Proud momma Antoinette Oliphant is celebrating her daughter’s success as a Hollywood television actor.
Oliphant owns Antoinette’s restaurant in Whitehorse. Her daughter, Lyndie Greenwood, is in Los Angeles, busy on the set of Sleepy Hollow, one of this season’s best new shows.
Greenwood, 30, is relatively new to television acting. After guest appearances on shows like Rookie Blue and Being Erica, in 2011 she landed a recurring role on the show Nikita.
Landing the role on Sleepy Hollow was another big break, said Oliphant.
“It’s a really super fantastic opportunity for her. She’s working with some pretty special people, and pretty big-name producers and stuff.”
Sleepy Hollow is a modern reinterpretation of the classic Washington Irvine short story.
In it, Ichabod Crane rises from the dead, 250 years after beheading the being that would become the Headless Horseman in battle while fighting for George Washington during the American Revolutionary War.
He stumbles into present-day Sleepy Hollow only to find that mysterious powers are threatening to destroy the world, and he could be humankind’s last hope.
He teams up with Lt. Abbie Mills, a talented young police officer with a special connection to the strange and occult ancient history of the town.
Greenwood plays Abbie’s sister, Jenny, who was institutionalized after becoming mentally disturbed by a encounter with dark forces when the two of them were children.
The show is part cop drama, part supernatural historical thriller. It has been well received by audiences and critics, and Fox has already signed on for a second season.
Greenwood, who grew up in Toronto, didn’t always like being in the spotlight, said Oliphant.
“As a kid we had her modelling, and she hated it. Hated it. Every time we would go to a photo shoot, she would cry. She hated it. So we just stopped. And now, here she is.”
She had a university degree under her belt and was on her way to becoming a pediatrician or a naturopath when she turned to acting, said Oliphant.
“It’s funny, you know. This is my biology major who decided after university, ‘Oh, my gosh, I need a break from studying. I’ll just go see if I can do some commercials.’ And sure enough, it just took off for her. She started doing really well.”
Oliphant keeps her daughter’s signed headshot behind the bar at the restaurant.
“To Mummy,” the inscription reads.
“She’s my girl,” said Oliphant, beaming with pride.
Oliphant is hoping that Greenwood can make it home, to the Yukon, for Christmas.
Contact Jacqueline Ronson
at jronson@yukon-news.com