BiographyHEATHER SUMMERHAYES CARIOU
Ms. Cariou is the best-selling author of “Sixtyfive Roses: A Sister’s Memoir,” which (Globe and Mail Best 100 Books of 2006, Foreword by Celine Dion, Film rights optioned by Eva Longoria and UnbeliEVAble Productions.) She was born, raised and educated in Ontario, Canada, and has lived for the past 25 years in the New York City area. In her early years, she trained as a ballerina at the National Ballet School of Canada. As a teen, she was active in several community theatres, high school drama clubs, and was an award-winning young actress in her community. She was also a founding member and Board member of the Ontario Youtheatre. After two years at Ryerson University Theatre School and a third at Sheridan College, she graduated with a High Honors diploma in Media Arts. She became a founding member of the Center for Actor’s Study in Toronto, and enjoyed a career lasting twenty years, acting professionally on stages across Canada and off-Broadway.
She is a founding member of the Galaxy Writers Workshop in New Jersey, and was a Director on the Board of the International Women’s Writing Guild for 20 years.
As the daughter of the founders of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Ms. Cariou has been involved in fund-raising, speaking and promotion for over forty years. Between acting engagements, Ms. Cariou held jobs in sales, fashion, catering, and business management. She grew up the eldest of four children, and is growing old as the grandmother of two. Married to Emmy-nominated, Tony Award winning stage and screen actor Len Cariou (CBS "Blue Bloods), Heather is her husband’s “roadie,” dealing with every conceivable challenge of working and living on location. She is known among friends and family as the go-to person for anything that needs fixing, whether it’s an appliance or a life. Phrases that her friends and associates have used to describe her include “damn the torpedos” and “shoot from the hips.” She can throw a formal dinner party for twelve at the drop of a hat, and has cooked Thanksgiving dinner for the entire cast of a Broadway show on the road in a hotel room. An insatiable reader, her other favorite pastimes include writing poetry, walking, and gourmet cooking.
Ms. Cariou is currently at work on a novel, and facilitates Memoir Workshops internationally. She is a veteran of dozens of TV, radio, and stage appearances, and has keynoted and inspired groups both small and large, including the KinCanada AGM and the Cystic Fibrosis Canada AGM as well as the Story Circle Network for Women Memoir Conference in Austin, Texas.
