Brenda Kamino

Brenda Kamino is a Canadian actress, teacher, writer, director and painter. She is best known for over forty years of theatre work, numerous screen roles, and for playing Dot Yasuda in the TV series Carter.[1]

Brenda Kamino
Kamino in 2018
Born (1951-11-06) November 6, 1951
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
OccupationActress, teacher, writer, director and painter
Years active1977–present
Spouse(s)Scott Fairweather (m. 1987)
Children1

Early life

Brenda Michiko Kamino was born in Toronto, Ontario. She started acting in a high school production of Antigone, and performed at McMaster University with Martin Short, Eugene Levy and Dave Thomas in Frankenstein, A Rock Musical written by Thomas and his brother Ian Thomas.[2]

Career

Kamino's first professional appearances were in 1977, as an extra in the CBC film Bethune, and in the Toronto Open Circle Theatre's production of The Primary English Class, by Israel Horovitz.[3] The play was so successful in Toronto that it toured other Canadian cities during 1977[3] and 1978.[4]

Other stage plays in which Kamino has performed include Yellow Fever by R. A. Shiomi (1983); Bachelor Man for Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto (1987), in which she played Queenie, an aging prostitute with bound feet; the Dora-nominated Naomi's Road for Young People's Theatre (1992);[5] M Butterfly (1993); Mom, Dad, I'm Living with a White Girl by Marty Chan (1995);[6][7] Rashomon[8] and The Simpleton of the Unexpected Isles at the 1996 Shaw Festival;[9][10] Dreams of Blonde and Blue by M. J. Kang, Theatre Passe Muraille (2002);[11] Suicide Notes (2004);[12] Nisei Blue by Mieko Ouchi (2011);[13] Ching Chong Chinaman by Lauren Yee (2013);[14][15] and Bystanders by David Levine (2015),[16] a solo performance.[17] In an article previewing the 2004 Summerworks called "Artists to Watch", NOW magazine writers Jon Kaplan and Glenn Sumi noted: "Kamino's seen way too infrequently onstage, so her grounded, thoughtful approach to acting should heat up this look at life, language and limits".[18]

She has made many television appearances, including in Lost Girl, Degrassi: The Next Generation, recurring roles in Train 48, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, E.N.G. and Street Legal; children’s shows Fred Penner's Place and Mr. Dressup; and the TV movies Befriend and Betray, Ultra and Hotel Babylon.

Kamino has a recurring role playing Dot Yasuda in the TV series Carter (2018– ).[1][19] Carter was commissioned by Sony Pictures Television for AXN in Spain, Latin America, Brazil, Japan, Central Europe and Russia, and by CTV for Canada. It is distributed by SPT worldwide, excluding Canada. In January 2019, it was announced that Carter was renewed for a second season by WGN in the US and CTV Drama (formerly Bravo) in Canada.[20] Season 2 of Carter premiered September 25, 2019 in Canada on CTV Drama.[21]

Films she has appeared in include I've Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987),[22][23] Zero Patience (1993),[24] and The Glass Castle (2017).[25]

Kamino produces theatre with award-winning playwright, director and actor Andrew Moodie with their company Renaissance Theatre, dedicated to finding scripts that deserve a second chance at life in the Canadian theatre scene.[26]

In 2005, Kamino received the Canadian Actors' Equity Association's Larry McCance Award "for her work on cultural diversity".[27][28] For more than two decades, she did artistic and administrative work in theatre, film and TV, advocating access and equity in the arts.[29] Among the groups she worked with were Canadian Actors' Equity, Theatre Ontario and the Ontario Arts Council.[30]

References
  1. Bahr, Robyn (6 August 2018). "'Carter': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  2. Balch, Erica (30 October 2014). "It's ALIVE! Frankenstein resurrected from Library archives". Daily News (McMaster University). Hamilton, Ontario. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  3. van Vugt, Harry (30 September 1977). "Primary English Class - This Comedy Stings". The Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario. p. 9. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  4. Ashwell, Keith (22 November 1978). "Primary English Class is primarily hilarious". Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alberta. p. D13. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  5. Friedlander, Mira (9 April 1992). "Kamino charts Naomi's Road to family past". Toronto Star. Toronto, Ontario. p. H7.
  6. Nothof, Anne (1999). Ethnicities: Plays from the New West. NeWest Press. p. 95. ISBN 9781896300030. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  7. Chan, Marty (1996). "Mom, Dad, I'm Living with a White Girl". In Ravel, Aviva (ed.). Canadian Mosaic II: 6 Plays, Volume 2. Dundurn. p. 101. ISBN 9780889242746. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  8. Friedlander, Mira (16 September 1996). "Reviews: Rashomon". Variety. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  9. Portman, Jamie (11 July 1996). "Staging of intimidating play succeeds, in part". The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Ontario. p. D9. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  10. Rawson, Christopher (22 September 1996). "Sweet delights - Shaw Festival offers theatrical morsels at Niagara-on-the-lake". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. F3. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  11. Cushman, Robert (28 January 2002). "Death of a Korean restaurateur". National Post. Toronto, Ontario. p. B12. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  12. Sumi, Glenn; Kaplan, Jon (19 August 2004). "SummerWorks wrap-up". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  13. Clark, Bob (16 February 2011). "Ṉisei Blue a haunting look at the past". Calgary Herald. p. D2. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  14. Kaplan, Jon (14 March 2013). "Ching Chong Chinaman Lauren Yee explodes racial stereotypes by underlining clichés and political incorrectness". NOW Toronto. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  15. Nestruck, J. Kelly (15 March 2013). "Ching Chong Chinaman: A clever, funny assault on ethnic-identity confusion you have to see". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ontario. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  16. "David Levine: Bystanders". Gallery TPW. 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  17. Fujino, David (1 October 2012). "A Conversation with Brenda Kamino". Toronto NAJC (National Association of Japanese Canadians). Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  18. Kaplan, Jon; Sumi, Glenn (5 August 2004). "Artists to watch". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  19. Ali, Lorraine (7 August 2018). "Trying his hand at a little detecting". The Los Angeles Times. p. E4. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  20. Lafayette, Jon. "WGN America's 'Carter' Renewed For Second Season". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  21. David, Greg (23 October 2019). "Preview: Carter kicks it up a notch in Season 2". www.tv-eh.com. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  22. Bunke, Joan (18 October 1987). "Joy of life spices flick". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. p. 1F. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  23. "Hubbard to hear 'Mermaids' sing". The Post-Star. Glens Falls, New York. 26 January 1990. p. C6. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  24. Lassen, Christian (2014). Camp Comforts: Reparative Gay Literature in Times of AIDS. transcript Verlag. p. 18. ISBN 9783839418147. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  25. "Brenda Kamino". BFI. British Film Institute. n.d. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  26. Fujino, David (7 August 2015). "She's Got A New Gig!". Toronto NAJC (National Association of Japanese Canadians). Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  27. "Honours Awards 2019–2020" (PDF). Canadian Actors' Equity Association. 29 June 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  28. "Brandon wins equity association award". Star-Phoenix. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. 27 October 2005. p. C4. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  29. Knowles, Ric (2017). Performing the Intercultural City. University of Michigan Press. p. 178. ISBN 9780472053605. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  30. Kaplan, Jon (24 January 2002). "Dreaming in color". NOW Toronto. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
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