Megan Follows

Megan Follows
Follows at CFC, March 2012
Born	Megan Elizabeth Follows (1968-03-14) March 14, 1968 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1978–present
Spouse	Christopher Porter (1991–1996)
Children	2

Megan Elizabeth Follows (born March 14, 1968) is a Canadian actress. She is known to international audiences for her role as Anne Shirley in the acclaimed 1985 Canadian television miniseries Anne of Green Gables and its two sequels.

Early life

Follows was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as the youngest of four children to an acting family. Her parents are noted Canadian theatre actor and director Ted Follows and his first wife, actress Dawn Greenhalgh. All of her siblings are also in the entertainment industry. Her older sister Edwina is a writer, while her brother Laurence and sister Samantha Follows (who is married to Sean O'Bryan) are actors.

Career

Early start

Her first acting job came at the age of nine, when she landed a spot in a commercial for Bell Canada. She was directed to make an impudent gesture out of a school bus window – like sticking out her tongue - but ended up making a rather obscene and adult gesture instead. She quickly found steady work in Canada, appearing in a few TV series such as Matt and Jenny, The Mating Season, The Baxters and The Littlest Hobo, in which she guest-starred with her entire family in a two-part episode. She also starred in the short film "Boys and Girls" (1983), which won an Academy Award for Best Short Subject.

Anne of Green Gables

Follows' breakthrough occurred when she was cast as Anne Shirley in the miniseries Anne of Green Gables, and subsequently appeared in the two sequels that followed. The part of "Anne" was a coveted role that she won over 3,000 other young girls when director, producer and writer Kevin Sullivan chose her despite early worries during the audition process that she might be too old for the part. The miniseries, wholly produced in Canada, became successful around the world and remains to this day the highest-rated drama in Canadian television history.

Follows gained a substantial fan following for her portrayal of the popular literary character. Her performances earned her two Gemini awards as best actress for the first two miniseries, Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel, and a Gemini nomination for the third Anne installment, Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story.

Television

Follows has made a number of appearances on both Canadian and American television. In 1995, Follows (as Megan Porter Follows) starred in The Outer Limits episode "The Choice" along with Thora Birch.

In Canada, she appeared in a popular made-for-TV movie, Hockey Night, around the time she appeared in Anne of Green Gables. She played the lead role of Cathy, a young girl who played hockey on a previously all-male team. Other Canadian television appearances include leading roles in the period drama Under the Piano and police drama Major Crime, which starred fellow Canadians Michael Moriarty and Nicholas Campbell.

In 2005, she guest-starred in the Canadian ensemble drama Robson Arms as one of the tenants of the Robson Arms apartment complex. She also appeared in the hospital drama Open Heart as a nurse fighting a physician of malpractice and in Shania: A Life in Eight Albums, as the mother of famous Canadian singer Shania Twain. Most recently, she has starred as Booky's mother in the three movie adaptations of Bernice Thurman Hunter's "Booky" series, Booky Makes Her Mark, Booky and the Secret Santa and Booky's Crush.

Among the earliest American television appearances were roles in The Facts of Life (as a cousin of Jo Polniaczek in an episode that was intended as a backdoor pilot for a proposed spin-off) in 1982, and in the short-lived series Domestic Life as Martin Mull's TV daughter in 1984. She also appeared alongside a young Dermot Mulroney in two TV movies, Sin of Innocence and Shattered...If Your Kid's On Drugs, in 1986. In 1987, she played the French wife of Hugh Grant in the historically accurate Champagne Charlie series that was later repackaged into a 3 hour movie format. In 1993-94, Follows was part of the ensemble in a short-lived CBS television series Second Chances with a then-unknown Jennifer Lopez. Since 2000, Follows has appeared on numerous longstanding television series, such as Law & Order, ER, The X Files, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, Cold Case, and Lie to Me. Follows also appeared in the Canadian hit series, Heartland, for three consecutive episodes.

In 2004, Follows was also part of the ensemble cast of the Hallmark movie Plainsong, which included Aidan Quinn, Rachel Griffiths and America Ferrera. In 2009, she guest-starred in the ABC drama, Brothers and Sisters. In 2011, she had a guest role on the Fox network series, House. In 2012, she played Beth in Hollywood Heights. Beth is the sister of drug-addicted Lisa.

Follows will be a cast member on Reign, an historical drama TV series based on the early life of Mary, Queen of Scots which was commissioned in May 2013 for broadcast on The CW beginning in the 2013-2014 season.

Film

Although Follows has been more prolific in television appearances, she has appeared in a number of feature films. She co-starred with Corey Haim and Gary Busey in the 1985 film adaptation of Stephen King's novella Silver Bullet. Following the success of Anne, she appeared in Termini Station, which reunited her with Anne of Green Gables co-star Colleen Dewhurst. A rarely recognized role played by Follows was Clara in the movie The Nutcracker Prince starring Kiefer Sutherland, in which she sings a song. In 1998, she appeared in the Canadian movie Reluctant Angel. Her most recent film credits include Christmas Child, A Foreign Affair (2003) released on DVD as Two Brothers and a Bride, and a cameo in Laurie Lynd's Breakfast with Scot starring fellow Canadian Tom Cavanagh.

She was also the narrator of Heather Connell's 2008 documentary Small Voices: Stories of Cambodia's Children.

Theatre

Even though the career of Follows' parents was anchored in the theatre, she did not appear in many stage productions until the 2000s. Her first stage credit is Paul Zindel's The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, in which she starred alongside her mother and her sister Samantha in 1988 in Toronto. In 1992, only a few months after giving birth to her daughter, she was offered the role of Juliet in the Stratford Festival's production of Romeo and Juliet. She reprised the role of Juliet the following year in Los Angeles. Other notable stage credits include Ibsen's A Doll's House (Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater), William Shakespeare's Othello (Edmonton's Citadel Theatre and Ottawa's National Arts Centre), Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya (Atlantic Theatre Festival), and Noël Coward's Hay Fever in which she played opposite with her entire family and which was directed by her father.

Recent years have seen the return of Follows on stage as a regular of the Toronto-based Soulpepper Theatre Company. In 2005, she had the leading role of May in their production of Fool for Love by Sam Shepard. The following year, she took on the role of Annie in Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing which ran at Ottawa's National Arts Centre as a coproduction between Soulpepper and NAC English Theatre. Following this run, the play also made its way to Toronto as part of Soulpepper's 2006 season at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. In 2007, she played the role of Marlene in the summer production of Caryl Churchill's Top Girls, again with the Soulpepper Theatre Company. Following this, she starred in Soulpepper's 2007 production of Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters.

Soulpepper's 2008 season, marking the company's 10-year anniversary, signaled the continuation of Megan's prolific theatre career. Just like the past season, she appeared in two productions. The first was Marsha Norman's 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama 'night, Mother, which she co-starred with her real-life mother, Dawn Greenhalgh. The second was Soulpepper's remount of its critically acclaimed 2007 production of Caryl Churchill's Top Girls, which featured the same cast and director.

Taking a short break in 2009, Megan returned to the stage in 2010 in Mirvish Productions's revival of Caryl Churchill's classic 1979 play Cloud 9. The play was directed by her Top Girls and 'Night, Mother director, Alisa Palmer, and featured an all-star Canadian cast, including Ann-Marie MacDonald and Yanna McIntosh. In 2011, she returned to the stage to star in the Canadian premiere of Melissa James Gibson's This at the Vancouver Playhouse directed by Amiel Gladstone and, in 2012, she stars in the lead role of Penelope in the Nightwood Theatre's production of The Penelopiad playing at Toronto's Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.

Personal life

In 1991, Follows married Christopher Porter, a gaffer and photographer she met on the set of her movie Deep Sleep. For a short time, she was credited as Megan Porter Follows. The couple divorced in 1996. They have two children.

Humanitarian work

Follows has served as a spokeswoman for the relief organization World Vision Canada. She traveled to both Rwanda and Tanzania as a spokeswoman and a photographer. She also participated in the 2005 benefit concert Canada for Asia held to support the relief efforts for Asia after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Most recently, she travelled to Cambodia in 2007 with friend and director Heather Connell to film Small Voices: Stories of Cambodia's Children, a documentary about how the children of Cambodia living on the street and garbage dumps face their living conditions amidst poverty and abuse and how they view their own future.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980	Clare's Wish		Short film
1981	The Olden Days Coat	Sal	Short film
1982	Jen's Place	Jennifer
1983	Boys and Girls	Margaret	Short film
1985	Silver Bullet	Jane Coslaw
1988	A Time of Destiny	Irene
1989	Exposed		Short film
1989	Termini Station	Micheline Dushane
1990	Deep Sleep	Shelley
1990	The Nutcracker Prince	Clara (voice)
1993	When Pigs Fly	Kathleen
1998	Reluctant Angel	Lisa / Cheryl
2002	Someone Was Watching	Kate	Video
2003	A Foreign Affair	Lena
2004	Christmas Child	Meg Davenport
2007	Breakfast with Scot	Barbara Warren
2010	Pooka	Rosey	Short film
2011	I Am Number Four	Supermarket Cashier
2012	Where Are the Dolls	Elizabeth	Short film
2013	Bar None	Tess Lavoir	Short film
2014	Hard Drive	Barbara	Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1979–1980	Matt and Jenny	Jenny Tanner	Main role (26 episodes)
1980–1981	The Baxters	Lucy Baxter	TV series
1980	The Great Detective	Charity	Episode: "A Family Business"
1980	The Mating Season	Laura McLain	TV film
1981	The Littlest Hobo	Rose	Episode: "Hidden Room"
1982	The Facts of Life	Terry Largo	Episode: "Jo's Cousin"
1982	Hangin' In	Cassie	Episodes: "I'm Okay, We're All Okay", "Fun with Herb and Gloria"
1982	The Littlest Hobo	Marti Kendall	Episodes: "The Spirit of Thunder Rock: Parts 1-3"
1984	Sons and Daughters	Margaret	TV series
1984	Domestic Life	Didi Crane	Regular role (10 episodes)
1984	Hockey Night	Cathy Yarrow	TV film
1985	Anne of Green Gables	Anne Shirley	TV film
1986	Sin of Innocence	Jenny Colleran	TV film
1986	Comedy Factory	Tina Jackson	Episode: "The Faculty"
1986	Shattered If Your Kid's on Drugs	Kim Wilson	TV film
1987	American Playhouse	Anna Mae Morgan	Episode: "Stacking"
1987	Anne of Avonlea	Anne Shirley	TV film
1987	ABC Afterschool Special	Dana Sherman	Episode: "Seasonal Differences"
1988	Inherit the Wind	Rachel Brown	TV film
1989	Champagne Charlie	Louise Heidsick	TV film
1989	The Ray Bradbury Theater	Aimee	Episode: "The Dwarf"
1990	Back to Hannibal: The Return of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn	Becky	TV film
1991	The Chase	Gloria Whipple	TV film
1991	Cry in the Wild: The Taking of Peggy Ann	Peggy Ann Bradnick	TV film
1993	The Hidden Room	Deanna Matthews	Episode: "Happily Ever After"
1993	Romeo & Juliet	Juliet	TV film
1993–1994	Second Chances	Kate Benedict	Recurring role (6 episodes)
1995	The Outer Limits	Karen Ross	Episode: "The Choice"
1995	Murder, She Wrote	Lila Nolan	Episode: "Home Care"
1996	Under the Piano	Rosetta Basilio	TV film
1997	Major Crime	Joanie Wells	TV film
1999	Big Wolf on Campus	Violet Thorne	Episode: "Interview with a Werewolf"
2000	Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story	Anne Shirley Blythe	TV film
2000	Law & Order	Megan Parnell	Episode: "Endurance"
2000	Made in Canada	Mandy Forward / Adele of Beaver Creek	Episode: "Beaver Creek - The Movie"
2000	The Fugitive	Paula Bennett	Episode: "Miles to Go"
2000	Family Law	Nancy Quinn	Episode: "Generations"
2001	ER	Christy Larkin	Episode: "A Walk in the Woods"
2001	The X-Files	Kath McCready	Episode: "Per Manum"
2001	The Division	Science Teacher	Episode: "Hero"
2001	Mentors	Annie Oakley	Episode: "Anything You Can Do"
2002	That's Life	Stella	Episode: "Gutterball"
2002	The Stork Derby	Kate Harrington	TV film
2002	Strong Medicine	Dana's Doctor	Episodes: "Postiive", "Stages", "Heartbeat"
2002	Live to Air	Narrator	TV film
2003	Threat Matrix	Denise	Episode: "Veteran's Day"
2004	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Beth Darian	Episode: "Bad to the Bone"
2004	Plainsong	Ella Guthrie	TV film
2004	What Katy Did	Cousin Helen	TV film
2004	Open Heart	Sherry Cardinal	TV film
2005	CSI: Miami	Chloe Grand	Episode: "Whacked"
2005	Robson Arms	Janice Keneally	Recurring role (4 episodes)
2005	Shania: A Life in Eight Albums	Shania Twain	TV film
2005	Cold Case	Maura	Episode: "A Perfect Day"
2006	Crossing Jordan	Beth	Episode: "Code of Ethics"
2006	Booky Makes Her Mark	Francie Thomson	TV film
2006	The Great Polar Bear Adventure	Narrator / Cassie (voice)	TV film
2007	Booky and the Secret Santa	Francie Thomson	TV film
2008	The Border	Moira Davis	Episode: "Good Intentions"
2009	Booky's Crush	Francie Thomson	TV film
2009	Lie to Me	Lorraine Burch	Episode: "Do No Harm"
2009	Brothers & Sisters	Maggie Stephens	Episode: "Missing"
2009	Heartland	Lily Borden	Episodes: "The Starting Gate", "The Fix"
2009	Raising the Bar	Reanne Chrisman	Episode: "No Child's Left Behind"
2011	House	Jennifer Williams	Episode: "Changes"
2012	Heartland	Lily Borden	Episode: "Fool's Gold"
2012	Longmire	Alice Stewart	Episode: "A Damn Shame"
2012	Hollywood Heights	Beth	Episodes: "Nora Visits Max", "Eddie's Inspired"
2012	World Without End	Maud	TV miniseries
2013	Reign	Catherine de' Medici	Main role

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result
1986	Gemini	Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Single Dramatic Program or Miniseries	Anne of Green Gables	Won
1988	Gemini	Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries	Anne of Avonlea	Won
1989	Aftonbladet TV Prize, Sweden	Best Foreign TV Personality – Female		Won
1990	Genie	Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role	Termini Station	Nominated
2000	Gemini	Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries	Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story	Nominated
2004	Gemini	Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries	Open Heart	Nominated
2006	Gemini	Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries	Shania: A Life in Eight Albums	Nominated
2007	Gemini	Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries	Booky Makes Her Mark	Nominated
2008	Gemini	Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries	Booky & the Secret Santa	Nominated

External links

• Megan Follows at IMDb
• Megan Follows UK
• 2005 CBC profile of Megan Follows