It was a Saugeen Shores Men’s Probus meeting with a difference on Tuesday, October, 3rd, when award-winning actor, director, voice-over performer and teacher, Stevie Vallance, took Probus members and their guests on a whirlwind trip down the road of her career, one that has spanned several decades.
With her high-energy personality, she moved swiftly through the decades with a slide presentation of her many accomplishments and the many actors, comedians and stars that she has worked with over the years.
Vallance credits her parents for the many aspects that led her down the path of ‘show business’. “My mother ensured that I took lessons in dance, drama, music, singing and everything else that goes into becoming a professional actor. Every day after school, I would go to another class so I was busy all the time.”
It was at age 11 that she formally began acting at the Charlottetown Festival in Prince Edward Island (PEI), and went on to play in several television programs such as King of Kensington, Tommy Hunter and other CBC shows.
After acquiring her ‘green card’ to work in the United States, she worked on many television series that included ‘The Ropers’, a spin-off from ‘Three’s Company’, LA Law, Lou Grant and Bosom Buddies with Tom Hanks. In 1987, she acted in Three Men and a Baby, a comedy that was shot in Toronto, with Ted Danson and Tom Selleck. “Tom is very down to earth and very, very funny,” said Vallance.
Although she was based in Los Angeles, Vallance continued to commute back and forth for roles in Canada.
In 1993, back in Canada, she went on to act in the popular series, Road to Avonlea with Christopher Reeve, who was best known for his role as Superman on the big screen. “I always remember,” said Vallance, “what Christopher said to me – ‘I want to be a real superman in real life’. That was just before his accident and he became a paraplegic, but did go on to become that super man who never gave up.”
From 1993 – 1999, Vallance went on to perform the role of country singer Patsy Cline, with whom Valance shares the same birthday, in the musical ‘Just a Closer Walk with Patsy Cline’. “I played at the Calgary Stampede and it was there that I met Patsy’s real-life husband Charlie Dick, a real character.”
In addition to acting, Vallance became enthralled with animation and voice-overs, which she demonstrated for the Probus members and their guests, easily moving from one voice to another. Her first cartoon voice-over acting break was on Inspector Gadget with Don Adams and June Foray. “The told me ‘just treat the mic like a person’s ear.”
Vallance was also nominated a few times for an Emmy for her work in animation.
“The Emmy that I did win,” she explained, holding her statue, “was for Voice Direction on 70 episodes of the Madeline animation series.”
She has gone on to teach animation voices to thousands across Canada and the United States and is known as the foremost animation voice teacher.
Music has also played a large part in Vallance’s career and she has five CDs, including ‘Always – a Salute to Patsy Cline’. Locally, she often performed with the late Ernie Duff (former owner of Duffy’s restaurant in Southampton), and is now performing as part of a trio with musicians Mike Grace and Ian Burbidge at Rosina’s Restaurant in Port Elgin.
After returning to Southampton to ‘purportedly retire’, Vallance recently wrote, directed and starred in ‘The Night Guy came to Town‘, a play centred around the year 1935 and the once-famous Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians Orchestra, that was performed at the Southampton Town Hall on Canadian Big Band Celebration weekend.
“I feel so fortunate for the paths that my career has taken,” said Vallance. “I truly have been blessed.”
To read Stevie Vallance’s full bio and accomplishments, CLICK HERE
or watch the CBC short-doc (documentary) HERE