Biography
Who is Meg Tilly?
Early Life and Background
Meg Tilly was born Margaret Elizabeth Chan on February 14, 1960, in Long Beach, United States. Her father, Harry Chan, was Chinese-American, and her mother, Patricia Ann Tilly, was a Canadian teacher of Irish and Finnish heritage. Meg is the younger sister of actress Jennifer Tilly.
After her parents divorced when she was three years old, Meg was raised by her mother and stepfather, John Ward, on Texada Island in British Columbia, Canada. She attended Esquimalt High School in British Columbia and Chief Sealth International High School in Seattle, Washington. Meg began taking dance lessons at the age of 12 and later developed into a talented ballerina.
Acting Career
Meg Tilly shifted to acting after her dance career ended. She studied acting under Peggy Feury in Los Angeles. Her television debut was in the 1982 drama The Trouble with Grandpa. She then had her first starring role in the 1982 adventure film Tex, alongside Matt Dillon.
In 1983, Meg appeared in Psycho II and Lawrence Kasdan's ensemble film The Big Chill. Her breakthrough came in 1985 when she starred in Norman Jewison's Agnes of God. For her role in this film, she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and was nominated for an Academy Award. Other well-known film roles include Masquerade in 1988 and Valmont in 1989. She also appeared in the 1993 horror film Body Snatchers before taking a break from acting for 15 years.
Author and Published Works
Beyond acting, Meg Tilly is also a productive writer, having authored multiple novels. Her first novel, Singing Songs, was published in 1994. In 2006, her second novel, Gemma, was released, followed by Porcupine in 2007. Porcupine was a finalist for the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize.
She continued her writing career with First Time, published in 2008, and A Taste of Heaven, which came out in 2013. A Taste of Heaven was shortlisted for the 2014 Libris Young Reader Book of the Year and won the 2014/2015 Chocolate Lilly Award. Her sixth novel, Behind the Scenes, was published in 2014.
Family and Personal Life
Meg Tilly married American film producer Tim Zinnemann in 1983. They had two children, Emily and David, before their marriage ended in divorce in 1989. From 1989, she was in a five-year relationship with English actor Colin Firth, with whom she had one son, William Joseph.
In 1995, Meg married American film studio executive and producer John Calley. They later divorced in 2002. She married author Don Calame in 2002. Since 1999, Meg has lived in the Gulf Islands, British Columbia.
Birthday and age
Meg Tilly was born on February 14, 1960, which makes Meg 66 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aquarius sign. Meg shares the date with 67 other famous people.
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