Hélène Joy (born October 21, 1978) is an Australian actress, who is best known for her work in television series Durham County and Murdoch Mysteries.

Hélène Joy
Joy in 2012
Born (1978-10-21) October 21, 1978 (age 46)
Perth, Western Australia
OccupationActress
Years active1996–present
Children1

Biography

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Joy was born and raised in Perth, Australia. She began acting in Kewdale Senior High School[1] in Perth. She subsequently toured Europe with a youth theatre company.[2] She spent a year as a theatre major at Curtin University[1] before winning a place at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth where she obtained an acting diploma. She won the Academy’s Leslie Anderson Award for Best Performer.[3]

Career

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Television and film

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She had minor roles in Australian television series such as: Snowy River: The McGregor Saga (1996), Water Rats (1996–97), Big Sky (1997), and Stingers (1999).[2] After three years, at the urging of her then boyfriend, she moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[4]

After arriving in Vancouver, Joy found work on shows such as First Wave (2000), The Outer Limits (2001), The Chris Isaak Show (2002), and The Twilight Zone (2002). In 2003, she landed the lead role of Judy Surgick in the short-lived CBC TV sitcom An American in Canada (2003–04)[2] which was a 2003 Gemini Award nominee for Best Ensemble Performance Comedy Series/Program.[5] In 2005 she appeared in the feature film Desolation Sound.[2]

While still in Vancouver, Joy began landing roles in Toronto, including a supporting role in the TV movie The Murdoch Mysteries:Under the Dragon’s Tail (2004). After moving to Toronto, she played recurring roles in TV series such as This Is Wonderland (2005–06) and ReGenesis (2006). She then starred in Durham County between 2007 and 2010, and appeared as Doc in the primetime soap opera MVP: The Secret Lives of Hockey Wives (2008).[2]

In Christmas 2007, Joy appeared in the fantastical musical film version of the Nutcracker ballet, The Secret of the Nutcracker starring opposite Brian Cox for the CBC. Joy starred in An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving with Jacqueline Bisset for Hallmark in 2008.[3]

Joy has made guest appearances on Heartland, Rookie Blue (2011), Republic of Doyle (2012) and The L.A. Complex (2012) among other programs.[5]

Although she played a different character in Under the Dragon's Tail, the third made-for-television film about William Murdoch and his unique ways of doing detective work, the book's author, Maureen Jennings, was so impressed with Joy's acting ability that she successfully pressed the TV show's producers to select her for the role of Dr. Julia Ogden.[6] As a result, Joy was hired for the part and has played this continuing character in the period detective drama Murdoch Mysteries since 2008.

Theatre

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Joy's theatrical career began in Australia with roles in the Shakespeare Program at the Bell Shakespeare Company. She then played a number of roles at the Melbourne Theatre Company: Ophelia in Hamlet, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.[5] She made her Canadian theatrical debut in 2012 in Australian playwright Andrew Bovell's Speaking in Tongues at The Company Theatre in Toronto.[2]

Voice acting

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She supplied the voice of Sunnyside and Shelly in The Eggs (2004), Gabby and Polly in Faireez (2005), Patsy and Mrs. Berton in The Secret World of Og (2006), Opal in Pearlie (2009), and Vice Principal Victoria in Detentionaire (2012).[2]

Awards and nominations

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In 2006, Joy was nominated for a Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series for her work in the TV movie The Murdoch Mysteries: Under the Dragon’s Tail as well as being nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Guest Role Dramatic Series for ReGenesis.[citation needed] In 2011, and again in 2012, she was nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for her work in Murdoch Mysteries by the Monte-Carlo TV Festival Awards.[5]

She won a Leo Award in 2005 for Best Lead Performance by an Actress in a Feature Length Drama for her role in Desolation Sound.[7]

She won the Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role in 2008 for her role in Durham County.[citation needed]

Personal life

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Joy left Australia and followed her boyfriend to his native Vancouver.[8] She has been a vegan[9] and enjoys travelling all over the world during her time off.[3] Joy trained and is licensed as a real estate agent in Australia;[1] she has subsequently taken up property development.[10]

In late December 2021, Joy gave birth to a daughter, Harrison Joy.[11][12]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1997 The Beneficiary Helen Desareé Short film
2005 Desolation Sound Laurel Elliott
Feed Young Phillip's Mother
2011 At the Bottom of the Hill Alice Short film
2012 100 Musicians DJ Collingwood (voice)
2016 Sadie's Last Days on Earth Hope Mitchell
2021 Woman in Car Anne

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1996 The Man from Snowy River Agnes Windsor "The Claimant"
G.P. Sasha Smith "Sleeping Beauty"
1996-97 Water Rats Lucy White / Gina Downie "The Shaft", "Sex Games"
1997 Big Sky Kate Vernon "Simple Twist of Fate"
Fable Shelley TV film
1998 Blue Heelers Marina Armstrong "Little Monsters"
Never Tell Me Never Nancy TV film
1999 Stingers Anna De Groot "Lunatic Fringe: Part 1 & 2"
2000 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Mary Riley TV film
First Wave Dr. Victoria Kelly "Comes a Horseman"
2001 The Outer Limits Dr. Louisa Kennedy "In the Blood"
Night Visions Linda "Hate Puppet"
2002 The Chris Isaak Show Dr. Darcy "The Hidden Mommy"
The Twilight Zone Linda "Mr. Motivation"
2002-03 An American in Canada Judy Surgick Main role
2003 Andromeda Alien Queen "Vault of the Heavens"
2004 Puppets Who Kill Hazel "Dan and the Necrophiliac"
2004-05 The Eggs Sunnyside / Shelly Main role
2005 Faireez Gabby / Polly Main role
The Collector Constance "The Ripper"
Million Dollar Murder Grace TV film
Beautiful People Miss Patel "Dark, Room, Chemicals"
Murdoch Mysteries Maud Pedlow "Under the Dragon's Tail"
2005-06 This Is Wonderland Erica Taft "3.2", "3.12"
2006 ReGenesis Audrey Graves "China", "Escape Mutant", "The Cocktail"
The Secret World of Og Patsy / Mrs. Berton
2007 The Secret of the Nutcracker Mom TV film
2007-10 Durham County Audrey Sweeney Main role
2008 MVP Doc
An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving Mary Bassett TV film
2008– Murdoch Mysteries Dr. Julia Ogden Main role
2009-10 Pearlie Opal Recurring role
2010 A Heartland Christmas Joanna Hawke TV film
2011 Murdoch Mysteries: The Curse of the Lost Pharaohs Dr. Julia Ogden TV series
Rookie Blue Giselle Armstrong "God's Good Grace"
2012 Detentionaire Vice Principal Victoria (voice) Regular role
The L.A. Complex Connor's Mother "Other Side of the Doctor"
Republic of Doyle Tamara "Rusted Steele"
Murdoch Mysteries: The Murdoch Effect Dr. Julia Ogden
2013 Murdoch Mysteries: Nightmare on Queen Street
2014-15 Heartland Joanna Hawke "The Pike River Cull", "The Heart of a River"
2017 Air Farce Canada 150 Ronnie the Friend Gun Girl guest appearance

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Canada wins Aussie Joy". yau.news.yahoo.com. Yahoo. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Hélène Joy". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "Joy Biography". cbc.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  4. ^ Greg Quill, "Hélène Joy: Successful – and ignored", Toronto Star, 10 January 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d "Helene Joy C.V." garygoddardagency.com. Gary Goddard Agency. Archived from the original on 16 November 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  6. ^ "Whether It's "Murdoch Mysteries"..." zoiksonline.com. Jason Zoiks. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  7. ^ "Leo Awards 2005". leoawards.com. Leo Awards. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  8. ^ Théault, Nathalie (2015). "Murdoch Mysteries, France 3: Five things to know about Hélène Joy, aka Julia Ogden". Tele Star.
  9. ^ Siddiqi, Maryam (2010). "On the town with Helene Joy". National Post. Retrieved 1 January 2022. the staff often accommodates her vegan diet
  10. ^ Mohan, Keerthi (28 June 2016). "Interview: 'Murdoch Mysteries' star Helene Joy is rooting for a baby for William and Julia in Season 10". International Business Times. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  11. ^ @helenejoy_official (28 December 2021). "Joy's Newborn" – via Instagram.
  12. ^ Star, Debra Yeo Toronto (30 November 2021). "Julia Ogden's surprise reveal on 'Murdoch Mysteries' turns out to be actor Hélène Joy's too". Toronto Star. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
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