Joy Dorothy Coghill-Thorne, CM, (May 13, 1926 – January 20, 2017) was a Canadian actress, director, and writer. Her obituary in The Vancouver Sun described her as having had "a seven-decade run at the top of the Vancouver theatre world."
Early life and education Coghill was born in Findlater, Saskatchewan, Canada on May 13, 1926, the daughter of J.G. Coghill and Dorothy Pollard Coghill. Her father was a Presbyterian minister. She was educated at King's Park Secondary School and Queen's Park Secondary School in Glasgow, Scotland. After returning to Canada, she attended Kitsilano Secondary School and began performing in school theatre productions. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia in 1949 and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1951.
Career Coghill and Myra Benson founded Canada's first professional touring children's theatre, Holiday Theatre in 1953. From 1967 to 1969, Coghill was the artistic director of the Vancouver Playhouse. She was the first woman to hold that position. In 1994, Coghill founded Western Gold, a theatre company for senior professional actors in Vancouver. She also served as a director for the National Theatre School's English drama section in 1960. She held honorary degrees from Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia.
Her best-known work is Song of This Place, a play about the Canadian artist Emily Carr. In addition to her writing, Coghill has made guest appearances on Da Vinci's Inquest as Portia Da Vinci and as the dying human host Saroosh/Selmak on the Stargate SG-1 episode "The Tok'ra, Part 1 & 2".Approaching the Possible: The World of Stargate SG-1 p.185, Jo Storm
Coghill received four Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards for her theatrical accomplishments in Vancouver, British Columbia: Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance Award (1988–1989), Community Recognition Award (1989–1990), Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (1990–1991), and Unique Mandate and Contribution to the Theatre Community (1998–1999).
Other awards include a Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, the Gemini Humanitarian Award, the Dominion Drama Festival acting award and a Canadian drama award. On October 25, 1990, she was made a member of the Order of Canada and cited as "a champion of Canadian talent and quality and as "a continuing inspiration to her colleagues in theatre throughout the country."
Personal life Coghill was married to John Thorne, a producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. On January 20, 2017, Coghill died of massive heart failure at St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was 90. She was survived by three children and two grandchildren.
Plays
Song of This Place
Filmography
Film +YearTitleRole Notes1975ShiversMona Wheatley1978Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded FangMistress Fowl1984Change of HeartEdna1987Blue MonkeyDede Wilkens1994AndreBetsy1998 The Sleep RoomMrs. Olson1999Double JeopardyNeighbor In Garden2000 A Day in a LifeDorthy
Television YearTitleRole Notes1955General Motors TheatreSallyEpisode: "Never Say No"1959Studio PacificAliceEpisode: "Anyone for Alice"1980, 1985 The BeachcombersGertie2 episodes1986Nobody's ChildPatient #1Television film1986Red SergeRuby BurrisEpisode: "Apron Springs"1987AirwolfReverend MotherEpisode: "Flowers of the Mountain"1987Christmas Comes to Willow CreekCharlotteTelevision film1989UnsubMrs. GleasonEpisode: "White Bone Demon"199121 Jump StreetMrs. DixonEpisode: "Coppin' Out"1991Omen IV: The AwakeningSister FrancescaTelevision film1991Street JusticeRosemary LyttleEpisode: "Sanctuary"1991My Son JohnnyAnna CortinoTelevision film1993Miracle on Interstate 880Sister Mary1993Sherlock Holmes ReturnsMs. Baker1993Whose Child Is This? The War for Baby JessicaEarlen1994Snowbound: The Jim and Jennifer Stolpa StoryDr. Jorgenson1994 The CommishMrs. DawsonEpisode: "Revenge"1995 The X-FilesLinda ThibedeauxEpisode: "Aubrey"1995 The Other Mother: A Moment of Truth MovieSister VincentTelevision film1995SlidersMrs. Ezra TweakEpisode: "Summer of Love"1995My Life as a DogAuntie Auntie / Astrid Árnesson6 episodes1996Color Me PerfectJenniferTelevision film1996, 1997Poltergeist: The LegacyElizabeth Baker / Mrs. Blake2 episodes1997ViperMother GraceEpisode: "Echo of Murder"1998 The Outer LimitsJeanEpisode: "The Vaccine"1998Stargate SG-1Saroosh / Selmak2 episodes1998 The Crow: Stairway to HeavenLaura StansburyEpisode: "Before I Wake"1998–2003Da Vinci's InquestPortia Da Vinci6 episodes1999Nothing Too Good for a CowboyViolet HutchisonEpisode: "Deja Vu All Over Again"2000 The Christmas SecretOld WomanTelevision film2002Living with the DeadMrs. Ziff2003BetrayedMabel Stewart
References
External links Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia biography CBC's The National: Joy Coghill's Story
Joy Coghill at Doollee.com