Joy Coghill
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."
Also recorded as Joy Dorothy Coghill-Thorne
Joy Coghill

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- Name
- Joy Coghill
- Occupation
- Actress, director, writer
- Born
- 13 May 1926
- Birthplace
- Findlater, Saskatchewan, Canada
- Died
- 20 January 2017
- Place of death
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Spouse
- John Thorne
- Education
- University of British Columbia (BA) Art Institute of Chicago (MFA)
- Nationality
- Canada
- Honours
- Governor General's Performing Arts Award · Member of the Order of Canada
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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."
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wikidata · Q3187196 · wikipedia · Joy Coghill
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Joy Coghill • Occupation — Actress, director, writer • Born — 13 May 1926 • Birthplace — Findlater, Saskatchewan, Canada • Died — 20 January 2017 • Place of death — Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada • Other Names — Joy Coghill Thorne • Years Active — 1950–2003 • Spouse — John Thorne • Children — 3 • Website — http: www.joycoghill.com • Education — University of British Columbia (BA) Art Institute of Chicago (MFA)
Early life and education
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
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". • Illustration — Joy Coghill in 2010 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
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
Plays
• Song of This Place
Television
Television
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1955 — General Motors Theatre — Sally — Episode: "Never Say No" • 1959 — Studio Pacific — Alice — Episode: "Anyone for Alice" • 1980, 1985 — data-sort-value="Beachcombers, The" | The Beachcombers — Gertie — 2 episodes • 1986 — Nobody's Child — Patient #1 — Television film • 1986 — Red Serge — Ruby Burris — Episode: "Apron Springs" • 1987 — Airwolf — Reverend Mother — Episode: "Flowers of the Mountain" • 1987 — Christmas Comes to Willow Creek — Charlotte — Television film • 1989 — Unsub — Mrs. Gleason — Episode: "White Bone Demon" • 1991 — 21 Jump Street — Mrs. Dixon — Episode: "Coppin' Out" • 1991 — Omen IV: The Awakening — Sister Francesca — Television film • 1991 — Street Justice — Rosemary Lyttle — Episode: "Sanctuary" • 1991 — My Son Johnny — Anna Cortino — Television film • 1993 — Miracle on Interstate 880 — Sister Mary • 1993 — Sherlock Holmes Returns — Ms. Baker • 1993 — Whose Child Is This? The War for Baby Jessica — Earlen • 1994 — Snowbound: The Jim and Jennifer Stolpa Story — Dr. Jorgenson • 1994 — data-sort-value="Commish, The" | The Commish — Mrs. Dawson — Episode: "Revenge" • 1995 — data-sort-value="X-Files, The" | The X-Files — Linda Thibedeaux — Episode: "Aubrey" • 1995 — data-sort-value="Other Mother: A Moment of Truth Movie, The" | The Other Mother: A Moment of Truth Movie — Sister Vincent — Television film • 1995 — Sliders — Mrs. Ezra Tweak — Episode: "Summer of Love" • 1995 — My Life as a Dog — Auntie Auntie / Astrid Árnesson — 6 episodes • 1996 — Color Me Perfect — Jennifer — Television film • 1996, 1997 — Poltergeist: The Legacy — Elizabeth Baker / Mrs. Blake — 2 episodes • 1997 — Viper — Mother Grace — Episode: "Echo of Murder" • 1998 — data-sort-value="Outer Limits, The" | The Outer Limits — Jean — Episode: "The Vaccine" • 1998 — Stargate SG-1 — Saroosh / Selmak — 2 episodes • 1998 — data-sort-value="Crow: Stairway to Heaven, The" | The Crow: Stairway to Heaven — Laura Stansbury — Episode: "Before I Wake" • 1998–2003 — Da Vinci's Inquest — Portia Da Vinci — 6 episodes • 1999 — Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy — Violet Hutchison — Episode: "Deja Vu All Over Again" • 2000 — data-sort-value="Christmas Secret, The" | The Christmas Secret — Old Woman — Television film • 2002 — Living with the Dead — Mrs. Ziff • 2003 — Betrayed — Mabel Stewart
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1926
Joy Coghill born at Findlater.
2017
Joy Coghill died at Vancouver.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Findlater.
Birth place
Vancouver.
Death place
Film
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1975 — Shivers — Mona Wheatley • 1978 — Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang — Mistress Fowl • 1984 — Change of Heart — Edna • 1987 — Blue Monkey — Dede Wilkens • 1994 — Andre — Betsy • 1998 — data-sort-value="Sleep Room, The" | The Sleep Room — Mrs. Olson • 1999 — Double Jeopardy — Neighbor In Garden • 2000 — data-sort-value="Day in a Life, A" | A Day in a Life — Dorthy
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Queen of Vancouver theatre, Joy Coghill, dead at age 90. 24 January 2017.
- 2.Mackie, John. Queen of Vancouver theatre, Joy Coghill, dead at age 90. Vancouver Sun. January 24, 2017.
- 3.Acclaimed actor, director and playwright Joy Coghill-Thorne dead at 90. Calgary Herald. 2017-01-25.
- 4.University of Toronto Press. Creative Canada: A Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-century Creative and Performing Artists. 2. 1972. 9781442637849.
- 5.University of Toronto Press. Creative Canada: A Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-century Creative and Performing Artists. 1972. 9781442637849.
- 6.Smith, Charlie. Director, actor, producer, and humanitarian Joy Coghill dies. The Georgia Straight. January 22, 2017.
- 7.Acclaimed actor, director and playwright Joy Coghill-Thorne dead at 90. Global News. 2017-01-25.
- 8.Robert, Veronique. Putting a generation on the stage. MacLeans. 1986-03-10.
- 9.Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation. Joy Coghill biography.
- 10.Approaching the Possible: The World of Stargate SG-1 p.185, Jo Storm
- 11.The 7th Annual Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards. The Jessies.
- 12.The 8th Annual Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards. The Jessies.
- 13.The 9th Annual Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards. The Jessies.
- 14.The 17th Annual Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards. The Jessies.
- 15.(award citation). The Governor General of Canada His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston.
- 16.Acclaimed actor, director and playwright Joy Coghill-Thorne dies at 90. The Globe and Mail. The Canadian Press. January 24, 2017.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
People, houses and institutions
Knowledge graph
People, houses and institutions
Teachers, collaborators, publishers and institutions recorded against this person, each on a stated basis.
Studied at
2- Kitsilano Secondary SchoolOrganisation
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
- University of British ColumbiaOrganisation
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
Joy Coghill is recorded as having received Governor General's Performing Arts Award and Member of the Order of Canada.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 19 August 2026.
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