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Karen Robinson

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For the Canadian-American epidemiologist, see Karen A. Robinson.
Karen Robinson
Born (1968-02-29) February 29, 1968 (age 57)
London, England, UK
OccupationActress
Years active1994–present

Karen Robinson (born February 29, 1968) is a Canadian actress.[1] She won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance in a Guest Role in a Drama Series at the 7th Canadian Screen Awards in 2019 for her appearance on the television series Mary Kills People.[2] She also won a 2021 Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the Schitt's Creek cast.

Early life

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Born in England, raised in Jamaica, Robinson moved to Drumheller, Alberta with her family as a teenager.[1] She was active in the arts in childhood, including singing in choirs, acting in school plays and reciting at poetry readings, and studied communication and theatre at Mount Royal College in Calgary before beginning to work as a professional actress in the early 1990s.[3]

Career

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Theatrical work

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On stage, she originated the role of Marie-Joseph Angélique in Lorena Gale's play Angélique in 1998,[4] for which she received a Betty Mitchell Award nomination for Best Actress in 1998.[5] In 2003, she originated the role of Lily in the Stratford Festival production of Timothy Findley's play Shadows;[6] the following year, she played Clytemnestra in three concurrent plays, Aeschylus's Agamemnon, Jean Giraudoux's Electra and Jean-Paul Sartre's The Flies.[1] In 2006, she received a Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Principal Role in a Play (Large Theatre) for her performance in Trevor Rhone's Two Can Play.[7]

In 2009, she played Prospera in a gender-flipped Dream in High Park production of William Shakespeare's The Tempest,[8] and won the Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Play for her performance as Mrs. Muller in the Citadel Theatre production of John Patrick Shanley's Doubt.[9]

She has also appeared in productions of M. NourbeSe Philip's Coups and Calypsos,[10] George F. Walker's Problem Child,[11] Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream,[12] Djanet Sears's Harlem Duet,[13] Beth Graham's The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble[14] and Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest.[15]

Film and television

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Her film appearances have included Against the Ropes, Love, Sex and Eating the Bones, Who Killed Atlanta's Children?, Owning Mahowny, Short Hymn, Silent War, Lars and the Real Girl, Final Jeopardy and Defund. My Louisiana Sky(2001)

On television, she has had regular roles as Carlos's mother in The Line, Ingrid Evans in King, Hani Suleman in Shoot the Messenger, Mildred Clarke in Frankie Drake Mysteries and Ronnie Lee in Schitt's Creek. She appeared in season 1, episode 2 of The Handmaid's Tale as June's nurse. She also has a recurring role as Cassandra Shaw in the Hallmark Movie & Mystery Channel's series Morning Show Mysteries based on the books by Al Roker. She received a Gemini Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Film or Miniseries at the 26th Gemini Awards in 2011 for her performance as Cherlene in The Gospel According to the Blues.[16] In 2020, she appeared on Star Trek: Discovery as well as Tiny Pretty Things, and in the drama series Pretty Hard Cases. She also has a recurring role in season 3 of A Million Little Things. In 2021 she had a recurring role as Margarita Vee in the Titans TV series on HBO Max.

In 2024 she appears as police inspector Vivienne Holness in Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent.[17]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1994 Stalked Evelyn
1995 Rude Rude Caller
1997 Shadow Zone: My Teacher Ate My Homework Miss Marco
1998 One Tough Cop Sherene
2002 Narc Liz Detmer
2004 Against the Ropes Kimberly Insurance
2007 Lars and the Real Girl Cindy
2014 Corner Gas: The Movie Powerco Debbie
2021 Trigger Point Quentin Lane
2022 My Fake Boyfriend Lucille

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1996 Goosebumps Detective Reddick Episode: "Say Cheese and Die"
1999 Dangerous Evidence: The Lori Jackson Story Ruby Hill Television movie
2000 The Famous Jett Jackson Sylvia Sharp Episode: "On the Reel"
2002 Tracker Mrs. Baylor Episode: "Children of the Night"
2002 Keep the Faith, Baby Hattie Dodson Television movie
2002 Two Against Time Connie Matthews Television movie
2002 Recipe for Murder D.A. Lowrey Television movie
2003 America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story Roz Television movie
2003 Doc Mra. Morton Episode: "Angels in Waiting"
2003 Jasper, Texas Mary Horn Television movie
2003 Student Seduction Lorraine Boyle Television movie
2004 Kevin Hill Aunt Kathy Episode: "Pilot"
2004 1-800-Missing Elena Spencer Episode: "Mr. Nobody"
2004–2005 Da Boom Crew Additional Voices 13 episodes
2004 H2O Willy Television miniseries
2004 Snow Isabel Television movie
2006 Cradle of Lies Bank Teller Television movie
2010 The Gospel According to the Blues Cherlene Television movie
2015–2020 Schitt's Creek Veronica "Ronnie" Lee Recurring cast
2017–2021 Frankie Drake Mysteries Mildred Clarke 7 episodes
2020–2021 Star Trek: Discovery Trill Leader Pav Episodes: "Forget Me Not" and "That Hope Is You: Part 2"
2021 Titans Margarita Vee Recurring role
2023 Pinecone & Pony Magnolia (voice) Episode: "Hero Soup/Sleepless At the Sleepover"
2023 The Good Doctor Judge J. Kileen Episode: "The Good Lawyer"
2024–present Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent Inspector Vivienne Holmes[18] Main cast
2024 Cross Miss Nancy 5 episodes
2025 Brilliant Minds Betsy Chase Episodes: "The Man Who Can't See Faces" and "The Doctor Whose World Collapsed"[19]
2025 Watson Brenda the Battle Axe Episode: "Patient Question Mark"

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work Result Ref
1996 Dora Mavor Moore Award Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Play (Mid Size Theater) Riot Won [20]
1998 Betty Mitchell Award Best Actress Angélique Nominated [5]
2006 Dora Mavor Moore Award Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Principal Role in a Play (Large Theater) Two Can Play [21]
2007 NAACP Theater Awards Best Ensemble Award Da KINK in My Hair Won [22][23]
2009 Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award Best Supporting Actress in a Play Doubt [9]
2009 Dora Mavor Moore Award Outstanding Performance by a Female Eternal Hydra Nominated [21]
2011 Gemini Awards Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series The Gospel According to the Blues [23]
2012 Salento International Film Festival Best Actress Ghett'A Life Won [23]
2013 Betty Mitchell Award Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Drama Intimate Apparel Nominated [24]
2013/2014 Dora Mavor Moore Award Outstanding Performance - Ensemble Minotaur [25]

[23]

2019 Canadian Screen Awards Best Guest Performance, Drama Series Mary Kills People Won [26]
2019 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Schitt's Creek Nominated [27]
2020 ACTRA Award Outstanding Performance - Female Forgive Me Nominated [28]
Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Schitt's Creek Won [29]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Ouzounian, Richard (May 24, 2003). "First role came at five days old". Toronto Star. p. H12.
  2. ^ "The Winners: Canadian Screen Awards Presented for Creative Fiction Storytelling". ET Canada, March 28, 2019.
  3. ^ "Karen Robinson is King". Toronto.com, April 2, 2012.
  4. ^ "Angry play sheds light on Canada's role in slavery". Calgary Herald, February 9, 1998.
  5. ^ a b "ATP leads awards parade". Calgary Herald, July 18, 1998.
  6. ^ "Performances rise above plays' limitations". Waterloo Region Record, August 28, 2002.
  7. ^ "General Theatre major nominations". Toronto Star, June 7, 2006.
  8. ^ "Tempest with a twist". Toronto Star, July 6, 2009.
  9. ^ a b "Ovation for excellence in theatre". Edmonton Journal, June 23, 2009.
  10. ^ "Theatre Review: Coups and Calypsos". The Globe and Mail, May 15, 1997.
  11. ^ "Play takes on the system". Calgary Herald, October 27, 2000.
  12. ^ "A Dream worth remembering". National Post, November 3, 2001.
  13. ^ "Playing the race bard". National Post, July 10, 2006.
  14. ^ "How she forgets; The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble deftly avoids becoming a clinical study of early-onset Alzheimer's". National Post, November 16, 2013.
  15. ^ "The last laugh; The tragedy behind the comedy of The Importance of Being Earnest". Ottawa Citizen, October 15, 2014.
  16. ^ "Gemini nominations announced: Flashpoint leads, once again, and controversial Kennedys miniseries gets some nods". Toronto Life, August 4, 2011.
  17. ^ Peter White, "‘Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent’ Sets Cast". Deadline Hollywood, October 16, 2023.
  18. ^ "Law & Order Toronto's Karen Robinson is making her dad proud with new role". www.cbc.ca. CBC News. February 28, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  19. ^ Jidoun, Grace (January 7, 2025). "All About Karen Robinson's Career & Her Emotional Cameo on Brilliant Minds". www.nbc.com. NBC. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  20. ^ "Recipients". TAPA. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Nominees". TAPA. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  22. ^ Stitt, Eric (February 21, 2007). "NAACP fetes Fishburne, Pettiford". Variety. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  23. ^ a b c d "Karen Robinson | Biographies". nac-cna.ca. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  24. ^ "The Betty Mitchell Awards | Past Winners". bettymitchellawards. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  25. ^ "Nominees & Recipients". TAPA. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  26. ^ "Karen Robinson". Academy.ca. February 7, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  27. ^ "Nominations Announced for the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards ® | Screen Actors Guild Awards". www.sagawards.org. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  28. ^ "The 18th Annual ACTRA Awards in Toronto Nominees | ACTRA Toronto". Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  29. ^ "2021 SAG Awards: The Complete Nominations List". February 4, 2021.
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