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Award-winning actress Catherine Bruhier earned her first major role when she was cast as Mary Snow, a character traditionally portrayed as Caucasian, in David French's play "Salt-Water Moon" opposite Eric McCormack at Theatre New Brunswick's main stage. Her performance received outstanding reviews. This casting choice was groundbreaking, marking the first time the female lead was played by a non-Caucasian actor. Following this, Catherine wrote an article about her experience as a visible minority in this unconventional role for Toronto's Theatrum Magazine. Titled "Darkness Visible," the article was later republished by Prentice Hall in the school textbook Play Making Magazine as an inspirational piece for students in grades 7 to 9.
Her television career soon blossomed, with notable roles including Elaine Besbriss on the Paul Haggis-created, award-winning CBS/Alliance series Due South, which aired for four seasons in 62 countries and was a top pick on the UK's BBC network. She also appeared alongside Viola Davis as Dr. Sheila Greenlee on ABC's How to Get Away with Murder, and starred with Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan as Dr. Perkins in Universal Studios' box office hit sequel The Best Man Holiday.
Recent screen appearances include roles in All Rise (CBS), Kim's Convenience (CBC/Netflix), Bosch (Amazon), and Baskets (FX/Hulu).
Between her television and film work, Catherine has taken leading roles in theaters across Canada, including The Shaw Festival; Grand Theatre London; Factory Theatre; Theatre Passe Muraille; Theatre Aquarius; Theatre New Brunswick (TNB); Theatre Plus Toronto; and in the Dora Award-winning teen play Carrying the Calf. Some standout performances include Mrs. Lunn in George Bernard Shaw's "Overruled" at The Shaw Festival; Effie in the award-winning play "Riot" at Toronto’s Factory Theatre, a role written specifically for her by playwright/actor Andrew Moodie; and Mrs. Muller in John Patrick Shanley's "Doubt" at TNB.
In addition to acting, Catherine wrote, co-produced, directed, and starred in the short film The Sacrifice, filmed in Los Angeles under SAG-AFTRA. The film screened at 12 festivals and won four awards. She received an Ontario Arts Council Emerging Filmmaker Grant to direct her second short, Clean Teeth Wednesdays, produced through ACTRA's T.I.P. Program. This film was officially selected at six festivals and nominated for Best Narrative Short at both the Montreal Black Film Festival and Chicago’s Gene Siskel Film Center Black Harvest Film Festival. The young lead actor was nominated for a Young Artist Award, presented by The Young Artist Awards Academy (YAAA), founded by Maureen Dragone, historian for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globes).
A graduate of George Brown College's Theatre Program and a 2018 Premier's Awards nominee in Creative Arts, Catherine also studied at York University and trained in Los Angeles with renowned film coach/director Jim Pasternak in his Art & Technique of Film Directing private workshop. She was honored as one of eight Canadians selected to attend the 2010 Women in the Director's Chair program at the Banff Arts Centre. Catherine has served as a jury member for the Canadian Academy of Cinema and Television, selecting nominees for the Gemini Awards. She is a member of Canadian Actors' Equity Association (CAEA), Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), and SAG-AFTRA.
Holding both U.S. and Canadian passports, Catherine frequently works on both coasts. She is the mother of actress Mattea Quin and wife to actor Steven Pacini. For more information, visit https://catherinebruhier.workbooklive.com/. A 2020 article about her acting journey is available at https://maritimeedit.com/blogs/edit/catherine-bruhier-for-edit-magazine-volume-14.
