Stevie Vallance: Director, Actor, Singer

(Updated Aug 21, 2023)

Current

Emmy Award-winning Director Stevie Vallance is currently producing her first musical that she created from an original concept about the night Guy Lombardo came to Southampton, Ontario, in 1935. It premieres on September 14, 2023 at the Town Hall in Southampton, Ontario.

The Night Guy Came to Town
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Career Beginnings

Stevie Vallance is a Canadian-American Actor, Singer and Voice Director. By the time Montreal-born, Toronto-raised, Stevie Louise Vallance was 12 years old, she had performed at Toronto's O'Keefe Centre (now the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts) and Ottawa's National Arts Centre, as 'Adele', in the Charlottetown Festival's musical production of Jane Eyre (Alan Lund). As a teen actor she starred in Canadian TV series and movies including King of Kensington, A Bird In the House (Allan King) and The Wonder of It All (Norman Campbell).

Watch a 4-minute CBC documentary on Stevie's careers as an Actor, Singer and Voice Director
http://youtu.be/Ao_oBmt3LHs

Acting

Stevie as Detective Stevie Brody in Night Heat

After attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, in New York City, Vallance moved to Los Angeles where CBS/Lorimar executive David Jacobs offered her the role of recording artist, 'Sylvie', on Knot's Landing. Stevie worked alongside Joan Van Ark and Michelle Lee for the first two seasons of the pop-culture nighttime ‘soap’.

In 1980, Stevie joined the cast of The Ropers (ABC), as ‘Jenny Ballinger’ but the 3-camera sit-com, starring Norman Fell, Audra Lindley and Jeffrey Tambor, was cancelled after the second season.

Over the next decade and a half, Vallance was cast in numerous U.S. and Canadian television series and continuously flew back and forth between the two countries. She played opposite Peter Scolari on BOSOM BUDDIES, Ed Asner on LOU GRANT, and Kevin Spacey on LA LAW. At the same time Stevie was chasing down criminals in Toronto, as regular role 'Detective Stevie Brody', on the late-night CBS series Night Heat, she was also playing a very different sort of character in LA... a pink marsupial named 'Whazzat Kangaroo', on the 1987 Emmy Award-winning Hallmark series, Zoobilee Zoo, co-starring Ben Vereen. The Director of Zoobilee Zoo, Dennis Rosenblatt then invited Stevie to play "Princess Summer-Fall-Winter-Spring" in Howdy's 40th Anniversary in 1990 and Stevie got to sing to Howdy in this tv-special featuring Buffalo Bob Smith, Milton Berle, John Ritter, Monty Hall, Paul Reubens, Dick Clark, and Johnny Carson.

At the same time Stevie was chasing down criminals in Toronto, as 'Detective Stevie Brody', on the late-night CBS series Night Heat, few knew that, in LA, she was also playing a very different sort of character -- a pink marsupial named 'Whazzat Kangaroo' -- on the 1987 Emmy Award-winning Hallmark series, Zoobilee Zoo, co-starring Ben Vereen.

Stevie opposite Christopher Reeve in Road to Avonlea

Stevie commuted between LA and Toronto in numerous Canadian/US co-productions including Poltergeist: The Legacy, The Outer Limits, F/X: The Series, Cobra, First Wave, Dracula: The Series, Forever Knight, and Road to Avonlea, where she played ‘Amanda’, Christopher Reeve’s love interest.

On the theatre front, Stevie toured Western Canada as ‘Patsy Cline’ in a two-person musical, “Just a Closer Walk with Patsy Cline’. Stevie’s second CD, 'Always (A Salute to Patsy Cline)', was recorded after she kicked off the opening ceremonies of the 1999 Calgary Stampede. Coincidently, Stevie shares the same birthday, of September 8th, with the legendary country singer.

Jim Varney and Stevie in Slam Dunk Ernest

On the feature front, Vallance starred as ‘Tracy Falcon’ in the ‘Indiana Jones’ movie Robbers of the Sacred Mountain, opposite Simon MacCorkindale and John Marley. In Three Men & a Baby, Stevie played 'Sally', Steve Guttenberg's love interest. In Slam Dunk Ernest (Jim Varney) she played 'Erma Terradiddle', Vern’s ‘nerdy turned vampy’ girlfriend.

See Stevie's On-camera Acting RESUME.

Animation Voice-over Acting

Stevie first became known as the 'Cartoon Queen' for her prolific work infusing life and personality into characters on hundreds of animation shows, including 'Mouse' on Reboot, 'Share Bear' on the Care Bear movies, 'Dixie' on Donkey Kong Country, ‘Jinenji's mother’ on Inuyasha, 'Sonia' on Sonic the Hedgehog, 'Party' on The Popples, 'G.L.A.D.I.S.' on Totally Spies, ‘Miss Clavel’ and ‘Genevive’ on Madeline, 'Gnat' on Growing Up Creepie, and 'Tigrerra' on Bakugan.

Her first cartoon voice-over acting break was on Inspector Gadget -- thanks to Marsha Goodman, who put Vallance in front of a mic, sandwiched between Don Adams and June Foray. Later in her career Stevie was cast in 70 episodes of the show's spin-off, Gadget Boy. She played the wicked 'Spydra', a Medusa-type character who had to put up with a wisecracking parrot named Boris, voiced by Maurice LaMarche.

While based in LA, Stevie also played a very different sort of character, on the Hallmark children’s TV series, Zoobilee Zoo. Wearing facial prosthetics and a pink faux-fur costume, Stevie created the role of a dancing, pink marsupial named 'Whazzat Kangaroo'. Whazzat loved to sing and play music on the instruments she pulled out of her costume’s ‘magical’ pouch. Alongside six other Zoobles, one of whom just happened to be Ben Vereen, the Zoobles were half human and half animal. The 65 episodes were co-produced by Steve Binder (Pee Wee’s Playhouse), and went on to win an Emmy in 1987.

Vallance also got to voice multiple roles alongside Carol Channing, Charo and John Hurt (to name a few), on two Don Bluth animated features, Thumbelina and The Pebble and the Penguin, which also starred Martin Short, Annie Golden, Tim Curry and Jim Belushi. See Stevie's Animation Voice-over Acting RESUME.

Voice Direction

Stevie received an EMMY AWARD on her very first show as a Voice Director back in 2002. She helped directed the dialogue and vocals on 70 episodes of the animated children's classic MADELINE, on which she also portrayed the voices of 'Miss Clavel', the nun, and 'Genevive', the dog. "Your contributions as a voice talent and singer would be more than sufficient to earn praise, but your gifts as a voice director and music coach are exceptional... The critical success of our show is due in no small part to your considerable efforts." ~ Stan Phillips, Executive Producer, Madeline, DIC Enterprises

Between 2003 and 2006 Vallance went on to cast and voice-direct Teletoon’s SILVERWING and TOTALLY SPIES. In 2007, Bill Schultz asked Stevie to coordinate her first co-production between U.S. and Canada, and so she cast and voice-produced GROWING UP CREEPIE (Discovery Kids/Mike Young Productions), out of Toronto, and in 2008 the series, about teenager-insects, was nominated for an Emmy. Stevie then served as Voice Director for 52-eps of 9-Story's hit show, BEST ED, staring Sean Cullen and Patrick McKenna, as the hysterical dog and squirrel duo.

Back in LA, in 2009, she cast and voice-directed an animated feature film YOUNG DR. DOLITTLE, starring Tom Kenney (voice of Sponge Bob Square Pants). Then Stevie flew back to Toronto to cast and voice-direct CELEBUTARD NATION, which premiered, in 2010, on Teletoon's Detour series.

From 2011 to 2013, Stevie headed casting and voice-direction for executive producer Bill Schultz (Home Plate Ent.) on GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU (Disney Jr.); and seasons 1 & 2 of WILD GRINDERS (Nicktoons), starring athlete Rob Dyrdek (Fantasy Factory, Ridiculousness). In 2017, Stevie directed the voice-talent on the first 2 seasons of Nelvana/Corus/Nickelodeon's female super-hero animated series, THE MYSTICONS."

In 2018-19 Stevie then voice-directed 26 episodes of the stop-motion musical animated series, Norman Picklestripes, for Universal Kids which was nominated for an Emmy.

Teaching

Stevie is North America's most sought-after Teacher of ‘Animation Acting’. She is a 'production force' who knows both sides of the voice-over world better than anyone else! For 25 years, Vallance has infused life and personality into characters on thousands of animated productions. Now a 3-time Emmy nominee and 1-time Emmy Award recipient (Madeline/Disney), her casting and directing experience have lead her to developing her brand name 'Tooned In! Workshops'. Teaching since 1995, Steve has launched many of her student's careers with her techniques and tips on ‘animation voice-over acting’. One third of Steve’s Tooned In! grads from LA, Chicago, New York, Vancouver, Ottawa, Orlando, Atlanta and Toronto have gone on to land agents and regular roles on cartoon series. Read student feedback from over 800 grads who have studied Animation Voice-over Acting with Stevie. In 2009 & 2010 Steve taught 400 Animators, at Ottawa’s International Animation Festival, ‘How to voice their own cartoon characters, in their own shows’.  In the fall of 2010, at New York’s giant Comic Con, 400 Anime and Animation fans participated in Steve’s high-energy ‘one-person panel’ seminar. Here are Stevie's '5 Golden Rules' on Animation Voice-over Acting https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoZK70803DuG2qdR2URrHVIh759XVhN8o

Music

Singing has always been a parallel and interwoven part of Stevie Vallance’s rich tapestry. She has produced 4 CDs – three jazz and one country -- on her independent label, H'art Records. Here's a music video of DOODLIN, from her debut Jazz CD, 'Practically Naked', which was recorded in 1998 with Michael Creber (k.d. Lang). One critic described it as "an unforgettable piece of music history, sung with a warmth and grace that sends shivers down the spine."
 

Stevie as Patsy Cline - Calgary Stampede

Her second CD, 'Always (A Salute to Patsy Cline)', followed several years of touring Western Canada in a two-person musical “Just a Closer Walk with Patsy Cline, in which she portrayed the legendary country singer. As Patsy, she also kicked off the opening ceremonies of the 1999 Calgary Stampede.
Motivated by the loss of a close personal friend, Vallance organized two critically acclaimed concerts, ‘Divas for Life’ and ‘Divas for Love’. In 2001 & 2002, the Jazz benefit concerts sold out Vancouver’s Vogue Theatre and raised $70,000 for people living with a life-threatening illness. As a result, Stevie was awarded the city’s 'Friends for Life Philanthropy Award'. With media sponsors such as Bravo on board, she negotiated a national distribution deal with Fusion Records for the CD, 'Divas For Life: Live At The Vogue'. It was featured on CBC Radio’s Hot Air and was released as part of the 2002 Vancouver International Jazz Festival line-up. www.stevievallance.com/divasforlife

Vallance's fourth Jazz CD, 'Make My Night', was released in 2008. It features original interpretations of jazz standards, as well as original songs by Stevie. Paul Grant said "Vallance's voice sounds fabulous ... mature, well-recorded, comfortable, sexy.”
 

"Songs are lucky when Stevie Vallance sings them." ~ Ross Porter, President and CEO of JazzFM, Toronto

"Intimate, vulnerable yet full of passion; able to caress a word, shape a phrase so that it comes alive. This is an evening with the voice of Stevie Vallance." ~ Medicine Hat Jazz Festival

Stevie performing with David Warrack in 'Three Davids'

"Stevie Vallance, here's a vocalist with something to say and a sensational way of saying it!" ~ Jurgen Gothe, Host of CBC Radio’s Disc Drive

For one year, on The Beach Radio station, in Port Elgin, Ontario, Stevie hosted her own Sunday night radio program, ‘Jazz and Blues on the Beach'. In 2008 - 2009, she was lead vocalist for The Stardust Big Band and also performed at regional jazz festivals in Ontario and Alberta. In 2009-2010 she produced and performed in a ‘Masters of Jazz’ concert series of seven, live-recorded performances with world-class musicians such as Dave Young (Oscar Peterson's bassist).

Stevie released a new cabaret-jazz CD with long-time friend David Warrack, on an original show 'THREE DAVIDS', featuring music composed by David Warrack, David Frishberg and David Shire. See Stevie's CDs.

Stevie is currently producing her first musical that she created based on the night Guy Lombardo came to Southampton, Ontario in 1935. It premieres on September 14, 2023 at the Town Hall in Southampton, Ontario. For more information on "The Night Guy Came To Town", click here.