Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood

Born: November 18, 1939
in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Born in Ottawa and raised in Toronto, Margaret Atwood graduated from the University of Toronto’s Victoria College in 1961 and pursued a master's at Harvard in 1963. Her teaching stint at the University of British Columbia marked her start, but it was her poetry collection, "The Circle Game," in 1964 that brought her initial literary acclaim.

Her debut novel, "The Edible Woman" (1969), resonated with early feminist movements, followed by "Surfacing" in 1972, a Canadian literature mainstay. The '70s saw her prolific output: six poetry volumes, three short-story collections, and bestsellers like "Lady Oracle," "Life Before Man," and "Bodily Harm." In 1985, "The Handmaid's Tale" propelled her to global fame, showcasing her futuristic, dystopian storytelling. Subsequent novels like "Cat's Eye," "The Robber Bride," and "Alias Grace" solidified her international acclaim.

Her impact extends beyond literature; as the first novelist and poet on Canada’s Walk of Fame, Atwood embodies Canadian humility, stating, "We don’t put up with people who get too high and mighty." Her work continues to resonate, cementing her status as a treasured Canadian storyteller.

Movies for Margaret Atwood...

Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble
Title: Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble
Character: Self
Released: April 26, 2020
Type: Movie
Join iconic Canadian artists, activists, actors, and athletes as they share their stories of hope and inspiration in this national salute to our frontline workers and in support of Food Banks Canada’s COVID-19 relief efforts.
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Title: BookTube
Character: Self
Released: December 19, 2019
Type: TV
Personalities in YouTube's literary space join renowned authors like Margaret Atwood and Malcolm Gladwell in a conversation about books.
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Margaret Atwood: A Word After a Word After a Word Is Power
Title: Margaret Atwood: A Word After a Word After a Word Is Power
Character: Self - Writer
Released: November 7, 2019
Type: Movie
The views and thoughts of Canadian writer Margaret Atwood have never been more relevant than today. Readers turn to her work for answers as they confront the rise of authoritarian leaders, deal with increasingly intrusive technologies, and discuss climate change. Her books are useful as survival tools for hard times. But few know her private life. Who is the woman behind the stories? How does she always seem to know what is coming?
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Angela Carter: Of Wolves & Women
Title: Angela Carter: Of Wolves & Women
Character: Herself - Contributor
Released: August 4, 2018
Type: Movie
A dark and delicious foray into Angela Carter's extraordinary life with animation by Peepshow Collective, rare archive and family photos, and contributions from Angela's friends, family, students and admirers.
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Title: Firing Line with Margaret Hoover
Released: June 22, 2018
Type: TV
Join author, activist and commentator Margaret Hoover for a public affairs talk show that delivers a civil and engaging contest of ideas among the brightest minds and voices from across the ideological spectrum.
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Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin
Title: Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin
Character: Self - Writer
Released: June 11, 2018
Type: Movie
The extraordinary life story of science fiction and fantasy writer Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) who, in spite of remaining for many years on the sidelines of the mainstream literature, managed to be recognized as one of the most remarkable US writers of all time, due to the relevance of her work and her commitment to the human condition.
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Margaret Atwood: You Have Been Warned
Title: Margaret Atwood: You Have Been Warned
Character: Self
Released: August 28, 2017
Type: Movie
For decades, Margaret Atwood has been universally acclaimed as Canada's greatest living writer. Fearlessly outspoken in life and in her work, Atwood has always been an unrelenting provocateur. Now at the age of 77, her star shines brighter and bolder than ever with an explosive television adaptation of her best-known work The Handmaid's Tale, which was first published in 1985. It is a dystopian work of speculative fiction set in the future, which has drawn comparison with aspects of Donald Trump's leadership, in particular the charges of misogyny which have inflamed anti-Trump campaigners across America. Alan Yentob meets Margaret Atwood in Toronto and discovers how a childhood spent between the Canadian wilderness and the city helped shape her vision of herself and the world, set alight her imagination and set her forth on a path to literary success.
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Title: Wandering Wenda
Released: January 1, 2017
Type: TV
The fantastic adventures of a plucky literary girl and her friends.
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Al Purdy Was Here
Title: Al Purdy Was Here
Released: October 9, 2015
Type: Movie
The story of Canada's leading poet and the A-Frame cabin he built. Now Canada's leading musicians and artists come together to tell the tale of Al Purdy.
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Frankenstein and the Vampyre: A Dark and Stormy Night
Title: Frankenstein and the Vampyre: A Dark and Stormy Night
Character: Self
Released: November 1, 2014
Type: Movie
A drama-documentary telling the story of the celebrated gathering in Geneva, 1816 which led to the creation of both Frankenstein and the first modern vampire story.
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Title: Trailblazer Honors
Character: Honoree (archive footage)
Released: June 27, 2014
Type: TV
One-hour annual event that celebrates leaders at the forefront of LGBTQ equality.
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Title: Late Night with Seth Meyers
Character: Self
Released: February 25, 2014
Type: TV
Seth Meyers, who is "Saturday Night Live’s" longest serving anchor on the show’s wildly popular "Weekend Update," takes over as host of NBC’s "Late Night" — home to A-list celebrity guests, memorable comedy and the best in musical talent. As the Emmy Award-winning head writer for "SNL," Meyers has established a reputation for sharp wit and perfectly timed comedy, and has gained fame for his spot-on jokes and satire. Meyers takes his departure from "SNL" to his new post at "Late Night," as Jimmy Fallon moves to "The Tonight Show".
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In the Wake of the Flood
Title: In the Wake of the Flood
Character: Margaret Atwood
Released: August 2, 2010
Type: Movie
On the eve of her 70th birthday, Canadian writer Margaret Atwood set out on an international tour criss-crossing the British Isles and North America to celebrate the publication of her new dystopian novel, The Year of the Flood. Rather than mount a traditional tour to promote a book's publication, Atwood conceived and executed something far more ambitious and revelatory--a theatrical version of her novel. Along the way she reinvented what a book tour could (and maybe should) be. But Atwood wasn't selling books as much as advocating an idea: how humanity must respond to the consequences of an environmentally compromised planet before her work of speculative fiction transforms into prophesy.
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Yesno
Title: Yesno
Character: (voice)
Released: January 1, 2010
Type: Movie
Based on a book of poetry by Dennis Lee, YESNO is a playful view of a planet on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Humphrey Bogart meets Werner Herzog in the heart of darkness. Leonard Cohen, Michael Ondaatje and Margaret Atwood voice Lee's poetry over flood of images that mix live action and animation, calligraphy and DNA.
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Reading Alistair MacLeod
Title: Reading Alistair MacLeod
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 2005
Type: Movie
This feature doc profiles acclaimed writer Alistair MacLeod. Hailed internationally as a master of the short story, MacLeod also wrote a novel, No Great Mischief, which was celebrated around the world. Depicting men and women living out their lives against the haunting landscape that surrounds them, most of MacLeod's work is firmly based in Cape Breton even if his characters stray elsewhere. Focusing on the complexities and abiding mysteries at the heart of human relationships, MacLeod maps the close bonds and impassable chasms that lie between people and invokes memory and myth to celebrate the continuity of the generations. This film portrait explores the life and work of this giant of literature.
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Title: Tout le monde en parle
Character: Self
Released: September 12, 2004
Type: TV
Host Guy A. Lepage brings together six to eight personalities from different milieus—sports, politics, stage productions and more—that are the subject of everyone’s conversations and/or are important figures in recent events. Participants are invited to speak freely, voicing their opinions on headline news or on a subject that is near and dear to them. 
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Title: imagine…
Character: Self
Released: June 11, 2003
Type: TV
The biggest names from the world of art, film, music, literature and dance. Alan Yentob gets close up with those shaping today's cultural world.
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Shadow Maker: Gwendolyn MacEwen, Poet
Title: Shadow Maker: Gwendolyn MacEwen, Poet
Character: Herself
Released: May 5, 1999
Type: Movie
"Michael Ondaatje called Gwendolyn MacEwen 'the last of the bardic poets'. In the early 60s, she astonished the nascent beat scene at Toronto's Bohemian Embassy with her exotic looks and her accomplished writing style. During her lifetime MacEwen travelled to Greece and Egpyt, married twice, wrote novels, translated Greek verse, took lovers and wrote radio scripts. Above all, she wrote luminous poetry, some of which is sensitively visualized in this thoughtful, pensive work which features insights from Margaret Atwood, Judith Merrill and Rosemary Sullivan." -- Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
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Title: The View
Character: Self
Released: August 11, 1997
Type: TV
ABC Daytime's morning chatfest, currently featuring Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Meghan McCain, and Abby Huntsman, discussing the most exciting events of the day. Hot topics in the news, the best experts in their field, celebrity interviews and general entertainment are all part of The View.
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Margaret Atwood: Once in August
Title: Margaret Atwood: Once in August
Character: Herself
Released: January 1, 1984
Type: Movie
In Margaret Atwood: Once in August, filmmaker Michael Rubbo attempts to discover what shapes the celebrated writer's fiction and what motivates her characters. As one of Canada's most distinguished poets and novelists, Atwood is also one of this country's most elusive literary figures.