Biography
Joanne Wilson spent her early childhood in various communities in Ontario, Canada. It was when her family moved west (and north) to Edmonton that her acting career began with her first professional theatre role as a Victorian-era teenaged prostitute. Joanne went on to act in various regional Canadian theatres in performances ranging from Shakespeare to the iconic role of Amanda Wingfield in Tennessee Williams' classic "The Glass Menagerie". In the early years Joanne juggled a stage career with broadcasting - often literally running from the theatre to a radio station to work an all night shift as a DJ!
Joanne now works mostly in film and TV, appearing in supporting and principal film roles for Hallmark, Lifetime, GAC Family, NBC Universal/E!, Disney, as well feature films, TV series (Family Law, the L Word, Arrow, Motive, etc.) and various streaming platforms. She also enjoys acting in small independent films, and is an accomplished voice actor in animation (Gigantosaurus, Barbie, Polly Pocket, etc), documentaries, as well as in hundreds of commercials.
Her work in the broadcast field is extensive. During the 80's she was one of Canada's first female rock radio DJ's at a time when this was considered ground-breaking. Eventually this led her back to Ontario and Toronto's top rock station, Q107. In time she became an accomplished interviewer, writer, and producer of radio programs that were syndicated across Canada, the United States and parts of Europe which she produced alongside her business partner and late husband, Greg Mason. Her unending curiosity led to interviews with hundreds of experts in psychology, health and wellness, education, behaviour, and social justice, as well as with artists such as Sting, David Bowie, AC/DC, Bruce Cockburn, Bryan Adams, and many, many others. She has also worked as a television host and reporter.
Joanne is also a Certified Mindfulness Instructor, a practice she shares with her acting students. And as a strong believer in giving back, Joanne often volunteers her time with environmental groups, as well as teaching mindfulness practices to women experiencing intimate partner violence and those in addiction recovery. Joanne is a proud mother of three; of her two surviving children, one is a physician and the other is a theatre actor with the world renown Stratford Festival.
