Lorena Gale facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lorena Gale
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Gale at Gatecon, July 30, 2005
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| Born | May 9, 1958 |
| Died | June 21, 2009 (aged 51) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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| Other names | Lorena Gayle Lorineda Gayle |
| Occupation | Actress, playwright, theatre director |
| Years active | 1981–2009 |
| Spouse(s) | John Cooper (1988–2009; her death) |
Lorena Gale (born May 9, 1958 – died June 21, 2009) was a talented Canadian actress, a writer who created plays, and a director for theatre shows. She was very active in plays, movies, and TV shows from the 1980s until her death. She also wrote two award-winning plays called Angélique and Je me souviens.
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Lorena Gale's Life and Career
Lorena Gale was born in Montreal, Quebec, a big city in Canada. She loved learning and studied at Concordia University and the National Theatre School. Later, she earned a Master's degree from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver in 2005.
Early Theatre Success
Lorena started her acting journey on stage. Her amazing performances in plays like Raisin in the Sun and River Niger earned her a special award. In 1981, she won the Montreal Gazette Theatre Critics Award for Outstanding Performance.
In 1985, Lorena became the artistic director of Montréal's Black Theatre Workshop. This meant she helped decide which plays to put on and guided the theatre's creative vision. She also studied how to write plays at the Playwrights' Workshop Montréal.
After moving to Vancouver in 1988, Lorena continued to shine in theatre. In 1991, she won a Jessie Richardson Award for best supporting actress for her role as Normal Jean in The Colored Museum.
Award-Winning Plays
Lorena was not just an actress; she was also a gifted writer. Her play, Angélique, tells the powerful story of Marie-Joseph Angélique, an enslaved person who was executed in the past. This play won the 1995 duMaurier National Playwriting Competition in Canada.
Lorena's writing often explored what it means to be Black and of mixed race, and how people find their place in Canada. In 2000, she presented another play called Je me souviens (which means "I remember" in French). This play was a monologue, a performance where one person speaks, about her own experiences growing up in Montreal. It was shown at the Firehall Arts Centre in Vancouver and was later published as a book in 2001.
Film and Television Roles
Lorena Gale appeared in many movies that you might know. Some of her film roles include The Hotel New Hampshire, Another Cinderella Story, Ernest Goes to School, Fantastic Four, Traitor, The Chronicles of Riddick, The Mermaid Chair, and The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
She also made guest appearances on popular TV shows. These include The X-Files, Stargate SG-1, Smallville, and Kingdom Hospital. From 2004 to 2005, she played Priestess Elosha on the SciFi Channel TV show Battlestar Galactica.
Lorena also used her voice for animated shows. She lent her voice to characters in RoboCop: Alpha Commando, The Bitsy Bears, Camp Candy, The Adventures of Corduroy, and Hurricanes.
Her very last movie role was as a librarian in Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins. This movie was dedicated to her memory.
Death
Lorena Gale passed away on June 21, 2009, at the age of 51. She had been battling throat cancer. Her body was cremated.
