Kelly McCormack (born January 13, 1991) is a Canadian actor, writer, director, musician and producer. As an actor she is best known for the Amazon series A League of Their Own, the Syfy science fiction television series Killjoys, and for her role as Betty Anne on the Crave series Letterkenny, and as a filmmaker for the feature film Sugar Daddy (2020). Kelly has worked in film, television, and on stage, and runs the production company Floyder Films.[1]
Kelly McCormack | |
|---|---|
 McCormack in 2018 | |
| Born | January 13, 1991 |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, writer, producer |
| Years active | 2000s–present |
McCormack has written and starred in several independent feature films that have screened at film festivals around the world, including Play the Film (2013), Barn Wedding (2015), and Sugar Daddy (2020).[2][3] She also starred in and produced the award-winning CBC mockumentary The Neddeaus of Duqesne Island.[4]
Early life
editMcCormack was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia.[5] She began performing on-stage at the age of seven, training in classical music, opera, and musical theatre. As a teenager, she studied at the Lyric School of Acting, Vancouver, before attending university first in England at Herstmonceux International Study Centre, where she studied literature, and later at the University of British Columbia, where she received a bachelor's degree in literature. Kelly then moved to New York to study musical theatre.[5]
Career
editAfter graduating from university, McCormack moved to New York City to study acting, musical theatre and experimental theatre and performed with The Flea Theatre Company as a member of The Bat Company, performing in Tony Award nominated Liz Swados' Kaspar Hauser. She later moved to Toronto and started working in the Toronto indie theatre scene with playwright Kat Sandler, originating roles in plays like Delicacy, and working in the entertainment industry.
Throughout the 2010s, she played a variety of supporting roles in a number of productions, including in the television series Defiance, 11.22.63, and Damien, as well as in the web series Teenagers and That's My DJ.[6]
In 2013, she wrote her first feature film, Play the Film, in which she also starred.[7] The film was produced for only $1,000.[7] McCormack won several awards for writing the film,[2][8] including Best Screenplay at the Broad Humor Film Festival.[9] The following year, she wrote another feature film, Barn Wedding, which screened at film festivals throughout 2015.[10][11]
In 2017, McCormack served as a producer and actress on several productions. In February of that year, she joined the cast of the Syfy science fiction television series Killjoys in its third season.[12] On the series, she portrayed Zeph, an androgynous scientist, in a recurring role until the series ended.[4][13]
That summer, the CBC mockumentary The Neddeaus of Duqesne Island, which McCormack both produced and starred in, was released online via CBC's official website.[4] The series received three Canadian Screen Award nominations at the 6th Canadian Screen Awards in 2018.[14]
In November 2017, she joined the cast for the third season of the CraveTV series Letterkenny.[15] In early 2018, she appeared in an episode of the CBC comedy series Crawford.[16] Later that year, she was featured in an episode of The Expanse.[17]
On stage, McCormack has developed and performed in Charlotte: A Tri-Coloured Play With Music, an original opera based on the life of German painter Charlotte Salomon,[5] which ran at the 2017 Luminato Festival in Toronto and at the World Stage Design Festival in Taipei.[5]
In 2019, Kelly wrapped production of her critically acclaimed feature film Sugar Daddy, which she wrote, produced, and starred in alongside Colm Feore and an ensemble cast that includes Amanda Brugel, Aaron Ashmore, Nicholas Campbell, Noam Jenkins, Ishan Davé, Tiio Horn, Jess Salgueiro, Tony Nappo, Rob Stewart, Michelle Morgan, and Broken Social Scene’s Brendan Canning.[18] The film premiered as the opening gala film of the 2020 Whistler Film Festival,[3] where McCormack received an honorable mention for the Borsos Competition award for best performance in a Canadian film, and won the One to Watch award.[19] The film also garnered Kelly the ACTRA Award for Best Performance, and a Canadian Screen Award for Best Original Music.[20]
Activism
editMcCormack has been vocal about her support of the #MeToo movement, and was invited to discuss the subject in an interview with CBC's q radio show.[21]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Special Correspondents | Station Accountant | |
| 2018 | A Simple Favor | Stacy | |
| 2020 | Sugar Daddy | Darren | |
| 2023 | Problemista | Sharon | |
| TBA | Untitled A Simple Favor sequel | Stacy | Post-production |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Teenagers | Emily | |
| Defiance | Jalina | ||
| 2016 | Damien | Tara | |
| You Got Trumped: The First 100 Days | Sarah | ||
| 11.22.63 | Dawn | ||
| 2016–2017 | That's My DJ | Dee | |
| 2017 | The Neddeaus of Duqesne Island | Eloida Neddeau | |
| Save Me | Cashier | ||
| 2017–2019 | Killjoys | Zephyr "Zeph" Vos | |
| 2018–2019 | Letterkenny | Betty-Anne | |
| 2018 | Crawford | Ms. Vara | |
| The Expanse | Loftis | ||
| 2019 | Carter | Ronnie Hart | |
| 2020 | The Amazing Gayl Pile | Gayle Pile Sr. | |
| 2021 | Ginny & Georgia | Maddie | |
| Departure | Charlotte | ||
| 2022 | A League of Their Own | Jess McCready | |
| George & Tammy | Sheila Richey |
References
edit- ^ "Kelly McCormack by Jim Tobler". MONTECRISTO. 10 September 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Telefilm Canada – Kelly McCormack". Telefilm Canada at Cannes 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ a b Victoria Ahearn, "Whistler Film Festival to open with 'Sugar Daddy,' 'In Her City'". CityNews, November 5, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Kelly McCormack does double duty in CBC's The Neddeaus and Space's Killjoys". TV, eh?. 13 July 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Actress Kelly McCormack Talks 'The Neddeaus of Duqesne Island' and SyFy's "Killjoys"". Occhi Magazine. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Workaholic Vancouver native Kelly McCormack embraces digital weirdness". The Vancouver Sun. 25 July 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Kelly McCormack Introduces PLAY to the World – Exclusive Interview | The Arts Guild". The Arts Guild. 4 September 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Play the Film". Circlesnake. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "2013 Broad Humor Film Festival Award Winners". broadhumor.com. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ McNary, Dave (4 May 2015). "Dances With Films Festival Unveils Lineup". Variety. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Milton Film Festival – Barn Wedding". miltonfilmfest.com. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Cameras roll on Killjoys season three". Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Kelly McCormack on Playing Killjoys' Newest Nerd – The TV Junkies". The TV Junkies. 13 July 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "2018 Digital Media Nominees". Academy.ca. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
- ^ "Jay Baruchel to Star in Canadian Streaming Comedy 'Letterkenny' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Kelly McCormack – Cast – Crawford". Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ Freudenthal, Thor (2 May 2018), Reload, Steven Strait, Cas Anvar, Dominique Tipper, retrieved 15 May 2018
- ^ Townsend, Kelly (13 March 2019). "LevelFILM picks up Canadian rights to Wendy Morgan drama". Playback.
- ^ Craig Takeuchi, "Whistler Film Festival 2020 award winners: From B.C.'s Indian Road Trip to Newfoundland's Little Orphans". The Georgia Straight, December 21, 2020.
- ^ "Kelly McCormack". press.amazonmgmstudios.com. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "#MeToo: 3 women in the Canadian film & TV industry share their stories". CBC Radio. Retrieved 26 January 2018.