Corinne Langston Scott.Courtesy of family
Corinne Langston Scott: Writer. Actor. Musician. Mother. Born Aug. 25, 1929, in Winnipeg; died Jan. 15, 2026, in Toronto, of pancreatic cancer; aged 96.
Two traumatic events in Corinne’s early years would leave an indelible imprint on her life. At age 7, she was caught in the polio epidemic. Forced to stay in bed for a year, she wrote stories and put on plays for visiting friends, the characters made of dolls she cut out of paper. Corinne would go on write to over 100 short stories, theatrical plays and documentaries which were produced by CBC, BBC, TVO and a variety of North American publications. At 94, she published her last article, a piece about the benefits of climbing stairs, in The Globe and Mail.
The other seminal event was the death of her mother when Corinne was 15. To cope with the loss, she found her way to the Maclean Mission church in Winnipeg, where she played piano and led choirs. She also directed plays and made a point of including children with disabilities as actors despite the disapproval of the pastor. But that was typical of Corinne, following her mother’s example and spreading love as widely as she could, while standing up for the underdog.
In her 20s she worked multiple jobs to become the first in her family to attend university. Her time at United College (now University of Winnipeg) opened her to a world of arts and literature. Upon graduation, she headed to England where she landed a small role in a musical in London’s West End, sold her first play to the BBC and spent a summer singing six days a week at the seaside town of Margate. More adventures in Europe (including illicit gun-runners and a businessman who sent her love-letters in Italian) became material for Corinne’s stories.
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Despite growing success in the U.K., in 1959, Corinne was homesick and returned to Canada, where she met English actor, director and sculptor Desmond Scott. Desmond acted in a radio show she wrote – Corinne thought he was dashing and aloof – but he refused to cast her for the lead role in a play he was directing. Despite this snub, she eventually agreed to marry him in 1961. In search of more theatrical work, they set off for Toronto where they first stayed with an actor friend. Their first child was conceived in his flea-infested apartment, the walls papered with unpaid parking tickets.
In Toronto, Corinne juggled her professional work while looking after two small children. As a mother, she was devoted to Amanta and Dominic. Friends teased her that the children were raised on asparagus, artichokes, avocados and anchovies, but Corinne was determined to provide nourishing but also interesting foods. Dinners were always spiced with stories, conversation and laughter. A born storyteller, Corinne couldn’t go to the corner store without returning with a story to share. Like the time Corinne and Desmond flew home from a work trip to Mexico. Their airline wanted to bump them from the oversold flight but Corinne staged a full theatrical meltdown. “I have to get back to my babies!” she wailed. Two seats magically materialized.
In Toronto, Corinne continued to lead choirs and played the organ at both Manor Road United Church and Leaside Presbyterian Church. Music was her vehicle to finding spiritual meaning, bringing joy and fun to all who sang with her or who listened to her choirs.
When she and Desmond bought an old three-storey house on Belcourt Road in 1970, Corinne thought it was average and declared they would not stay long. It would be the family home for the next 55 years. The annual Christmas party led to caroling around the neighbourhood full of festive spirit if rarely tuneful singing. Corinne’s hospitality was legendary – one year she entertained 57 times.
For Corinne, the real jewel of the house was her garden, which in springtime bloomed with more than 1,000 tulips. To protect her garden, she chased squirrels (plus the odd rabbit) around the yard. In contrast, the birds and the raccoons she adored.
“Old” was not a word in her lexicon. In later years she continued to be fiercely, indeed stubbornly, independent. It particularly annoyed her when she would get on a city bus and, as she put it, “everyone would leap up to give me their seat, as if I am a little old lady.”
After Desmond died in 2019, Corinne was not content to fritter away time watching TV. She turned again to writing, exploring themes of aging and grief. Corinne made all people feel special and worried about everyone’s safety. In her 90s, while still refusing to use a cane herself, she routinely offered it to people 30 years her junior. She died in her home at age 96. But even on her deathbed, she expressed concern for how her care workers would get home on a cold winter night.
She leaves a legacy of love.
Dominic Scott and Amanta Scott are Corinne’s son and daughter.
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