This article was nominated for deletion on 10 May 2026. The result of the discussion was keep.
This article must adhere to the biographies of living persons (BLP) policy, even if it is not a biography, because it contains material about living persons. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libellous. If such material is repeatedly inserted, or if you have other concerns, please report the issue to this noticeboard.If you are a subject of this article, or acting on behalf of one, and you need help, please see this help page.
This article is rated Start-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects:
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Biography, a collaborative effort to create, develop and organize Wikipedia's articles about people. All interested editors are invited to join the project and contribute to the discussion. For instructions on how to use this banner, please refer to the documentation.BiographyWikipedia:WikiProject BiographyTemplate:WikiProject Biographybiography
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Canada, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Canada articles on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.CanadaWikipedia:WikiProject CanadaTemplate:WikiProject CanadaCanada-related
This article is part of WikiProject Theatre, a WikiProject dedicated to coverage of theatre on Wikipedia. To participate: Feel free to edit the article attached to this page, join up at the project page, or contribute to the project discussion.TheatreWikipedia:WikiProject TheatreTemplate:WikiProject TheatreTheatre
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Women, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of women on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.WomenWikipedia:WikiProject WomenTemplate:WikiProject WomenWikiProject Women
This article was created or improved during the #1day1woman: 2026 initiative hosted by the Women in Red project in 2026. The editor(s) involved may be new; please assume good faith regarding their contributions before making changes.Women in RedWikipedia:WikiProject Women in RedTemplate:WikiProject Women in RedWomen in Red
Latest comment: 2 months ago3 comments1 person in discussion
Multiple sources, including the Toronto Star report her birthday as 3 January 1963. I'm suspicious that this is a self-reported birthdate and that she's probably a few years older. If it's accurate, then then founded the Northern Light Theatre in Edmonton when she was 13 and met her future husband there when she was 16. This timeline isn't impossible, but I've also found this report that Merrilyn Gann, 19 of Vancouver, was Miss Canada runner-up in 1967. Either there are two Merrilyn Gann's from Vancouver, or she was born closer to 1948. FWIW, encyclopedia.com thinks they're the same person, and this photo sure looks like the same person. pburka (talk) 15:44, 11 May 2026 (UTC)Reply
I'm quite confident now that the pageant winner and the actor are the same person. The Province, reporting on her Miss Vancouver title, said that her older sister Angela had been runner-up in 1962. Other sources report that the actor and her sister Angela were founding members of Northern Lights Theatre. pburka (talk) 16:38, 11 May 2026 (UTC)Reply
Found more support for circa 1948 (while trying to figure out when she and Gaze divorced): in 1990 she said she was 41 (i.e. born c. 1949-1950). Looks like her age (like for many actors) has been somewhat fluid. pburka (talk) 17:03, 11 May 2026 (UTC)Reply