Frances Hyland

Frances Hyland (April 25, 1927 – July 11, 2004) was a Canadian actress whose career spanned stage, film, and television. Born in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, a small town southwest of Swift Current, she was the daughter of Jessie (née Worden), a teacher, and Thomas Hyland, a salesman. Her parents divorced when she was one year old, and she was subsequently raised by her mother's family in Ogema, Saskatchewan. At age seven she relocated to Regina when her parents attempted to reconcile, though the effort was unsuccessful, and she had no relationship with her father after 1937.

Hyland's mother put herself through teacher's college to support her daughter's education and acting ambitions. Hyland graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 1948 with a Bachelor of Arts in English, then earned a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where she was awarded a silver medal for merit upon completing her studies. She launched her professional career on the West End, making her debut as Stella in Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire.

In 1954, director Tyrone Guthrie invited Hyland to participate in the inaugural season of Canada's Stratford Festival, where she played Isabella in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. She continued with the festival for ten seasons, taking on roles that included Portia in The Merchant of Venice, Olivia in Twelfth Night, Perdita in The Winter's Tale, Desdemona in Othello, and Ophelia opposite Christopher Plummer in a production of Hamlet. She also directed the Stratford Festival's 1979 production of Othello. Beyond Stratford, Hyland performed with the Shaw Festival and appeared at the Crest Theatre in Toronto in The Living Room.

Her Broadway career ran from 1957 to 1962 and included the drama Look Homeward, Angel, in which she appeared opposite Tony Perkins, as well as the play Moby Dick. On television, she co-starred in the Canadian series The Albertans and portrayed Nanny Louisa on Road to Avonlea. Throughout her career Hyland also advocated for Canadian actors, using her prominence to support their campaign for higher status and pay.

Hyland married fellow Canadian actor and director George McCowan, and the couple had a son, Evan, born in 1957. They separated shortly afterward. In 1970 she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, and in 1994 she received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for her lifetime contribution to Canadian theatre. Hyland died on July 11, 2004, following respiratory failure stemming from complications of a prior appendix surgery, at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. She was 77.