Open this photo in gallery: Dinah Christie in 2021. Michelle Williams/Supplied A stopwatch starts. A woman shapes her fingers. Eh? Actually, “A.” It’s a televised game of charades, and Dinah Christie’s movements are quick and lively. She pretends to ride a horse that is rearing up on its hind legs. From this, her two teammates quickly guess the word is “dreary.” A hand swirl above her head indicates a headdress, and then she swiftly forms a shape of a ball, thus, “fortune teller.” And 1 minute 10 seconds later, from a category called “rhyme definition,” the phrase is solved: “A dreary fortune teller is a disaster forecaster.” The segment was from one of more than 800 episodes of Party Game, which aired for 11 years on Hamilton’s CHCH TV station and continued in reruns, making Ms. Christie beloved by generations of Canadians. Ms. Christie, an entertainer, director, writer, environmentalist and fashion designer, passed away due to complications from dementia on April 10 in Toronto’s Kensington Gardens long-term care facility. She was 83. Her draw to the spotlight came naturally. Her father, Robert Christie, and mother, Margot Syme Christie, were both well-known Canadian actors. Dinah Barbara Christie was born in London, England on Dec. 29, 1942 and moved to Canada with them when she was just 2. Open this photo in gallery: Ms. Christie was an entertainer, director, writer, environmentalist and fashion designer. Supplied Robert joined the performing company at Ontario’s Stratford Festival during its first season in 1953 and later became an esteemed director and teacher. It was through her father that Ms. Christie first stepped onto the stage. He directed a summer-stock production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Gravenhurst when she was only 8 years old. He needed a child actor. “I was terrified. It scared the pants off me,” Ms. Christie said in a 1997 interview with Miriam Wolfe Ross for ACTRA (the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists). “That was a highly forgettable moment of my career on stage,” Ms. Christie added. But it sparked her passion for acting. She spent summers with her dad at Stratford and at age 12 got hired there as a “call boy” (someone who calls actors for their cues). A few years later she began stage managing before joining the company as an actress. When her parents divorced, her father gifted her a guitar. She taught herself how to play it and would carry around a small Martin guitar for the next sixty years. Ms. Christie attended North Toronto Collegiate Institute during the day while spending nights at clubs and coffee houses singing with folk and jazz musicians. Soon enough she caught CBC’s attention: “I got woven in,” she said during that same interview from ’97. “If you were an actress and musician you just moved between the milieus.” Open this photo in gallery: Ms. Christie in 1971. She taught herself to play guitar and would often carry a small Martin. Robert Warren/Supplied “She was a consummate entertainer,” said her half-sister Fiona Christie ,67 , of Toronto.“She was also drop-dead gorgeousand very aware of it.” A job as hostand singeron CBC’s groundbreakingpublic-affairs program This Hour has Seven Daysin the1960s launched Ms. Cristie into TVcareer.<pclass= " c – article – body __ text _ pr – " But itwas Party Game – featuring Ms. Christie’s hometeam playingcharadesagainsta teamofcelebrityguests, onapolyester-and-earth-toned set-that madeherabigger star. The show billeditselfas“television’szaniesthalf-hour”. Itwaslow-budgettapingfiveepisodesadayusingasoundtrackof cannedlaughterandapplause butitranfrom1970to1981inanerawhenregularperforminggigsweren’tcommonfor Canadianentertainers. Itgavethequick-witted Ms. Chrisiteasteadyincomeandfreedomto performelsewhere. < pclass = " c – article – body __ From19851988, sheappearedona CTVsitcomcalled Check It Outwhich starred Americancomicactor Don Adamsof Get Smartfame.“Shehatedthatguy”, said Stacey Coker82of Toronto whowasbestfriendswith Ms Christiesincechildhood. Ms Christiewon Gemini Awardin1987forherroleonthe show; Mr. Adamsnever did. <<pclass= " c –
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Fromthe United States, Mss Christieknew Harry Belafontewhogavehertipsonsing, and Bob Hopewhomshehelpedwithfundraising shows. The latterwould sendherachristmascardeveryyear.<pclass = " c – article – body __ Oneofthemostmultitalented entertainersshemet-andonewithwhomsheoftencollaborated-was Tom Kneebone. The New Zealand-born Mr. Kneebonecansing, dancecomposeandact. Thetwoofthemarecreditedwithbringingcabaret-styleshowsto Torontointhes1960sandthey toured North Americawithproductionsof songsby Noël Cowardand Cole Porteraswellasmanyoftheirownshows. In1973theyrecordedtheirpopularadaptationofthemusical The Apple Tree. They lovedsatire.< Mr. Kneeboneand Ms Christiewerealsopivotalintheearlyyearsof Smile Theatre, a non-profit Torontoproductioncompanywhosemandateistaketo peoplewho couldn’tgetout, suchashospitalpatientsorresidentsoflong-termcarefacilities. Mr. Kneebonewasartisticdirectortherefor16years.< In1981, Mss Chrisie wonan ACTRAawardforbestvarietyperformancefora TVspecialcalled D. C. And Friends. Sheand Mr. Kneebonewon91984ACTRAbest radiovariety performance.Mss Chrisietookparticularprideincreatingplaysandsongsabout Canadiansincluding Shooting Starabout Indigenousrunner Tom Longboat, and Paddle Song, aone-womanshowabout Indigenouspoet performerandwriter Pauline Johnsonplayedbytheincomparable Cheri Maracle.<“[Mss Christie’s]voicewassmoky, sultryandsexy,”said Racheal Mc Caig, a Toronto photographerandwriterwhoworkedwithherat Smile. Notallof Mss Chrisielifewasdevotedtothespotlight. In1971, shebought Black Shadow Creek, a40-hectarefarmwitha150-year-oldlog cabinnear Mount Forest Ont., abouttwoboursnorthwestof Toronto. withherhusband-to-be Robert(Bob)Warren, a photographerdesignerandshipwright. Openthisphotoingallery:<
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<pclass= " c -<html lang =" " title ="<TM ss Christie”keptmesane,”said Inearlyyearsonfarmchoresincludedbalinghaykeepingpignamed Wanda Sue Sow(whothoughtshewascanine; M s. Christiewroteasongaboutit)rescuing caringfora herdofhorses. Theunflappable M s. C hristieuponusedonlyabroomandyourvoice tochaseaskunkfrom Mr. Warren’sworkshop. Ms Christiaalso insistedthefarmfolloworganiccareandeconomicmanagement-nochemicalfertilizers.”Whileatthefarm, shewouldbecomeamasterinthejapanesehealingtechniqueknownas Reiki.”Ifshesaidanimalinpain, pain,” said Mmcaig.”.
In1990s alonghersister Cedar, M s. Chrisitiecreatedretailcompanycalled The Badd Sisters They developedclothingandsoldtheirproductsatoutletssuch as Tilley Endurables. Thecompanywasaheadoftimewithemphasisonenvironmentallyresponsibleitems. But M s. Chrisiteneverbefarfromstage. In1994, shehostedagalafortheopeningof Theatre Orangeville.”Sh e wasa force Ofnature, strongvibrantperformer,”said Jim Betts, the inauguralartisticdirectoroftheatreorangevilleandaformerartisticdirectorof Smile.”Shebroughtenthusiasmjoytoeverythingshedid.” Sheshouldalso performmostlyherown creationsatfundraisersacross Ontario, includingt Toronto’s Performing Arts Lodge, AIDSbenefits And The South Simcoe Theatre.  <meta name= """ !< ! DOCTYPEHTMLPUBLIC"-//W3C//DTDHTML4//EN""http://www. w3. org/TR/html4/strict. dtd"meta nam e="".. ,
