Wilma Pelly (March 5, 1937 – December 28, 2020) was an indigenous Canadian film and television actress, best known for her roles as Elsie Tsa'Che in the CBC Television drama North of 60 and as Kookum in Mixed Blessings.
Early life
Born Wilma Episkenew, she was a member of the Muscowpetung Saulteaux First Nation. She met her husband James Edward Pelly in the 1950s, and moved with him to Calgary, Alberta.
Career
Pelly worked in factories until launching her acting career. While recovering from a workplace injury in the late 1980s, she answered a casting call for film extras. Her breakthrough role in North of 60, beginning in 1992 and extending throughout the series and into several followup television films, made her an iconic figure in Canadian indigenous communities; her character Elsie, although not always talkative, was wise, dignified and funny, and Pelly was widely recognized as a scene-stealing performer. She was recognized by the Alberta Media Production Industries Association's Rosie Awards as Best Actress in 1998.
Following the conclusion of the regular weekly North of 60 series, Pelly was cast in Giovanni Veronesi's film Gunslinger's Revenge, the production of which marked her first time ever travelling outside of North America. She subsequently appeared in other film and television productions, usually playing an indigenous grandmother or community elder. She also had selected stage roles, most notably appearing in a 2005 production of Uncle Vanya which was staged at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton before travelling to Ottawa for a production at the National Arts Centre.
Death
She died on December 28, 2020, in Calgary. Her final film performance, in Rueben Martell's film Don't Say Its Name, was in post-production and had not yet been released at the time of her death.
Television
North of 60 (1992-1997) - Elsie Tsa Che
Children of the Dust (1995) - Nita
In the Blue Ground (1999) - Elsie Tsa Che
Dream Storm (2001) - Elsie Tsa Che
Another Country (2003) - Elsie Tsa Che
Dreamkeeper (2003) - Old Woman
Into the West (2005) - Burnt by the Sun
Distant Drumming (2005) - Elsie Tsa Che
Elijah (2007) - Old Woman
Mixed Blessings (2007-08) - Kookum
Arctic Air (2014) - Auntie Belle
Documentary Now! (2015) - Aglatki Qamaniq
Fargo (2015) - Native American housekeeper
Film
Gunslinger's Revenge (1998) - Native Grandmother
The Last Rites of Ransom Pride (2010) - Old Woman
Land (2018) - Mary Yellow Eagle
Parallel Minds (2020) - Kookum
Don't Say Its Name (2021) - Aggie