Michelle St. John is a Canadian actress, singer, producer and director who has been involved in creative projects in theatre, film, television and music since the 1980s. She is from the Wampanog Nation. Her directorial debut, Colonization Road, is a 2016 feature-length documentary that premiered at the imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival.
Early life St. John is the daughter of musician Wayne St. JohnChristopher Reynolds, "Toronto’s Jingle King still crooning". Toronto Star, June 5, 2016. and a Jewish mother.
Career St. John began her career in film as an actress. One of her first roles was as the protagonist in the 1989 CBC film Where the Spirit Lives, for which she won a Gemini Award for Best Actress - Dramatic Program.
She has worked on many television series, including Northern Exposure and By Way of the Stars and she voiced the character of Nakoma in Disney's 1995 animated film Pocahontas.
In 1998, she had a cameo as Velma in Chris Eyre's award-winning Smoke Signals. St. John has produced several short films and theatre productions with Marie Clements. She has collaborated with Shane Belcourt as co-producer on two Heritage Minutes, Chanie Wenjack and Naskumituwin (Treaty) and the independent feature film Red Rover.
In 2016, She came across the inspiration for Colonization Road, which she wrote, produced, and directed, while touring with Turtle Gals in Fort Frances, Ontario.
The World Premiere of Colonization Road was on October 23, 2016, at imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival, and it was nominated for a 2017 Canadian Screen Award in Donald Brittain Social Political Documentary category. It also received a Golden Sheaf Awards for Best History Documentary.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes1990Straight LineSecretary1995PocahontasNakoma (voice)1996Coyote SummerRachel1998Smoke SignalsVelmaPocahontas II: Journey to a New WorldNakoma (voice)Video2002Agnes Roth2010Keeping QuietMaureenShortJesus IndianShortEvery Emotion CostsJuniper2014Rez Carz(voice)Short
Television Year Title Role Notes19869BEmma KostynuikTV film1987CBS Schoolbreak SpecialMaggieEpisode: "The Day They Came to Arrest the Book"Beverly Hills TeensShanelle (voice)Episode: "Dream Date"1988T. and T.SecretaryEpisode: "Straight Line: Part 4"9BEmma KostynuikMain role1989Where the Spirit LivesKomi / AmeliaTV film1990E.N.G.Merrily SwansonEpisode: "A Long Way from Hopeful"1991Conspiracy of SilenceHelen Betty OsborneTV miniseries1992Lost in the Barrens: The Curse of the Viking GraveAngelineTV filmUnder the Umbrella TreeMarie BlackbirdEpisode: "Everybody's Garden"1992–93By Way of the StarsWhite FeatherTV miniseries1993Liar, Liar: Between Father and DaughterJanice WilsonTV filmNorthern ExposureDebbieEpisode: "Love's Labour Mislaid"GeronimoTV filmSpirit RiderCamilla St. ClaireTV film1995Side EffectsIrisEpisode: "Lucky Numbers"Murphy BrownVolunteerEpisode: "Murphy's Law"1996CatherineEpisode: "Mama Crabby Tree"1998White LiesTV Newsperson 1TV film2002Tipi TalesGreat-grandmother (voice)TV series2004This Is WonderlandNaomi KingEpisode: "1.7"
Other work Year Title Project Notes2010Jesus IndianShortProducer2012Documentary shortProducer2015Hadwin's JudgementDocumentaryProduction coordinator2016Urban Native GirlTV seriesAssociate producer, researcher, writer, production managerHeritage MinutesEpisodes: "Naskumituwin (Treaty)", "Chanie Wenjack"Co-producerColonization RoadDocumentaryProducer, writer, director, camera operator2017CBC Docs POVEpisode: "The Crimes of Shelly Chartier"ResearcherDocumentaryPerformer: "1965"2018Red RoverFeatureAssociate producer, production manager2019Merchants of the WildTV series documentaryAssociate producer, location manager
Awards 1990 - Gemini Award: Best Actress - Dramatic Program (Where the Spirit Lives) 1992 - Gemini Award: Best Guest Performance in a Series by an Actor or Actress (E.N.G. Season 2, Episode 11) 2003 - FAITA Award: Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Film (The Business of Fancydancing) 2011 - American Indian Movie Award: Best Actress (Every Emotion Costs)
References
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