Laura M. Robinson Explained

Laura Robinson
Birth Name:Laura McKinlay Robinson
Birth Place:Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Education:London South Collegiate Institute
University of Windsor (BFA, 1980)
Other Names:McKinlay Robinson
Occupation:Actress, author, game designer, singer, television producer
Years Active:1984–present
Known For:Balderdash
Night Heat
Veronica Clare
Celebrity Name Game
Spouse:Mark Ettlinger
Children:2

Laura McKinlay Robinson (born 1957/1958) is a Canadian actress, author, game designer, singer, speaker, and television producer. She co-invented multiple board games, beginning with Balderdash (1984), which has sold millions of copies internationally, and was the basis for a television game show (2004 - 2005).

As an actress, she had a major recurring role on the television series Night Heat (1985 - 1988), and starred in the television series Veronica Clare (1991), among lesser roles on stage, movies, and television. She co-produced the television game show Celebrity Name Game (2014-2017), which was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show. It was based on Identity Crisis, another board game she co-invented. As a writer, she co-wrote or contributed stories to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series books Count Your Blessings (2009), O Canada (2011), Hooked on Hockey (2012), and Miraculous Messages from Heaven (2013).

Early life

Laura McKinlay Robinson was born on 7 May,[1] in in Kingston, Ontario, and raised in London, Ontario, in a performing family. Her mother was Margaret Muriel Robinson,, one of triplets from Brantford, Ontario, who wrote plays for amateur theatre.[2] [3] Her father, Kenneth Ian Robinson, was a sales manager for Hiram Walker and Sons, and played tenor saxophone, leading Toronto area jazz bands including The Sax Family Robinson and the Ian Robinson Trio.[4] [5] [6] Her brother Chris Robinson also plays the tenor saxophone professionally.[7] Laura Robinson started singing with her father's jazz band at the age of 15.

Robinson graduated London South Collegiate Institute high school in 1975,[8] where she studied theatre with Marion Woodman, whom she credits with inspiring her acting career.[1] She went on to the University of Windsor where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dramatic arts.[9] Her early work was as an actress in television commercials, and weekend weather presenter for London, Ontario CFPL-DT television.[3]

Balderdash

See main article: Balderdash. Robinson created the board game Balderdash with advertising copywriter Paul Toyne, her boyfriend at the time, in 1984.[10] It is a board game version of the parlor game Dictionary, where players compete to guess the correct definition of a word from among false ones. Robinson and Toyne played the parlor game the first time they met, at Toyne's family cottage, and they started work on the board game within a month. The five television commercials that Robinson had running supported the pair while they developed the game over the first eight months. They almost lived in libraries to research the 2,500 words that made it into the first edition. One night they were locked into the University of Toronto library after missing closing time.[11] Her mother Margaret came up with the board game name, which means "nonsense".[12]

Balderdash was one in a series of successful Canadian board games, beginning with Trivial Pursuit from Ontario in 1982, Scruples in 1984 from Manitoba, and Pictionary from Vancouver in 1985.[10] A friend's successful investment in Trivial Pursuit spurred the couple on.[13] They sold the first 5000 copies in Ontario toy stores before expanding throughout Canada with the Canadian Toy Fair in early 1985. The following year, Balderdash became the top selling game in Canada, dethroning Trivial Pursuit.[10] The couple made between $1 and $2 for each copy sold.

By 1987, Robinson and Toyne had split up romantically, but remained business partners.[3] By the following year, over a million copies of the game had been sold in Canada, with another million expected to sell in the United States that year.[3] In 1990, Balderdashs Swedish translation, Rappakalja, won the award for Best Family Game from the Swedish game manufacturers' association.[14]

By 1997, Balderdash was sold in Australia, Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with over 5 million copies sold worldwide.[15] By 2006, it had sold over 10 million copies in 17 countries.[16]

Acting

Robinson's first major acting role was Detective Christine Meadows, a rare female homicide detective, from 1985 to 1988, on three seasons of Night Heat, an American television series filmed in Toronto.[17] [18] Playing Balderdash was among the TV cast and crew's favorite pastimes between takes.[19]

In 1986, Robinson, credited as McKinlay Robinson, her middle name, joined the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) television network Talent Development Program, auditioning in New York City, then moving to Los Angeles.[20] She used this name for a 1987 role as P'Gell Roxton, the main villain in The Spirit, a television film based on the comics character that was meant to be the beginning of a series that never materialized.[21] [22] She was under contract to ABC for four years. By 1991, Robinson's earnings from acting had reached as much as she was making from Balderdash royalties.

In 1991, Robinson (back to Laura Robinson) starred as the title role on the Lifetime American cable television network (Lifetime was partly owned by ABC) series Veronica Clare.[23] The series tried to capture the flavor of 1940s Hollywood film noir, and the title character was the owner of a jazz club who moonlighted as a private investigator. Robinson credited her experience playing femmes fatale and her smoky voice with getting the role over several hundred other actresses.[23] Reviewers commented on Robinson's sultry voice, wavy hair, and sex appeal, with one comparing her to Jessica Rabbit as voiced by Kathleen Turner, but criticized her acting.[24] [25] [26] The show lasted nine episodes.[27]

Roles

YearTitleRoleNotes
1984Thrillkill, filmAdrian, accompliceCredited as Laura Robinson.
1985-88Night Heat, television seriesDetective Christine MeadowsRecurring role. Credited as Laura McKinlay Robinson.
1987The Pink Chiquitas, filmTrudy Jones, newscasterCredited as McKinlay Robinson.
1987The Spirit, pilot episode/television filmP'Gell, main villainIntended series based on the comics character. Credited as McKinlay Robinson.[28]
1987Goofballs, filmSarah MaeCredited as Laura Robinson, from here onwards.
1988Emerald City, playHelen Davey[29]
1988Switching Channels, filmKaren Ludlow, reporter[30]
1989, episode "Face of Evil"Tabitha Robbins, main villain
1989Cheers, episode "The Stork Brings a Crane"Nurse
1989Hardball, episode "Which Witch Is Which?"Anareeve[31]
1991The Flash, episode "Alpha"Col. Powers, villain
1991Veronica Clare, television seriesVeronica Clare, main character
1992Mikey, horror filmGrace Kelvin, mother of the main character
1992Forever Knight, episode "Unreality TV"Tawny Teller, reality TV host
1996Frasier, episode "High Crane Drifter"Lynette
1998CHiPs '99, television filmHayley, mechanic[32]
2005The Perfect Man, film[33] Saleslady
2006Missing, episode "Double Take"
2015Portal to Hell!!!, horror short film[34] Jeanie, tenantWon the Directors Guild of Canada award for best short film[35]

Television production and other game design

Robinson and Toyne considered making Balderdash into a television game show as early as 1986.[19] By 1997, she and her husband Mark Ettlinger were actively working on translating it into a television game show,[15] and 1998 they were in near-successful talks with Dan Angel and The Jim Henson Company, but these fell through.[32] The American television game show, also called Balderdash, aired from 2004-2005 on PAX TV, hosted by Elayne Boosler.[36]

While in California to pursue her acting career, Robinson met Rachel Nelson and Elizabeth Bryan, who were both newly divorced and working on books about divorce. The three created a board game, initially called Embracing Divorce, which involved collecting charms representing items like love, hope and giving, that went on a "count your blessings" charm bracelet. The three successfully marketed the resulting "Count Your Blessings" jewelry on QVC cable television, but the board game took longer. In 2009, the makers of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books agreed to publish the revised game, now called Count Your Blessings, in conjunction with the book Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings, which Robinson and Bryan contributed to writing.[37]

In 2006, after returning to Canada from Hollywood, Robinson created the game Identity Crisis (stylized as !dentity Crisis?) with graphic designer Patrick Lightheart and Richard Gerrits, her talent agent.[38] It is also based on a parlor game, where teammates try to guess the name of a celebrity based on a limited number of clues.[38]

Robinson and Gerrits served as producers on its American television game show version, Celebrity Name Game, along with Scott St. John and Coquette Productions founded by actors Courteney Cox and David Arquette.[39] The show involved contestants paired with celebrities trying to answer questions about pop culture. It was proposed to CBS in 2011, as Identity Crisis, after the board game which Cox and Arquette played often. The show's host Craig Ferguson, hosted the late night talk show The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on the same network.[40] It ended up premiering in broadcast syndication in September 2014, distributed by Debmar-Mercury and FremantleMedia.[39] Ferguson quit his position on The Late Late Show two months after he started hosting the game show.[41] Making a complete circle from board game to game show and back, Celebrity Name Game also became a board game released by PlayMonster in 2016.[42] Celebrity Name Game ran for three seasons, into 2017, winning Ferguson two consecutive Daytime Emmy Awards as best game show host in 2015 and 2016.[41] In 2017, both the show and Ferguson were nominated for Daytime Emmy Awards.[43] An Australian version of Celebrity Name Game, hosted by Grant Denyer, aired from 2019 to 2020.[44] [45]

Katie Kildahl, an assistant on Celebrity Name Game, had invented a ribald dice game about penis size that the show's production crew played. Robinson and Gerrits joined her to submit the game to PlayMonster, which published it as Size Matters in 2017.[46]

Writing

In 2009, Robinson and Bryan co-wrote the collection of short inspirational stories Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings with five author/collators, in conjunction with their board game.[37] Robinson also contributed a foreword, and a personal story about returning to Canada from Los Angeles.[47]

She continued to write for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. She contributed a similar story about her return to Canada to Chicken Soup for the Soul: O Canada in 2011,[48] was listed as the only author, besides the series founders, of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Hooked on Hockey in 2012,[49] and contributed the lead story to Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miraculous Messages from Heaven in 2013, about a sign after her mother's death.[50] Her husband Mark and son Jack Ettlinger each contributed a short story to Chicken Soup for the Soul: Hooked on Hockey.[49]

Events

In 2011, Robinson was a speaker at the fifth annual Inspiring Women event in Kitchener, Ontario.[51] In 2014, Robinson was the host of the Chicago Toy & Game Fair game-inspired fashion show.[52] [53]

Personal life

After the success of Balderdash, in the late 1980s Robinson moved from Toronto to Hollywood to pursue her acting career.[47] There she met Mark Ettlinger, also an actor, and son of Don Ettlinger, a New York-based writer for film, television and theater.[54] [55] They married and had two children before moving back to Canada in the summer of 2003, to give them the kind of childhood that Robinson had in Canada, and to be with Robinson's father before his death.[56] Their son Jack Ettlinger is also an actor and singer, who competed in Canada's Got Talent in 2012.[57] [58] Robinson's father died in 2008, and her mother in 2012.[4]

Notes and References

  1. News: Wells . Tom . Heat wave . . 14 May 1988 . S4. .
  2. News: Margaret ROBINSON Obituary . 7 May 2021 . . 17 December 2012 . en.
  3. News: A blonde airhead? Balderdash! . . 20 September 1988. .
  4. Web site: Kenneth Ian Robinson . A. Millard George Funeral Home. June 2008 . 2 May 2021.
  5. News: Rockstar Death Notices . 2 May 2021 . Maximum Ink . July 2008.
  6. News: Ian ROBINSON - Obituary #497105 . 7 May 2021 . . 18 June 2008.
  7. News: Wilkins . Glenn . From the Big Easy to Swing City . 2 May 2021 . Barrie Today . 5 June 2018 . en.
  8. News: In Local News... . 7 May 2021 . Lions’ Pride . South Collegiate Alumni Association . Fall 2011.
  9. News: New Canadian board game more than just 'Balderdash' . 7 May 2021 . . 15 December 1985 . 32 . en.
  10. News: Shrieves . Linda . CANADA -- BIG GAME COUNTRY INVENTORS UP NORTH ARE PLAYING TO WIN . 3 May 2021 . . 14 June 1988.
  11. News: Hutchison . Bill . BOTTOMS UP AND BALDERDASH BET ON OUR PASSION FOR GAMES CHEERS FOR THE BOTTOMS UP GANG . . 23 November 1985. .
  12. News: Actress Laura Robinson Talks All Things Balderdash And How Gaming Brings Families Together . 7 May 2021 . Celebrity Parents Magazine . VII. XI . July 2020 . en.
  13. Web site: Grimes . Dougal . Laura Robinson Talks Balderdash, Friends and Celebrities with Dougal G . Chicago Toy & Game Group . 8 May 2021 . en . 20 October 2014.
  14. Web site: Årets Spel . Lekobaby . 8 May 2021 . sv.
  15. Book: Casey . Susan . Women invent : two centuries of discoveries that have shaped our world . 1997 . . Chicago, Ill. . 9781556523175 . 91–93 . 1st.
  16. News: Bitti . Mary Teresa . She's got game . . 5 March 2007 . EN 9. .
  17. News: Morrow . Martin . Character actor Sean McCann played gruff lieutenant on Night Heat . 7 May 2021 . . 5 July 2019.
  18. Web site: Robinson . Laura . Actor . LauraRobinson.com . 7 May 2021 . en.
  19. News: Dunphy . Cathy . One couple's winning game . . 13 November 1986. .
  20. News: Gendel . Morgan . ABC'S NEW STARS TRY TO TWINKLE . 8 May 2021 . Los Angeles Times . 11 January 1986.
  21. Web site: DeCandido . Keith R. A. . Making Will Eisner Dizzy in His Grave — Two Terrible Versions of The Spirit . . 8 May 2021 . 9 February 2018.
  22. Web site: Cecchini . Mike . The Spirit TV Series That Almost Happened . . 3 May 2021 . 18 December 2017.
  23. News: Buck . Jerry . Robinson Stars as Private Eye 'Veronica Clare' . 1 May 2021 . . 14 July 1991 . en.
  24. News: McKerrow . Steve . Lifetime begins original prime-time programming with trio of shows . 7 May 2021 . . 23 July 1991.
  25. News: Sharbutt . Jay . Veronica Clare' needs some more work . https://web.archive.org/web/20210430203811/https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1991/07/23/veronica-clare-needs-some-more-work/ . dead . 30 April 2021 . 7 May 2021 . . 13 October 2005 . en.
  26. News: Roush . Matt . Lifetime's tawdry attempt at original shows . . 23 July 1991 . 03D. .
  27. News: 'VERONICA CLARE' BEING PULLED FROM LIFETIME . 7 May 2021 . . 1 September 1991.
  28. News: Van Horne . Harriet . Harriet Van Horne . When 'The Spirit' Doesn't Move You . . 31 July 1987 . 07. .
  29. News: Conlogue . Ray . EMERALD CITY Chaos and confusion in Emerald City . . 8 January 1988 . en. .
  30. News: Cox . Yvonne . People . 7 May 2021 . . 29 February 1988.
  31. News: Buck . Jerry . 'VERONICA' IS NO MYSTERY TO ACTRESS . . 29 July 1991 . 3D . .
  32. News: Robertson . Gail . Not just a game to Windsor grad . . 23 October 1998 . E1. .
  33. News: Queen. Lisa. Balderdash creator is back in the game . . . 23 October 1998 . E1.
  34. Web site: Boiselle . Matt . Portal To Hell!! (Short, 2015) . . 7 May 2021 . 1 September 2015.
  35. Web site: 2016 Winners & Nominees . . 7 May 2021.
  36. News: Zivotsky . Ann . 'Balderdash' goes TV . 3 May 2021 . San Diego Union-Tribune . 1 September 2004.
  37. Book: Canfield . Jack . Hansen . Mark Victor . Newmark . Amy . Robinson . Laura . Bryan . Elizabeth . Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings : 101 stories of gratitude, fortitude, and silver linings . 2009 . . Cos Cob, CT . 978-1935096429. From Balderdash to Blessings. xvii-xx.
  38. News: Gwilt . Alwinne . Balderdash creator's new !dea . 3 May 2021 . . 5 September 2006.
  39. News: Block . Alex Ben . 'Celebrity Name Game' Clears in 80 Percent of U.S. . 22 May 2021 . . 3 December 2013.
  40. News: Rose . Lacey . Courteney Cox, David Arquette Sell Game Show Pilot to CBS (Exclusive) . . 16 June 2011 . 22 May 2021.
  41. News: Stanhope . Kate . 'Celebrity Name Game' Canceled After 3 Seasons . . 2 December 2016 . 22 May 2021.
  42. Web site: Celebrity Name Game rules . . 25 May 2021.
  43. News: Aiello . McKenna . Daytime Emmy Awards 2017 Winners: The Complete List . 29 May 2021 . . 30 April 2017.
  44. News: Knox . David . Airdate: Celebrity Name Game . 24 May 2021 . . 26 April 2018 . en-AU.
  45. News: Knox . David . Axed: Celebrity Name Game . 24 May 2021 . . 2 June 2020 . en-AU.
  46. Web site: Robinson . Laura . GAME INVENTOR . LauraRobinson.com . 25 May 2021 . en.
  47. Book: Canfield . Jack . Hansen . Mark Victor . Newmark . Amy . Robinson . Laura . Bryan . Elizabeth . Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings : 101 stories of Gratitude, Fortitude, and Silver Linings . 3 November 2009 . . Cos Cob, CT . 978-1935096429. A Little Bird Told Me. 17–19.
  48. Book: Canfield . Jack . Hansen . Mark Victor . Newmark . Amy . Chicken Soup for the Soul: O Canada: 101 Heartwarming and Inspiring Stories by and for Canadians. 1 November 2011 . . Cos Cob, CT . 978-1935096757. Coming Home. 173–176.
  49. Book: Canfield . Jack . Hansen . Mark Victor . Robinson . Laura . Chicken Soup for the Soul: Hooked on Hockey : 101 Stories about the Players Who Love the Game and the Families that Cheer Them On . 2 October 2012 . . Cos Cob, CT . 978-1611599022.
  50. Book: Canfield . Jack . Hansen . Mark Victor . Newmark . Amy . Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miraculous Messages from Heaven: 101 Stories of Eternal Love, Powerful Connections, and Divine Signs from Beyond. 15 October 2013 . . Cos Cob, CT . 978-1611599268. Our Roots Are Forever. 1–4.
  51. News: Hill . Valeri . Inspiring women event . 30 May 2021 . . 15 September 2011 . en.
  52. News: Behrens . Web . Plan a play date at Chicago Toy & Game Fair . 16 May 2021 . . 14 November 2014.
  53. Web site: Willey . Alexis . Laura Robinson to Host ChiTAG's Toy and Fashion Show • The Toy Book . The Toy Book . 16 May 2021 . 5 November 2014.
  54. News: Smith . Dinitia . Don Ettlinger, 86, Who Wrote For Film, Theater and Television . 3 May 2021 . . 13 August 2000.
  55. Web site: Mark Ettlinger . . 3 May 2021.
  56. News: Class Notes . The Gryphon: The Cambridge School of Weston Magazine . 3 May 2021 . . Fall 2014 . 44. en.
  57. News: Shephard . Tamara . Jack Ettlinger sings in Canada's Got Talent semi-finals Sunday . 3 May 2021 . . 4 May 2012 . en-CA.
  58. Web site: Jack Ettlinger . IMDb. 3 May 2021.