Mary (voice) TV series
1962 Emergency-Ward 10 Nurse Merritt 2 episodes
1965 Festival Ria Hennessy Episode: "A Cheap Bunch of Nice Flowers"
1974 Touch of the Poet, AA Touch of the Poet Sara Melody TV movie
1974 Great Performances Clara Episode: "The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd"
1974 Another World Barbara Weaver TV series
1976 Other Side of Victory, TheThe Other Side of Victory TV movie
1978 For the Record Carol Episode: "A Matter of Choice"
1978 Mourning Becomes Electra Lavinia Mannon TV miniseries
1982 Lois Gibbs and the Love Canal Mary Belinski TV movie
1982 Faerie Tale Theatre Griselda / Queen Beatrice Episode: "The Tale of the Frog Prince"
1983 As You Like It Rosalind TV movie
1983 Special Bulletin Diane Silverman TV movie
1984 St. Elsewhere Cat Lady Episode: "Hello, Goodbye"
1986-1987 Air Waves Jean Lipton 26 episodes
1988 All My Children Nanny Judith TV series
1989 Great Performances Mrs. Webb Episode: "Our Town"
1989 Equalizer, TheThe Equalizer Episode: "Heart of Justice"
1989 Hitchhiker, TheThe Hitchhiker Marybeth Episode: "The Dying Generation"
1996 We the Jury Lydia Bosco TV movie
1996 Mistrial Judge Friel TV movie
1997 When Innocence Is Lost Cynthia Adams TV movie
1997 Liberty! Mercy Otis Warren TV miniseries
1998 As the End of the Day: The Sue Rodriguez Story Doe TV movie
1999 Shadow Lake TV movie
1999 Too Rich: The Doris Duke Story Myra TV movie
1999 Forget Me Never TV movie
1999 Twice in a Lifetime Eloise Hawke / Eileen Kotter Episode: "School's Out"
2000 Law & Order Teresa Brewster Episode: "Collision"
2000 Outer Limits, TheThe Outer Limits Mrs. Reynolds Episode: "Inner Child"
2000 Life in a Day Carla Jennings TV movie
2000 Dinosaur Hunter, TheThe Dinosaur Hunter Adult Julia TV movie
2001 What Makes a Family Claire TV movie
2002 Scar Tissue Mora Carlisle-Nevsky TV movie
2002 Benjamin Franklin Deborah Read Franklin TV miniseries documentary
2003 Atwood Stories, TheThe Atwood Stories Lois Episode: "Death by Landscape"
2004 Gracie's Choice Judge TV movie
2005 Vinegar Hill Ellen's Mother TV movie
2005 Riding the Bus with My Sister Valerie TV movie
2005 Queer as Folk Michael's Lawyer Episode: "5.3"
2006 Booky Makes Her Mark Aunt Aggie TV movie
2006 Mermaid Chair, TheThe Mermaid Chair Nelle TV movie
2009 Warehouse 13 Rebecca St. Clair Episode: "Burnout"
2010 Warehouse 13 Rebecca St. Clair Episode: "Where and When"
2010 Rookie Blue Marie D'Abramo Episode: "Bullet Proof"
Theater
Year Title Role Notes
1958 Two Gentlemen of Verona Ursula
1968 Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, TheThe Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Various Understudy: Sister Helena, Sandy
1968-1969 House of Atreus, TheThe House of Atreus Handmaiden / Chorus
1968-1969 Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, TheThe Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui Betty Dullfeet
1969 King Henry VI Katherine
1970 Othello Desdemona
1970 Hay Fever Sorel Bliss
1972 There's One in Every Marriage Lucienne
1973 Plough and the Stars, TheThe Plough and the Stars Nora Clitheroe
1973 Merchant of Venice, TheThe Merchant of Venice Jessica
1974-1977 Equus Jill Mason
1977 Merchant, TheThe Merchant Portia Contarini
1988-1989 Our Town Mrs. Webb
1996 Summer and Smoke Mrs. Winemiller
2015 Indian Ink Eleanor Swan American Conservatory Theater production

Awards and recognition

References

  1. Northern Stars: Roberta Maxwell
  2. "A short trip for Robera Maxwell". The Gazette (Montreal). 21 March 1986. p. D1. Retrieved 19 June 2014.

External links