Sonya Biddle facts for kids

Sonya Biddle (born December 31, 1957 – died January 19, 2022) was a talented Canadian actress and a dedicated politician. She lived and worked in Montreal, Quebec. She was a member of the Montreal City Council from 1998 to 2001, representing the political party called Vision Montreal.

Early Life and Family Connections

Sonya Biddle was born on December 31, 1957. Her father was Charlie Biddle, a very famous jazz musician in Montreal. Her sister, Stephanie Biddle, is also a well-known jazz singer. Sonya's mother was a white French-speaking woman. In the 1950s, some of her mother's family members were not happy that she married a Black man.

Sonya Biddle's Career

Acting on Stage and Screen

Sonya Biddle was a popular stage actress in Montreal during the 1980s and early 1990s. She performed in many plays, including Irene and Lillian Forever and The Colored Museum. In 1990, she even directed a play called My Mom Was on the Radio.

For a while, Sonya and her partner, Allan Patrick, led a theatre group called Fool House Theatre Corporation. In the mid-1990s, she also helped organize many community events, concerts, and festivals. Sonya Biddle also appeared in movies. One of her notable film roles was in The Bone Collector in 1999.

Entering the World of Politics

Sonya Biddle had strong connections with the Vision Montreal political party. Her partner, Allan Patrick, worked for the party in the 1994 Montreal municipal election. He later became an advisor to the mayor, Pierre Bourque. Allan helped the mayor with issues important to Montreal's English-speaking community.

Sonya Biddle was elected to the city council in the 1998 Montreal municipal election. She won by a small number of votes against Sam Boskey in the Décarie area. During her campaign, she talked about her connections to the mayor. She also promised that the city would buy the empty Cinema V building. Her goal was to turn it into a cultural center for local artists and musicians.

Vision Montreal won a majority government in this election. This meant they had the most seats on the council. In November 1998, Sonya Biddle was chosen to be an associate member of the Montreal executive committee. This committee is like a municipal cabinet that helps run the city.

The Cinema V Project

After a lot of effort from Sonya Biddle and Allan Patrick, the city bought Cinema V in August 1999. They paid $571,000 for the building. The next year, the city council gave a one-million-dollar grant and ownership of the building to a non-profit group. This group was called Cinema VI Corporation. It was connected to Sonya's old theatre group, Fool House Theatre Corporation.

Some city councillors did not agree with this decision. Marvin Rotrand was one of them. He had pointed out that renovating the building would be very expensive. He also mentioned Sonya Biddle and Allan Patrick's past connections to the Cinema VI group. Despite the efforts of Sonya and Allan, the building was never renovated. By 2002, reports said that Cinema VI had run out of money.

International Trips and Later Elections

In March 2000, Sonya Biddle, Allan Patrick, and another Vision Montreal councillor traveled with Mayor Bourque to Trinidad and Tobago. City officials said the trip was to learn about organizing summer carnivals. However, some critics thought it was just a fun trip paid for by the city.

Sonya Biddle lost her seat on the city council in the 2001 Montreal municipal election. She was defeated by Marcel Tremblay. In 2005, she ran for borough mayor of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. However, she was defeated again by the current mayor, Michael Applebaum.

Later Life and Passing

Sonya Biddle passed away on January 19, 2022. She was 64 years old. She died from intestinal cancer.

Filmography

Film Roles