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Joan Orenstein was one of the most accomplished actors on the Canadian stage. Born in England, she emigrated to Canada in the 1940s. She began acting late in life, in her forties, and rose to prominence as a dynamic and brave performer. She played on most of the major stages in Canada, often at Neptune Theatre in Halifax (Forever Yours, Marie-Lou, Memories of You) and Montreal's Centaur Theatre (Juno and the Paycock, People Are Living There, Stone Angel, Road to Mecca, Albertine, en cinq temps , and La Sagouine). She also appeared at the National Arts Centre (Waiting for the Parade , Mother Courage, Ghosts), Belfry Theatre (The Magnificent Voyage of Emily Carr, If We Are Women), Manitoba Theatre Centre ('Night Mother), Canadian Stage ( Odd Jobs ), Theatre Calgary ( Transit of Venus ), Tarragon Theatre (Mrs. Klein), and the Shaw Festival (Mrs. Warren's Profession, Hedda Gabler). Her fiery stage performances were enthralling.
Her screen work was irregular but luminous. She made her feature debut in Henry & Verlin (1994) and won acclaim for her performance in The Hanging Garden (1997) which garnered her a Genie nomination and an Atlantic Film Festival Award. She won the Atlantic Film Festival Award again for her cameo performance as mother to Parker Posey in The Event (2003).
Early in her career Orenstein became blind in one eye. She retrained herself so that her partial blindness was unnoticed by audiences. In 2006 she became fully blind which frustrated her acting career. Orenstein was always known as a passionate and dedicated artist. Anyone who worked with Joan Orenstein will remember her wry and sophisticated sense of humor, an intimidating ferocity, and an ability to elevate the work of her collaborators.
She was married to Henry Orenstein, an artist and CBC production designer. Their children include stage actor Sarah Orenstein, dancer Cia Tweel, and designer Edie Orenstein.
