Wednesday 10 March 2010

hall of dames #17 - meg tilly



my husband and i watched The Big Chill for the umpteenth time the other day, and i was reminded of how much i adore Meg Tilly. she has a quiet grace and a mysterious depth about her that captivates me. so much so, that i've decided to induct her into the Loose Leaf Tigers Hall of Dames...


Meg was born Margaret E. Chan on Valentines day 1960, in Longbeach, California. after her parents' divorce in 1963, she was raised by her mother, Patricia Tilly, and stepfather, on rural Texada Island in British Columbia, Canada. Tilly studied ballet as a teen and made her film debut as a dancer in Fame (1980). a serious back injury prevented Meg from continuing her dancing career, and so she decided to become an actress.



Tilly appeared in some of my favourite films -among them The Big Chill (1983), Agnes of God (1985)(for which she won a golden globe and was nominated for an oscar) and Leaving Normal (1992)- but retired from acting in 1995 to to devote herself to writing and raising a family.


Meg has three children, two with her first husband, and one with actor Colin Firth, with whom she had a five year relationship. Meg and Colin met while filming Valmont in 1989. Tilley's second husband was 30 years her senior, and a former president of Sony Pictures. the couple were married in 1995 and divorced in 2002. now remarried and living in British Columbia, Meg has written four novels - Singing Songs, Gemma, Porcupine and First Time. you can find out more about these books, as well as read Meg's blog at her official website.

1 comment:

anne said...

i LOVE the big chill! every time i hear "ain't too proud to beg" i think of the dish washing scene :D actually, the whole soundtrack is amazing. i told my husband that at my funeral, i want "you can't always get what you want" played. hahaha and i agree with you about meg tilly, there is something different about her. she deserves to be in your hall of dames.