Laura Robinson
Robinson, circa 1987
Born
Laura McKinlay Robinson

1957 or 1958 (age 65–66)
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Other namesMcKinlay Robinson
EducationLondon South Collegiate Institute
University of Windsor (BFA, 1980)
Occupation(s)Actress, author, game designer, singer, television producer
Years active1984–present
Known forBalderdash
Night Heat
Veronica Clare
Celebrity Name Game
SpouseMark Ettlinger
Children2
Websitewww.laurarobinson.com

Laura McKinlay Robinson (born 1957/1958) is a Canadian actress, author, game designer, singer, speaker, and television producer. She co-invented multiple board games, beginning with Balderdash (1984), which has sold millions of copies internationally, and was the basis for a television game show (2004–2005).

As an actress, she had a major recurring role on the television series Night Heat (1985–1988), and starred in the television series Veronica Clare (1991), among lesser roles on stage, movies, and television. She co-produced the television game show Celebrity Name Game (2014-2017), which was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show. It was based on Identity Crisis, another board game she co-invented. As a writer, she co-wrote or contributed stories to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series books Count Your Blessings (2009), O Canada (2011), Hooked on Hockey (2012), and Miraculous Messages from Heaven (2013).

Early life

Laura McKinlay Robinson was born on 7 May,[1] in 1957 or 1958 in Kingston, Ontario, and raised in London, Ontario, in a performing family.[2][3] Her mother was Margaret Muriel Robinson, née Mars, one of triplets from Brantford, Ontario, who wrote plays for amateur theatre.[4][5] Her father, Kenneth Ian Robinson, was a sales manager for Hiram Walker and Sons, and played tenor saxophone, leading Toronto area jazz bands including The Sax Family Robinson and the Ian Robinson Trio.[6][7][8] Her brother Chris Robinson also plays the tenor saxophone professionally.[9][10] Laura Robinson started singing with her father's jazz band at the age of 15.[9]

Robinson graduated London South Collegiate Institute high school in 1975,[11] where she studied theatre with Marion Woodman, whom she credits with inspiring her acting career.[1] She went on to the University of Windsor where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dramatic arts.[3] Her early work was as an actress in television commercials, and weekend weather presenter for London, Ontario CFPL-DT television.[5]

Balderdash

Robinson created the board game Balderdash with advertising copywriter Paul Toyne, her boyfriend at the time, in 1984.[12][13] It is a board game version of the parlor game Dictionary, where players compete to guess the correct definition of a word from among false ones. Robinson and Toyne played the parlor game the first time they met, at Toyne's family cottage, and they started work on the board game within a month.[13] The five television commercials that Robinson had running supported the pair while they developed the game over the first eight months.[13] They almost lived in libraries to research the 2,500 words that made it into the first edition.[13] One night they were locked into the University of Toronto library after missing closing time.[14] Her mother Margaret came up with the board game name, which means "nonsense".[15]

Balderdash was one in a series of successful Canadian board games, beginning with Trivial Pursuit from Ontario in 1982, Scruples in 1984 from Manitoba, and Pictionary from Vancouver in 1985.[12] A friend's successful investment in Trivial Pursuit spurred the couple on.[16] They sold the first 5000 copies in Ontario toy stores before expanding throughout Canada with the Canadian Toy Fair in early 1985. The following year, Balderdash became the top selling game in Canada, dethroning Trivial Pursuit.[12] The couple made between $1 and $2 for each copy sold.[13]

By 1987, Robinson and Toyne had split up romantically, but remained business partners.[5] By the following year, over a million copies of the game had been sold in Canada, with another million expected to sell in the United States that year.[5] In 1990, Balderdash's Swedish translation, Rappakalja, won the Årets Spel award for Best Family Game from the Swedish game manufacturers' association.[17]

By 1997, Balderdash was sold in Australia, Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with over 5 million copies sold worldwide.[18] By 2006, it had sold over 10 million copies in 17 countries.[19]

Acting

Robinson as a brunette, to play P'Gell in The Spirit, 1987

Robinson's first major acting role was Detective Christine Meadows, a rare female homicide detective, from 1985 to 1988, on three seasons of Night Heat, an American television series filmed in Toronto.[20][21] Playing Balderdash was among the TV cast and crew's favorite pastimes between takes.[13]

In 1986, Robinson, credited as McKinlay Robinson, her middle name, joined the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) television network Talent Development Program, auditioning in New York City, then moving to Los Angeles.[22] She used this name for a 1987 role as P'Gell Roxton, the main villain in The Spirit, a television film based on the comics character that was meant to be the beginning of a series that never materialized.[23][24] She was under contract to ABC for four years.[25] By 1991, Robinson's earnings from acting had reached as much as she was making from Balderdash royalties.[25]

In 1991, Robinson (back to Laura Robinson) starred as the title role on the Lifetime American cable television network (Lifetime was partly owned by ABC) series Veronica Clare.[9] The series tried to capture the flavor of 1940s Hollywood film noir, and the title character was the owner of a jazz club who moonlighted as a private investigator. Robinson credited her experience playing femmes fatale and her smoky voice with getting the role over several hundred other actresses.[9] Reviewers commented on Robinson's sultry voice, wavy hair, and sex appeal, with one comparing her to Jessica Rabbit as voiced by Kathleen Turner, but criticized her acting.[26][27][28] The show lasted nine episodes.[29]

Roles

Year Title Role Notes
1984 Thrillkill, film Adrian, accomplice Credited as Laura Robinson.
1985-88 Night Heat, television series Detective Christine Meadows[9] Recurring role. Credited as Laura McKinlay Robinson.
1987 The Pink Chiquitas, film Trudy Jones, newscaster Credited as McKinlay Robinson.
1987 The Spirit, pilot episode/television film P'Gell, main villain Intended series based on the comics character.[9] Credited as McKinlay Robinson.[30]
1987 Goofballs, film[31] Sarah Mae Credited as Laura Robinson, from here onwards.
1988 Emerald City, play Helen Davey[32][33]
1988 Switching Channels, film Karen Ludlow, reporter[32]
1989 Friday the 13th: The Series, episode "Face of Evil" Tabitha Robbins, main villain[9]
1989 Cheers, episode "The Stork Brings a Crane" Nurse
1989 Hardball, episode "Which Witch Is Which?" Anareeve[25]
1991 The Flash, episode "Alpha" Col. Powers, villain[9]
1991 Veronica Clare, television series Veronica Clare, main character[9]
1992 Mikey, horror film Grace Kelvin, mother of the main character[9]
1992 Forever Knight, episode "Unreality TV" Tawny Teller, reality TV host
1996 Frasier, episode "High Crane Drifter" Lynette
1998 CHiPs '99, television film Hayley, mechanic[34]
2005 The Perfect Man, film[31] Saleslady
2006 Missing, episode "Double Take"[31]
2015 Portal to Hell!!!, horror short film[35] Jeanie, tenant Won the Directors Guild of Canada award for best short film[36]

Television production and other game design

Robinson holding Ferguson's Daytime Emmy Award for Celebrity Name Game, circa 2016

Robinson and Toyne considered making Balderdash into a television game show as early as 1986.[13] By 1997, she and her husband Mark Ettlinger were actively working on translating it into a television game show,[18] and 1998 they were in near-successful talks with Dan Angel and The Jim Henson Company, but these fell through.[34] The American television game show, also called Balderdash, aired from 2004-2005 on PAX TV, hosted by Elayne Boosler.[37]

While in California to pursue her acting career, Robinson met Rachel Nelson and Elizabeth Bryan, who were both newly divorced and working on books about divorce. The three created a board game, initially called Embracing Divorce, which involved collecting charms representing items like love, hope and giving, that went on a "count your blessings" charm bracelet. The three successfully marketed the resulting "Count Your Blessings" jewelry on QVC cable television, but the board game took longer. In 2009, the makers of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books agreed to publish the revised game, now called Count Your Blessings, in conjunction with the book Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings, which Robinson and Bryan contributed to writing.[38]

In 2006, after returning to Canada from Hollywood, Robinson created the game Identity Crisis (stylized as !dentity Crisis?) with graphic designer Patrick Lightheart and Richard Gerrits, her talent agent.[31][39] It is also based on a parlor game, where teammates try to guess the name of a celebrity based on a limited number of clues.[39]

Robinson and Gerrits served as producers on its American television game show version, Celebrity Name Game, along with Scott St. John and Coquette Productions founded by actors Courteney Cox and David Arquette.[40] The show involved contestants paired with celebrities trying to answer questions about pop culture. It was proposed to CBS in 2011, as Identity Crisis, after the board game which Cox and Arquette played often. The show's host Craig Ferguson, hosted the late night talk show The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on the same network.[41] It ended up premiering in broadcast syndication in September 2014, distributed by Debmar-Mercury and FremantleMedia.[40] Ferguson quit his position on The Late Late Show two months after he started hosting the game show.[42] Making a complete circle from board game to game show and back, Celebrity Name Game also became a board game released by PlayMonster in 2016.[43] Celebrity Name Game ran for three seasons, into 2017, winning Ferguson two consecutive Daytime Emmy Awards as best game show host in 2015 and 2016.[42] In 2017, both the show and Ferguson were nominated for Daytime Emmy Awards.[44] An Australian version of Celebrity Name Game, hosted by Grant Denyer, aired from 2019 to 2020.[45][46]

Katie Kildahl, an assistant on Celebrity Name Game, had invented a ribald dice game about penis size that the show's production crew played. Robinson and Gerrits joined her to submit the game to PlayMonster, which published it as Size Matters in 2017.[47][48]

Writing

In 2009, Robinson and Bryan co-wrote the collection of short inspirational stories Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings with five author/collators, in conjunction with their board game.[38] Robinson also contributed a foreword, and a personal story about returning to Canada from Los Angeles.[49]

She continued to write for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. She contributed a similar story about her return to Canada to Chicken Soup for the Soul: O Canada in 2011,[2] was listed as the only author, besides the series founders, of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Hooked on Hockey in 2012,[50] and contributed the lead story to Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miraculous Messages from Heaven in 2013, about a sign after her mother's death.[51] Her husband Mark and son Jack Ettlinger each contributed a short story to Chicken Soup for the Soul: Hooked on Hockey.[50]

Events

In 2011, Robinson was a speaker at the fifth annual Inspiring Women event in Kitchener, Ontario.[52] In 2014, Robinson was the host of the Chicago Toy & Game Fair game-inspired fashion show.[53][54]

Personal life

After the success of Balderdash, in the late 1980s Robinson moved from Toronto to Hollywood to pursue her acting career.[49] There she met Mark Ettlinger, also an actor, and son of Don Ettlinger, a New York-based writer for film, television and theater.[55][56] They married and had two children before moving back to Canada in the summer of 2003, to give them the kind of childhood that Robinson had in Canada, and to be with Robinson's father before his death.[2][49][57] Their son Jack Ettlinger is also an actor and singer, who competed in Canada's Got Talent in 2012.[58][59] Robinson's father died in 2008, and her mother in 2012.[4][6]

References

  1. 1 2 Wells, Tom (14 May 1988). "Heat wave". Toronto Star. p. S4. ProQuest 435740216.
  2. 1 2 3 Canfield, Jack; Hansen, Mark Victor; Newmark, Amy (1 November 2011). "Coming Home". Chicken Soup for the Soul: O Canada: 101 Heartwarming and Inspiring Stories by and for Canadians. Cos Cob, CT: Chicken Soup for the Soul. pp. 173–176. ISBN 978-1935096757.
  3. 1 2 "New Canadian board game more than just 'Balderdash'". Edmonton Journal. 15 December 1985. p. 32. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Margaret ROBINSON Obituary". Toronto Star. 17 December 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "A blonde airhead? Balderdash!". The Windsor Star. 20 September 1988. ProQuest 253706534.
  6. 1 2 "Kenneth Ian Robinson". A. Millard George Funeral Home. June 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  7. ↑ "Rockstar Death Notices". Maximum Ink. July 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  8. ↑ "Ian ROBINSON - Obituary #497105". Brantford Expositor. 18 June 2008. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Buck, Jerry (14 July 1991). "Robinson Stars as Private Eye 'Veronica Clare'". Tulsa World. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  10. ↑ Wilkins, Glenn (5 June 2018). "From the Big Easy to Swing City". Barrie Today. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  11. ↑ "In Local News..." (PDF). Lions’ Pride. South Collegiate Alumni Association. Fall 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  12. 1 2 3 Shrieves, Linda (14 June 1988). "CANADA -- BIG GAME COUNTRY INVENTORS UP NORTH ARE PLAYING TO WIN". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dunphy, Cathy (13 November 1986). "One couple's winning game". Toronto Star. ProQuest 435515679.
  14. ↑ Hutchison, Bill (23 November 1985). "BOTTOMS UP AND BALDERDASH BET ON OUR PASSION FOR GAMES CHEERS FOR THE BOTTOMS UP GANG". The Kingston Whig-Standard. ProQuest 353395140.
  15. ↑ "Actress Laura Robinson Talks All Things Balderdash And How Gaming Brings Families Together". Celebrity Parents Magazine. No. Volume VII, Issue XI. July 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  16. ↑ Grimes, Dougal (20 October 2014). "Laura Robinson Talks Balderdash, Friends and Celebrities with Dougal G". Chicago Toy & Game Group. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  17. ↑ "Årets Spel". Lekobaby (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  18. 1 2 Casey, Susan (1997). Women invent : two centuries of discoveries that have shaped our world (1st ed.). Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Review Press. pp. 91–93. ISBN 9781556523175.
  19. ↑ Bitti, Mary Teresa (5 March 2007). "She's got game". National Post. p. EN 9. ProQuest 330667570.
  20. ↑ Morrow, Martin (5 July 2019). "Character actor Sean McCann played gruff lieutenant on Night Heat". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  21. ↑ Robinson, Laura. "Actor". LauraRobinson.com. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  22. ↑ Gendel, Morgan (11 January 1986). "ABC'S NEW STARS TRY TO TWINKLE". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  23. ↑ DeCandido, Keith R. A. (9 February 2018). "Making Will Eisner Dizzy in His Grave — Two Terrible Versions of The Spirit". Tor.com. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  24. ↑ Cecchini, Mike (18 December 2017). "The Spirit TV Series That Almost Happened". Den of Geek. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  25. 1 2 3 Buck, Jerry (29 July 1991). "'VERONICA' IS NO MYSTERY TO ACTRESS". Sun-Sentinel. p. 3D. ProQuest 389004595.
  26. ↑ McKerrow, Steve (23 July 1991). "Lifetime begins original prime-time programming with trio of shows". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  27. ↑ Sharbutt, Jay (13 October 2005). "Veronica Clare' needs some more work". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  28. ↑ Roush, Matt (23 July 1991). "Lifetime's tawdry attempt at original shows". USA Today. p. 03D. ProQuest 306440736.
  29. ↑ "'VERONICA CLARE' BEING PULLED FROM LIFETIME". Sun-Sentinel. 1 September 1991. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  30. ↑ Van Horne, Harriet (31 July 1987). "When 'The Spirit' Doesn't Move You". Newsday. p. 07. ProQuest 277921371.
  31. 1 2 3 4 Queen, Lisa (23 October 1998). "Balderdash creator is back in the game". East York Mirror. p. E1. ProQuest 362194956.
  32. 1 2 Cox, Yvonne (29 February 1988). "People". Maclean's. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  33. ↑ Conlogue, Ray (8 January 1988). "EMERALD CITY Chaos and confusion in Emerald City". The Globe and Mail. ProQuest 387162043.
  34. 1 2 Robertson, Gail (23 October 1998). "Not just a game to Windsor grad". Windsor Star. p. E1. ProQuest 253602046.
  35. ↑ Boiselle, Matt (1 September 2015). "Portal To Hell!! (Short, 2015)". Dread Central. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  36. ↑ "2016 Winners & Nominees". Directors Guild of Canada. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  37. ↑ Zivotsky, Ann (1 September 2004). "'Balderdash' goes TV". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  38. 1 2 Canfield, Jack; Hansen, Mark Victor; Newmark, Amy; Robinson, Laura; Bryan, Elizabeth (2009). "From Balderdash to Blessings". Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings : 101 stories of gratitude, fortitude, and silver linings. Cos Cob, CT: Chicken Soup for the Soul. pp. xvii–xx. ISBN 978-1935096429.
  39. 1 2 Gwilt, Alwinne (5 September 2006). "Balderdash creator's new !dea". Toronto Star. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  40. 1 2 Block, Alex Ben (3 December 2013). "'Celebrity Name Game' Clears in 80 Percent of U.S." The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  41. ↑ Rose, Lacey (16 June 2011). "Courteney Cox, David Arquette Sell Game Show Pilot to CBS (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  42. 1 2 Stanhope, Kate (2 December 2016). "'Celebrity Name Game' Canceled After 3 Seasons". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  43. ↑ "Celebrity Name Game rules" (PDF). PlayMonster. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  44. ↑ Aiello, McKenna (30 April 2017). "Daytime Emmy Awards 2017 Winners: The Complete List". E! Online. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  45. ↑ Knox, David (26 April 2018). "Airdate: Celebrity Name Game". TV Tonight. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  46. ↑ Knox, David (2 June 2020). "Axed: Celebrity Name Game". TV Tonight. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  47. ↑ Robinson, Laura. "GAME INVENTOR". LauraRobinson.com. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  48. ↑ Kildahl, Katie; Gerrits, Richard; Robinson, Laura (25 August 2017), Size Matters (Game box), PlayMonster
  49. 1 2 3 Canfield, Jack; Hansen, Mark Victor; Newmark, Amy; Robinson, Laura; Bryan, Elizabeth (3 November 2009). "A Little Bird Told Me". Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings : 101 stories of Gratitude, Fortitude, and Silver Linings. Cos Cob, CT: Chicken Soup for the Soul. pp. 17–19. ISBN 978-1935096429.
  50. 1 2 Canfield, Jack; Hansen, Mark Victor; Robinson, Laura (2 October 2012). Chicken Soup for the Soul: Hooked on Hockey : 101 Stories about the Players Who Love the Game and the Families that Cheer Them On. Cos Cob, CT: Chicken Soup for the Soul. ISBN 978-1611599022.
  51. ↑ Canfield, Jack; Hansen, Mark Victor; Newmark, Amy (15 October 2013). "Our Roots Are Forever". Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miraculous Messages from Heaven: 101 Stories of Eternal Love, Powerful Connections, and Divine Signs from Beyond. Cos Cob, CT: Chicken Soup for the Soul. pp. 1–4. ISBN 978-1611599268.
  52. ↑ Hill, Valeri (15 September 2011). "Inspiring women event". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  53. ↑ Behrens, Web (14 November 2014). "Plan a play date at Chicago Toy & Game Fair". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  54. ↑ Willey, Alexis (5 November 2014). "Laura Robinson to Host ChiTAG's Toy and Fashion Show • The Toy Book". The Toy Book. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  55. ↑ Smith, Dinitia (13 August 2000). "Don Ettlinger, 86, Who Wrote For Film, Theater and Television". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  56. ↑ "Mark Ettlinger". IMDb. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  57. ↑ "Class Notes". The Gryphon: The Cambridge School of Weston Magazine. The Cambridge School of Weston. Fall 2014. p. 44. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  58. ↑ Shephard, Tamara (4 May 2012). "Jack Ettlinger sings in Canada's Got Talent semi-finals Sunday". Etobicoke Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  59. ↑ "Jack Ettlinger". IMDb. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
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