Meg Tilly, whose real name is Margaret Elizabeth Chan, was born on February 14, 1960.
She is a Canadian-American actress and writer.
Meg TillyTilly became famous for her part in the movie “Agnes of God” in 1985, winning a Golden Globe Award moreover getting nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Some of her other well-known movies also include “Psycho II” (1983), “The Big Chill” (1983), “Masquerade” (1988), and “Valmont” (1989).
In the TV series “Bomb Girls” (2012–13), she won the 2013 Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
Besides acting, Tilly is also a writer and has written several novels.
One of her books, “Porcupine” (2007), was a finalist for the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize.
Meg Childhood Life
Tilly was born in Long Beach, California, to Patricia Ann (née Tilly), a Canadian teacher, and businessman Harry Chan.
Her father was Chinese-American, while her mother was of Irish and Finnish descent.
She is the younger sister of actress Jennifer Tilly.
When Tilly was three years old, her parents divorced, and she was raised by her mother and stepfather, John Ward, on rural Texada Island in British Columbia, Canada.
Tilly later revealed that Ward was abusive.
At the age of 12, Tilly began taking dance lessons, partly to avoid her stepfather.
She quickly excelled and became a talented ballerina.
Tilly attended Esquimalt High School in British Columbia and Chief Sealth International High School in Seattle, Washington. After graduating, she moved to the United States to pursue a career in dance.
In New York City, she studied with Madame Darvash and Melissa Hayden on a full scholarship and joined the Connecticut Ballet Company.
Tilly made her screen debut as a dancer in Alan Parker’s 1980 musical drama Fame, despite her dance career being cut short in 1979 due to a serious back injury from a fall during a performance.
Meg Acting Career
After her dance career ended due to a back injury, Tilly pursued acting in Los Angeles, studying under Peggy Feury.
She made her TV debut in 1982 and appeared in “Hill Street Blues” before starring in the 1982 film “Tex.”
Her breakout came in 1983 with roles in “One Dark Night,” “Psycho II,” and “The Big Chill,” which was nominated for three Academy Awards.
Initially cast in “Amadeus,” she had to drop out due to a leg injury.
However, she achieved critical acclaim for her role in the 1985 film “Agnes of God,” earning an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe Award.
Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, she appeared in several films, including “Valmont” (1989) and “The Two Jakes” (1990).
After a 15-year hiatus from acting, Tilly returned in 2010, appearing in an episode of “Caprica.”
She continued her comeback with a role in Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” in 2011 and starred in the Canadian series “Bomb Girls” from 2012 to 2013, winning a Canadian Screen Award for her performance.
Meg Writing Career
Tilly has written several novels. Her first novel, “Singing Songs,” was published in 1994.
It received positive reviews, with critics praising the narrative voice.
The story revolves around young girls who are molested by their stepfather.
Her second novel, “Gemma,” was published in 2006 by the Syren Book Company and later picked up by St. Martin’s Press in 2010.
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The book also follows a twelve-year-old girl who is kidnapped and abused during a cross-country journey.
Tilly’s third novel, “Porcupine,” was published in 2007 by Tundra Books.
It also tells the story of a twelve-year-old girl named Jacqueline “Jack” Cooper, whose life is shattered by her father’s death in the War in Afghanistan.
“Porcupine” was also a finalist for the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize and received other accolades.
Her fourth novel, “First Time,” was published in 2008 by Orca Book Publishers.
It is about a sixteen-year-old girl who is molested and abused by her mother’s boyfriend.
The novel was nominated for several awards. Tilly’s fifth novel, “A Taste of Heaven,” was published in 2013 by Puffin Books.
It also is a departure from her darker themes and focuses on the friendship between two young girls.
The novel was well-received and won the 2014/2015 Chocolate Lilly Award. Tilly’s sixth novel, “Behind the Scenes,” was published in 2014 by Puffin Books (Canada).
In 2018, Tilly began her Solace Island trilogy, consisting of “Solace Island,” “Cliff’s Edge,” and “Hidden Cove,” romantic thrillers about protagonist Maggie Harris.
Her latest novel is “The Runaway Heiress,” a romantic thriller.
Family Life
In 1983, Tilly married Tim Zinnemann, an American film producer, whom she met on the set of her first film, “Tex.”
They had two children, Emily (born 1984) and David (born 1986), but divorced in 1989.
After her divorce, Tilly began a 5-year relationship with British actor Colin Firth, whom she met during the filming of “Valmont.”
They moved near Vancouver and had a son, William Joseph (born 1990).
In 1995, Tilly married John Calley, a film studio executive and producer.
They lived in Los Angeles, where Calley worked for Sony Pictures Entertainment.
However, the marriage ended in divorce in 2002.
Following her divorce from Calley, Tilly married her current husband, author Don Calame, whom she met during a writing seminar in Big Sur, California.
Since 1999, she has lived in the Gulf Islands, British Columbia.
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