Jo Vannicola is a renowned Emmy award-winning actor and writer who began their professional career at the tender age of eight. Born and raised in Montreal, they made their television debut in their hometown before relocating to Toronto to further their education and pursue their passion for the arts.
By the time they reached the age of seventeen, Jo had already written their first play, a testament to their early talent and dedication to their craft. Their impressive acting credits include starring roles in notable films and television shows such as Love and Human Remains, directed by Denys Arcand, which earned them a Genie nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Jo has had the privilege of working with renowned directors and actors, including Arcand again in Stardom, for which they won an Emmy award. They have also been nominated for a Gemini award for best actress in a continuing role for the CBC series 9B, as well as an ACTRA award nomination for best voice/animation as Toot in the animated series Toot and Puddle.
In addition to their impressive acting credits, Jo has received numerous awards and accolades for their advocacy work, including the Margaret Trudeau Advocacy Award in 2021, The Firecracker Department's Blaze Award in 2021, and the Leslie Yeo award for volunteerism and advocacy in 2020.
Jo's extensive credits in film and television number over 70, with notable roles in Slasher, Stonewall, DNA, PSI Factor, Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce, Rookie Blue, Degrassi, Derby, Ultimate Betrayal, Animal Project, Being Erica, and Street Legal, among others.
As a public speaker, Jo has hosted numerous events, including the York Film Festival, the METRAC fund-raising campaign to raise awareness about domestic violence, and founded a non-profit organization to raise awareness about child abuse. They are also a passionate advocate for social justice and equity issues, including LGBTQ2S+ and women's rights, and have served as the founding chair of the LGBTQ2S+ committee, outACTRAto, and sat on the sexual assault adhoc committee in the actors union.
Jo's memoir, All We Knew But Couldn't Say, was published by Dundurn Press in 2019 and was shortlisted for a Kobo Emerging Writer Prize in 2020. The book was listed as a top 21 non-fiction book by Bustle Magazine, a CBC top 40 pick, and featured on numerous shows, including The Next Chapter with Shelagh Rogers, the Toronto Star, the Globe, CTV mornings, NOW Magazine, The Girly Club, and Lambda Literary Reviews.
