Wendy Jane Crewson (born May 9, 1956) is a Canadian actress and producer. She began her career on Canadian television, before her breakthrough role in the 1991 dramatic film The Doctor.
Crewson has appeared in many Hollywood films, including The Good Son (1993), The Santa Clause (1994) and its sequels The Santa Clause 2 (2002) and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday (1996), Air Force One (1997), Bicentennial Man (1999), What Lies Beneath (2000), The 6th Day (2000), The Covenant (2006) and Eight Below (2006). She also starred in a number of independent movies, such as Better Than Chocolate (1999), Suddenly Naked (2001), Perfect Pie (2002), Away from Her (2006), Into the Forest (2015) and Room (2015).
Crewson has won six Gemini Awards, two Canadian Screen Awards and an ACTRA Award for her performances on television. She played leading roles in a number of television films, include playing Joanne Kilbourn in six movies based on novels by Gail Bowen. She had recurring roles on American television series 24 and Revenge, and the Canadian television series Frankie Drake Mysteries. From 2012 to 2017, Crewson co-starred in the CTV medical drama Saving Hope.
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Early life
Crewson was born in Hamilton, Ontario, the daughter of June Doreen (née Thomas) and Robert Binnie Crewson. She attended John Rennie High School in Pointe-Claire, Québec, as did her younger brother, Brad Crewson.
She attended Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where she won the Lorne Greene Award for outstanding work in the theatre. She then studied at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
Career
When she returned to Canada, Crewson landed a leading role in the television movie War Brides (1980) directed by Martin Lavut, for which she received her first ACTRA Award nomination. From 1980 to 1983, she starred in the CBC drama series, Home Fires, a family saga set in Toronto during World War II. For the final season, she won the ACTRA Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series in 1984. In 1982, she made her American debut starring alongside Tom Hanks in the television drama film Mazes and Monsters.
During 1980s, Crewson appeared in a number of Canadian television productions, including a recurring roles on Night Heat and Street Legal, and several television films. She was lead actress in two short lived American drama series: Hard Copy (CBS, 1987), and Studio 5-B (ABC, 1989). In 1988, she starred in the HBO political mockumentary miniseries Tanner '88 directed by Robert Altman, and in 1990 starred in Getting Married in Buffalo Jump, for which she was nominated for Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series. She also received Gemini Awards nominations for I'll Never Get to Heaven (1992), A Killing Spring (2002), Sex Traffic (2004), The Robber Bride (2007), and The Summit (2008), and won for At the End of the Day: The Sue Rodriguez Story (1999), The Many Trials of One Jane Doe (2002), and The Man Who Lost Himself (2005). Crewson also won Gemini Awards for guest starring in Due South in 1998, and supporting role in ReGenesis in 2007.
In 1991, Crewson appeared in her first breakthrough role in the American drama film The Doctor starring William Hurt. The following year, she starred opposite Tom Selleck in the comedy-drama Folks!, the film was panned by critics and grossed only $6 million. In 1993, she starred in the psychological thriller The Good Son (1993), and in 1994 appeared opposite Whoopi Goldberg in Corrina, Corrina. Also in 1994, Crewson starred alongside Tim Allen in the financially successful Christmas comedy film The Santa Clause. The film grossed $189 million and its two sequels, The Santa Clause 2 (2002) and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006) also grossed $283 million worldwide together.
In 1996, Crewson co-starred in the romantic drama film To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday as Peter Gallagher's unfortunate blind date, and the following year played Grace Marshall, First Lady to President James Marshall (Harrison Ford) in the political thriller Air Force One directed by Wolfgang Petersen. She also appeared in Gang Related (1997), played a leading role in Sleeping Dogs Lie (1998), and co-starred opposite Robin Williams in the science fiction film Bicentennial Man (1999). In 2000, she played Arnold Schwarzenegger's wife in The 6th Day, and appeared in What Lies Beneath. She also appeared in Between Strangers (2002), The Clearing (2004), Eight Below (2006), The Covenant (2006), Academy Award-nominated Away from Her (2006), The Seeker (2007), Winnie Mandela (2011), Antiviral (2012), Into the Forest, Room (2015), Kodachrome (2017), and On the Basis of Sex (2018).
Personal life
She married actor Michael Murphy in 1988, and they have two children. They divorced in January 2009, but remain friends and worked together on the film Fall (2014).
Crewson came out publicly as lesbian in December 2014, and revealed to the press that she had come out to her family years earlier. In 2015, it was reported that Crewson was in a relationship with Julie Bristow, president of Bristow Global Media in Canada.
She resides in Rosedale, Toronto.
Filmography
Awards and nominations
Gemini Awards
1992 — Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role for Getting Married in Buffalo Jump (Nominated)
1994 — Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role for I'll Never Get to Heaven (Nominated)
1998 — Best Performance by an Actress in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series for Due South
1999 — Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries for At the End of the Day: The Sue Rodriguez Story
2002 — Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role for A Killing Spring (Nominated)
2002 — Humanitarian Award
2003 — Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role for The Many Trials of One Jane Doe
2005 — Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role for Sex Traffic (Nominated)
2006 — Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role for The Man Who Lost Himself
2007 — Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series for The Robber Bride (Nominated)
2007 — Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series for ReGenesis
2008 — Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series for ReGenesis (Nominated)
