Marguerite Knisely McNeil

Much loved Canadian actor Marguerite Alice MacDougall Knisely McNeil has taken her final curtain call. Dee Dee passed away on Saturday, November 6, just after 8 pm at Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Halifax, NS. Her sister, Sister of Charity, Deanna MacDougall, and long-time friends Carroll Godsman, and Sister Vivian Mancini were by her side as she passed.

She was the third child and the second daughter of seven children, six girls and one boy. Her parents provided a household filled with music and love of literature and the arts. Marguerite and her older sister, Carol, planned very early to become actresses. They moved from Glace Bay to New York City as soon as they both graduated from high school. In NY, they studied with Madam Soloviova, (former member of the Moscow Art Theatre). They both met their husbands while studying with her. Marguerite pursued her career for several years in New York, London (UK) and Toronto before returning to Nova Scotia to be closer to her family.

Once arriving back home, she continued to act and teach. She formed the North Wall Theatre in Glace Bay. Here she mentored and formed lasting friendships with several of her students who went on to substantial careers themselves. Over the course of more than three decades she appeared with most Atlantic theatre companies, including Neptune Theatre’s productions of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and “The Weekend Healer.” She collaborated with Bryden MacDonald on her one-woman show “An Island Woman” and she also contributed to the creation of two iterations of the hilarious “Our Miserable Lives” with MacDonald, Kathryn MacLellan and Mary Lou Martin. Her film credits include the original “My Bloody Valentine,” “Marion Bridge”, “The Scarlett Letter”, “The Divine Ryan's” and more. More recently, her work in “Rhonda’s Party” won the ACTRA Maritimes’ Award for Outstanding Performance in 2011. However, her wildest fame came while in her 80’s when she was cast as the character “Margarite” in the iconic show “The Trailer Park Boys”. She could barely go out for dinner without someone wanting a photo with her. Aside from her talents as an actor, Marguerite was a gifted pianist, winning several competitions in her teens and was a wicked typist. She was a lover of opera, fine food, fine wine, “Star Trek”, “Doctor Who” and old British movies. Both generous and irascible, she was a Force of Nature who could easily command and entire room for great lengths of time, regaling everyone with stories from her life, peppered with anecdotes about her time in NYC, London, Paris, Toronto and Glace Bay. She knew many colourful (often famous) people. We will miss her terribly.

She is survived by sisters, Sister Deanna MacDougall of Halifax and Laraine Ward of Glace Bay; nieces and nephews, Marguerite Hallett, Lee Hallett, Melvin Hallett, Garth and Clea MacDougall, Jenny Belt (Russell Hubley) and Christopher Belt as well as her first cousins, Don and Barbara Palmer, Sister Anne Veronica, Jackie McNeil and Guy Harris.

Marguerite was predeceased by her parents, Alexander and Marguerite, brother, Arthur MacDougall, her sisters, Carol (Jack Belt), Suzanne (Donald Coffin) and Lorna (Joyce MacDonald).

Cremation has taken place and a private burial will be scheduled at a later date.

A Celebration of her Brilliant Life will take place in early 2022.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in the name of Marguerite McNeil to: The Arthritis Society (arthritis.ca), Friends of CBC (friends.ca) or The Actors Fund (afchelps.ca).