Nonnie Griffin was a Canadian actress and voice actress. She studied at the Toronto Conservatory in her native land, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, and even with famed mime artist Marcel Marceau. Her stage work includes playing Mrs. Rafi in the original Toronto production of The Sea and a 10-month run as the title character in Hello, Dolly! at the Limelight Dinner Theatre in Toronto in 1990. Griffin appeared in the original Toronto production of John Murrell's Waiting for the Parade. She also played Jessica in the original Montreal production of David French's Jitters.
Biography
Apart from being a veteran of the stage, her voice over work includes Nelvana's ', and playing Harmony Bear in 1986's '. She voiced Funshine Bear in the Nelvana version of Care Bears, and also voiced Mrs. Pig in two episodes of The Raccoons. Nonnie's voice appears in Wild Life, a film that was nominated for Best Animated Short at the 2012 Academy Awards. She made guest appearances on several television series, including ', King of Kensington, ', Forever Knight, Street Legal, Doc, Bizarre and Strange Paradise. Nonnie was a favorite on the children's television series, Polka Dot Door. She played Diana Barry in the first televised production of Anne of Green Gables in 1956. She also appeared in several films, including The Believers, The Abduction, Good Fences, A Husband, a Wife and a Lover and If You Could See What I Hear. Nonnie wrote the play Sister Annunciata’s Secret, in which she played six different characters. The play appeared at the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and later at the Hamilton Fringe Festival. Nonnie's one woman play, Marilyn-After, which imagines Marilyn Monroecoming back to life fifty years after her untimely death, played the SpringWorks Festival in Stratford, Ontario in 2014. The show also played at Toronto's Buddies In Bad Times Theatre in 2014 and was performed in Hamilton, Ontario in January, 2015. Nonnie continued to tour the show throughout 2015 with Baby Gumm Productions, winning Best International Show at the 2015 United Solo Theatre Festival in New York City.
Death
Griffin, 85, died from a ruptured aortic aneurysm. She was in rehearsals for a new solo show about Margaret Mitchell that would have been performed within days of her death.
