Rebecca Jenkins

Rebecca Jenkins

 Rebecca Jenkins, actor, singer (b at Innisfail, Alta 19 April 1959). Rebecca Jenkins studied theatre and dance at the UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO (1981-82) before attending the Vancouver Playhouse Acting School in the mid-1980s. Blessed with a strong, soulful voice, Jenkins toured internationally with the Toronto band Parachute Club in 1987 and as Jane SIBERRY's backup vocalist (1986-89).

 In 1988, Rebecca Jenkins secured a small part in Anne WHEELER's Cowboys Don't Cry, which generated four Genie Award nominations and a win for best original song. Wheeler cast Jenkins as the lead in her next film, BYE BYE BLUES (1989). Set in Alberta during World War II, Bye Bye Blues stars Jenkins as Daisy Cooper, a woman whose husband is taken prisoner during the Japanese invasion of Singapore. She is soon singing with a Prairie swing band to help support her household, and her loyalties become seriously strained when she's drawn to one of the boys in the band. The film is bittersweet and poignant - an unapologetic old-fashioned weepie - and made Rebecca Jenkins a star. It was nominated for 13 Genie Awards and won three, including best actress for Jenkins.

Since then she has appeared in Clearcut (1991), South of Wawa (1991), the American political satire Bob Roberts (1992) with Tim Robbins, Interstate 60 (2002), Deepa MEHTA's The Republic of Love (2004), and The Five People You Meet in Heaven (2005). While in Halifax shooting the Black Harbour series (1996-99), she formed a professional relationship with playwright, actor and director Daniel MacIVOR, appearing in a series of his films: Past Perfect (2002), Marion Bridge (2002; for which she was nominated for a Genie for best actress), Wilby Wonderful (2004), and Whole New Thing (2006). She has also had parts in the films Cole (2008) and Fathers & Sons (2010).

On television, Rebecca Jenkins had starring roles in the series Destiny Ridge (1994-95) and Black Harbour (securing two Gemini Award nominations), and guest appearances include Street Legal, Road to Avonlea, Nero Wolfe, The Associates and The Guard. Her made-for-television movies include her screen debut in Family Reunion (1988; for which she was nominated for a Gemini for best performance by a lead actress in a dramatic program or miniseries), Darrow (1991) with Kevin Spacey, Harvest for the Heart (1994; she received another Gemini nomination), Angels in the Infield (2000), Into the West (2005) and Past Sins (2006). She appeared as Sandra Banks in Bond of Silence (2010), based on a real-life relationship between a forgiving widow and her husband's teenage killer.

As a singer, Rebecca Jenkins is prominently featured on the Bye Bye Blues soundtrack album and performs in a variety of venues. Her husband Joel Bakan, co-writer of THE CORPORATION, accompanied her on the song "Something's Coming," which she composed for and sang in Wilby Wonderful. It was nominated for best song at the 2004 Genie Awards.