| Rosemary Dunsmore | |
| Birth Date: | 13 July 1952 |
| Birth Place: | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Years Active: | 1980 – present |
Rosemary Dunsmore (born July 13, 1952) is a Canadian TV, film, and theatre actress, director, and educator. She was awarded a Dora Mavor Moore Award for her 1982 performance in Straight Ahead/Blind Dancers. In 2009 she won the ACTRA Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film The Baby Formula. She has starred in some well-known Canadian productions, including The Campbells, , Road to Avonlea, Mom P.I., Murdoch Mysteries and Orphan Black.[1]
Born on July 13, 1952, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Dunsmore was trained in drama at York University from which she graduated in 1973.[2] She began her professional career in 1975 touring in Cedric Smith and George Luscombe's play Ten Lost Years.[2] She soon appeared in productions in several important Canadian theatres, including the Stratford Festival, the Centaur Theatre. and the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts.[2] For her 1982 performance in Straight Ahead/Blind Dancers she was awarded both a Dora Mavor Moore Award and the best performer award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.[2]
A prolific television actress, Dunsmore began her screen career with appearances in The Littlest Hobo in 1980.[2] She became well known for her portrayal of Katherine Brooke in the 1987 miniseries (more widely known as Anne of Avonlea outside Canada).[2] She later appeared in the recurring role of Abigail MacEwan in Road to Avonlea (1990–1996).[2] From 1990–1992 she starred as the central character of Sally Sullivan in two seasons of the Canadian television comedy-drama series Mom P.I..[2] She has guest starred on the Canadian television programs Being Erica, , Hangin' In, Lost Girl, Murdoch Mysteries, and ReGenesis.[2] On American television she has appeared in Beauty and the Beast, L.A. Law, Queer as Folk, and The Twilight Zone.[2] In film, Dunsmore had roles in the Hollywood films Twins (1988), Total Recall (1990) and Cliffhanger (1993).[2] In 2009, she won the ACTRA Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film The Baby Formula.[3]
She was formerly married to actor Peter Dvorsky.[4]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Twins | Miss Busby | ||
| 1990 | Total Recall | Dr. Renata Lull | ||
| 1993 | Cliffhanger | Treasury Secretary | ||
| 1995 | Bach's Fight for Freedom | Gerta | ||
| 1996 | Natural Enemy | Judy | Video | |
| 1998 | Strike! | Page Sawyer | AKA, All I Wanna Do | |
| 2001 | Good Stuff | Doctor | Short film | |
| 2003 | Dreamcatcher | Roberta Cavell | ||
| 2004 | White Knuckles | Victoria Conrad | ||
| 2006 | Citizen Duane | Mayor Kelly Milton | ||
| 2007 | Bonded Pairs | Rosemary | Short film | |
| 2008 | Wanda | |||
| 2009 | Orphan | Grandma Barbara | ||
| 2009 | At Home by Myself...With You | Bessie | ||
| 2010 | Empty | Margaret Burke | Video short | |
| 2011 | Faces in the Crowd | Dr. Langenkamp #2 | ||
| 2012 | Miranda Magos | |||
| 2012 | Miskate | Grandma | Short fim | |
| 2013 | Nana | Short film | ||
| 2014 | Don't Get Killed in Alaska | Jan | ||
| 2015 | How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town | Seth's Mother | ||
| 2017 | Blood Honey | Louisa Lippe | ||
| 2020 | The Toll | Lorraine | ||
| 2020 | Dear Jesus | Sister Bernadette | Short film | |
| 2021 | Kicking Blood | Bernice | ||
| 2023 | To Catch a Killer | Mrs. Possey | ||
| 2024 | Thereby Hangs a Tale | Mary | Short film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Dixie | "Ghost Rig" | ||
| 1981 | Di Jarrett | "Airport" | ||
| 1982 | Off Your Rocker | Barbara "Babs" | TV film | |
| 1982 | Hangin' In | Jocelyn | "The Reunion" | |
| 1983 | As You Like It | Celia | TV film | |
| 1985 | ABC Weekend Special | Mrs. Settergren | "Pippi Longstocking" | |
| 1986 | data-sort-value="Frantics: Four on the Floor, The" | The Frantics: Four on the Floor | Various Characters | TV show (Episodes 1.02-1.04) |
| 1986 | Miles to Go... | Cynthia | TV film | |
| 1986–1990 | Mary McTavish | Recurring role | ||
| 1987 | Race for the Bomb | Jean O'Leary | TV miniseries | |
| 1987 | Katherine Brooke | TV miniseries | ||
| 1987 | After the Promise | Florence Jackson | TV film | |
| 1987 | Danger Bay | Agnes Calhoun | "A Tangled Web" | |
| 1987 | Street Legal | Samantha Greene | "Romeo and Carol" | |
| 1988 | Dolores | TV film | ||
| 1988 | Go Toward the Light | Sally | TV film | |
| 1988 | Favorite Son | Mrs. Harriet Fallon | TV miniseries | |
| 1988 | L.A. Law | Ina Toland | "The Princess and the Pee" | |
| 1988 | Elise | "Appointment on Route 17" | ||
| 1988 | Blades of Courage | Carla LaRoche | TV film | |
| 1989 | My Two Dads | Dr. Stuart | "Who's on First?" | |
| 1989 | Hunter | Rachel Sands | "Me, Myself & Die" | |
| 1989 | Beauty and the Beast | Virginia Sheets | "Trial" | |
| 1990 | MacGyver | Dr. Gwen Carpenter | "Deep Cover" | |
| 1990 | Personals | Susan Merchant | TV film | |
| 1990 | E.N.G. | Kathleen Kenner | "Catch a Falling Star" | |
| 1990 | Mom P.I. | Sally Sullivan | TV film | |
| 1990 | Street Legal | Marlene Weiss | "Shadow Boxing" | |
| 1990–1996 | Road to Avonlea | Abigail MacEwan | 5 episodes | |
| 1991 | Helene | TV film | ||
| 1993 | Liar, Liar: Between Father and Daughter | Mary Farrow | TV film | |
| 1993 | E.N.G. | Dr. Boyd | "And the Winner Is..." | |
| 1993 | Rose Beckman | TV film | ||
| 1994 | Ms. Leachman | "Mother's Day" | ||
| 1996 | Rachel | "Dragon's Lair" | ||
| 1996 | Undue Influence | Carla Morgan | TV film | |
| 1996 | We the Jury | Dr. Ruth Quintero | TV film | |
| 1997 | Frances Louganis | TV film | ||
| 1997 | Dr. Emily Randall | "Fear" | ||
| 1998 | Mrs. Bossert | TV film | ||
| 1998 | When He Didn't Come Home | Mrs. Blair | TV film | |
| 1998 | Dr. Ruth Godwin | "The Undead, The/Stalker" | ||
| 1999 | Freak City | Mary Manmouth | TV film | |
| 1999 | Dear America: The Winter of Red Snow | Mama | TV short | |
| 1999 | At the Mercy of a Stranger | Jan Scott | TV film | |
| 2000 | Secret Cutting | Principal Luce | TV film | |
| 2001 | Ida Koverman | TV miniseries | ||
| 2001 | Mrs. Winchwood | TV film | ||
| 2001 | Hangman | Dr. Natalie Walsh | TV film | |
| 2001 | E.J. Lark (voice) | "A Welcome Hero" | ||
| 2001 | Blue Murder | Principal Leona Harcourt | "All Saints" | |
| 2001 | Dangerous Child | Margo | TV film | |
| 2001–2003 | Soul Food | Judge Priscilla Barnes | "Games People Play", "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Shades of Grey" | |
| 2002 | Judge Martin | "Soulmates", "Liar, Liar" | ||
| 2002 | Dorothy Sorenson | TV film | ||
| 2003 | Profoundly Normal | Charlotte Johnson | TV film | |
| 2003 | Queer as Folk | Judge | "Stop Hurting Us" | |
| 2004 | Warden Woodford | TV film | ||
| 2004 | Judge | "Ghost in the Machine" | ||
| 2004 | Lois Avery | TV miniseries | ||
| 2004 | Wild Card | Mrs. Sutton | "Premonition Mission" | |
| 2004 | Osa Larson | TV film | ||
| 2004–2005 | ReGenesis | Congresswoman Shuler | Recurring role | |
| 2005 | Kevin Hill | Judge Landell | "Occupational Hazard" | |
| 2006 | Playing House | Madeline | TV film | |
| 2006 | At the Hotel | Marcia Bridge | "Modern Solutions to Modern Problems" | |
| 2006 | Nancy Langford | TV miniseries | ||
| 2006 | Wedding Wars | Claire Welling | TV film | |
| 2007 | St. Urbain's Horseman | Hannah | TV miniseries | |
| 2007 | They Come Back | Mrs. Carr | TV film | |
| 2007 | Kate | TV series | ||
| 2008 | Mrs. Arnold | TV film | ||
| 2008 | Burn Up | Margo | "1.2" | |
| 2008 | For the Love of Grace | Alicia | TV film | |
| 2009 | Being Erica | Tania | "Til Death" | |
| 2009 | Guns | Janet Patterson | TV miniseries | |
| 2009 | Melanie | TV film | ||
| 2009 | Too Late to Say Goodbye | Narda Barber | TV film | |
| 2009 | Cra$h & Burn | Mrs. McCutcheon | "Trust" | |
| 2009 | Nureyev | Diane | TV film | |
| 2010 | Murdoch Mysteries | Bernice Taylor | "Me, Myself and Murdoch" | |
| 2010 | Matilda Burnham | TV film | ||
| 2010 | Living in Your Car | Mira Shaw | "Chapter 3" | |
| 2010 | Unnatural History | Mrs. Elaine Dunsmoor | "Public School Enemies" | |
| 2010 | Grandmother Sullivan | TV film | ||
| 2010–2012 | Ruby Skye P.I. | Ava O'Deary | Recurring role | |
| 2011 | Marge | TV film | ||
| 2011 | Little Mosque on the Prairie | Mrs. Harper | "Love at First Fight" | |
| 2012 | Guidestones | Jacqueline Glenndenning | "The Truth: Parts 1 & 2" | |
| 2012 | Fugitive at 17 | Grandmother | TV film | |
| 2013 | Beth Franklin | TV film | ||
| 2013 | Cracked | Mrs. Dunlow | "How the Light Gets In" | |
| 2014 | Remedy | Violet Patterson | "Shadow of Doubt" | |
| 2015–2016 | Between | Minister Miller | Recurring role | |
| 2015 | Nun #1 | Recurring role | ||
| 2015–2017 | Orphan Black | Professor Susan Duncan | Recurring role | |
| 2018 | PAW Patrol | Ms. Marjorie (voice) | Recurring role | |
| 2019 | Coroner | Mrs. Panych | "Black Dog", "Bridges" | |
| 2019 | Street Legal | Renee Darling | Recurring role | |
| 2019 | data-sort-value="Hot Zone, The" | The Hot Zone | Nancy's Aunt | "Arrival", "Expendable", "Hidden" |
| 2021–2022 | Chucky | Dr. Mixter | Recurring role | |
| Chucky | Episode: "Chucky Actually" | |||
| 2022 | Good Sam | Helen Fletcher | "Attachments", "To Whom It May Concern" | |
| 2022 | Three Pines | Irene Morrow | "The Murder Stone: Part One", "The Murder Stone: Part Two" | |
| 2023 | Fellow Travelers | Estelle Fuller | Episode: "Bulletproof" |
| Year | Award | Category | Production | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Gemini | Best Performance by a Supporting Actress | Blades of Courage | ||
| 2001 | Gemini | Best Performance by an Actress in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series | Blue Murder | ||
| 2008 | ACTRA Awards | Best Female Performance | The Baby Formula |