Stevie Vallance: Producer, Director, Actor, Singer
(Updated March 24, 2011)
BEGINNINGS/ACTING:
By the time Montreal-born, Toronto-raised Stevie (Louise) Vallance was twelve,
she had performed her way across eastern Canada with the Charlottetown Festival’s
musical Jane Eyre (directed by Alan Lund). As a young teenager she was cast as
leading roles in Canadian television shows including King of Kensington and
A Bird In the House (directed by Allan King). After graduating from the American
Academy of Dramatic Arts, in New York, she was fronting a band, in Los Angeles,
when CBS/Lorimar executive David Jacobs heard her and offered her the recurring
role of recording artist ‘Sylvie’, on the long-running series Knots Landing. Her next
‘landing’ was the regular role of ‘Jenny Ballinger’, on The Ropers, with veterans
Norman Fell, Audrey Lindley and Jeffrey Tambor.
Over the following decade and a half, in Los Angeles, Stevie played leading roles
in numerous television shows and feature films. She guest-starred with Peter Scolari
on Bosom Buddies, with Ed Asner on Lou Grant, and with Kevin Spacey on LA Law.
On Road to Avonlea, co-lead Christopher Reeve whisked her away on a horse.
In the action-adventure feature Robbers of the Sacred Mountain, Stevie co-starred
with Simon MacCorkindale and John Marley. In Slam Dunk Ernest she played
‘Erma Terradiddle’, Jim Varney’s girlfriend; and in Three Men & a Baby, she was
‘Sally’, Steve Guttenberg’s love interest.
In the '80s’, Vallance commuted frequently between LA and Toronto. Many will
remember her as series regular 'Det. Stevie Brody', on the late-night CBS series
Night Heat, however, few knew that at the same time she was chasing down
criminals in Toronto, she was also playing a very different sort of character in
Los Angeles -- a pink marsupial named 'Whazzat Kangaroo', on the Hallmark
series Zoobilee Zoo, co-starring Ben Vereen. "On the set I would sometimes
joke about pulling a Colt 45 out of my pouch!”
ANIMATION:
Working increasingly in the animation voice-over field, Stevie became known
as the ‘Cartoon Queen’ for her prolific work infusing life and personality into
characters on hundreds of productions, including ‘Mouse’ and ‘Rocky Raccoon’
on Reboot, ‘Spydra’ on Inspector Gadget, multiple roles on Don Bluthe’s
animated feature, Thumbelina (musical direction by Barry Manilow), ‘Share Bear’
on the Care Bear movies, ‘Dixie’ on Donkey Kong Country, 'Natsuko Fuji'
on Inuyasha, 'Sonia' on Sonic the Hedgehog, 'Party' on The Popples, 'G.L.A.D.I.S.'
on Totally Spies, 'Gnat' on Growing Up Creepie, and 'Tigrerra' on Bakugan.
Stevie received a 2001-2002 EMMY AWARD for casting and voice-directing the
dialogue and vocals for the beloved Disney classic, MADELINE (70+ episodes,
2 CDs & title song), on which she also portrayed 'Miss Clavel', the nun and
'Genevive', the dog.
Between 2003 and 2006 Vallance cast and voice-directed Teletoon series
Silverwing and Totally Spies. In 2007, she voice-produced Emmy-nominated
Growing Up Creepie, for Discovery Kids. In 2008, she served as Voice Director
for Teletoon's hit show, Best Ed. In 2009, while in LA, she cast and voice-directed
the animated feature film Young Dr. Dolittle, starring Tom Kenney (voice of
Sponge Bob Square Pants). Then she flew back to Toronto to cast and
voice-direct Celebutard Nation, which premiered on Teletoon's Detour series.
In 2011, Stevie is stepping up as ‘co-producer’ by organizing and voice-directing
a 52-episode, Nickelodeon series; executive produced by Bill Schultz
(executive producer, The Simpsons).
TEACHING:
Over the years, Vallance has also become one of North America’s most
sought-after cartoon voice-over coaches. Since 1995, she has launched
numerous voice-over careers through her transformative Tooned In! Animation
Acting Workshops. In the fall of 2010, at New York’s giant Comic Con, 400
Animé and Animation fans participated in her high-energy seminar. Then she
was again invited by the Ottawa International Animation Festival to teach 200
Animators ‘HOW TO DO CARTOON VOICES’, in their own shows.
For more info on upcoming workshops in your area, go to www.toonedin.ca
MUSIC:
Stevie’s vocal talents and lifelong interest in music, particularly ‘Jazz’, has led
to her alternate career as a Singer. While living on British Columbia’s Bowen
Island in the mid-90s she met Michael Creber (musical director, k.d. Lang) and
in 1998 they recorded Stevie's debut jazz CD, 'Practically Naked', reviewed by
one critic as "an unforgettable piece of music history, sung with a warmth and
grace that sends shivers down the spine."
On her second CD, 'Always’, inspiration came from Stevie's theatrical portrayal
of the legendary country singer Patsy Cline, with whom Vallance coincidentally
shares the same birthday. The ‘2-person’ musical production toured western
Canada and opened for the Calgary Stampede, in 1999.
Motivated by the loss of a close personal friend, Stevie organized two critically
acclaimed Jazz benefit concerts. In 2001 & 2002, 'Divas For Life' packed
Vancouver’s 1250-seat Vogue Theatre and raised $70,000 for people living
with a life-threatening illness. As a result, she was awarded the ‘Friends for Life
Philanthropy Award’. Then, with media sponsors such as Bravo on board, she
negotiated a national distribution deal with Fusion Records for the CD,
‘Divas For Life: Live At The Vogue’, which was featured on CBC Radio's Hot Air
and was released as part of the 2002 Vancouver International Jazz Festival line-up.
Stevie's fourth Jazz CD, ‘Make My Night’, was released in 2008. Arranged by
Pat Coleman (guitar) and mastered by Don Thompson, the CD offers original
interpretations of jazz standards as well as original songs by Stevie. Paul Grant,
Host of CBC Radio's Hot Air, said "Vallance's voice sounds fabulous... mature,
well-recorded, comfortable, sexy… "
In 2008 & 2009, the Stevie Vallance Trio headlined at the Medicine Hat Jazz
Festival, Alberta. She also fronted the Charlie Bell Trio in the Thornbury and
Kincardine Jazz Festivals, Ontario. For a year she hosted and co-programmed
her own radio show, 'Jazz & Blues on the Beach with Stevie Vallance’,
presented by Bayshore Broadcasting. During this year she was the featured
singer alongside Ernie Duff, with The Stardust (17-piece, ‘Jazz’) Big Band.
In the fall of ’09 Stevie executive-produced ‘Jazz InClined’ at the Bruce County’s
museum, in Southampton, Ontario. The concert, comprised of Patsy Cline
songs done with a ‘jazzy’ twist, was a huge hit. At the same venue, in 2010,
'Stevie Vallance & the Masters of Jazz’ presented seven live-recorded concerts
of various world-class jazz players such as Dave Young, Kieran Overs,
Brian Dickinson, Ted Warren and Ted Quinlan.
In April, 2010, Stevie performed with renowned Canadian composer and friend
David Warrack in the debut of ‘3 Davids’ – an original Cabaret-jazz style revue
featuring tunes by Frishberg, Shire and Warrack – all Davids!
*****
"Songs are lucky when Stevie Vallance sings them."
~ Ross Porter, President and CEO of JazzFM, Toronto.
"Intimate, vulnerable yet full of passion; able to caress a word, shape
a phrase so that it comes alive. This is an evening with the voice of
Stevie Vallance." ~ Medicine Hat Jazz Festival
"Stevie Vallance, here's a vocalist with something to say
and a sensational way of saying it!"
~ Jurgen Gothe, CBC Radio Host of Disc Drive.
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