For those of you who have been a part of this community for a while I appreciate you popping back in, and for anyone new here, I’d like to invite you into my world and let you know a little about how it all began.
I grew up in London, Ontario, Canada – a town perfect for an animal loving girl who also had a taste for the arts. London was home to the Original Kids Theatre Company, which after many hours of my parents sitting on small chairs beside an audience of stuffed toys watching me preform never-ending plays in our living room… seemed like a great fit for me. After signing up to this local Kids Theatre I preformed many plays to an actual audience of humans from age 7 onward and loved every minute of it. At age 11 the Theatre Company put my parents and I in contact with an onscreen acting agent out of Toronto – which was a couple hours from where we lived. My mom thought sitting in the living room watching me act out plays was time consuming, well let me tell you, when I began audition for television roles, we found ourselves road tripping to Toronto on a regular basis. Looking back now it was a great mother/daughter bonding experience.
In the 3rd grade I auditioned for Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts, and the following year I began my regular schooling there. Their program ran from grade 4-8 and I learned so much in that time and had a blast.
Did I mention I love animals? While acting seemed to fill much of my time, I spent every moment I could with my animals. Growing up we lived in town, but with a large, fenced yard and parents who were quite accepting of the critters I brought home, my childhood was filled with dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, a chinchilla, a degu, reptiles of all kinds and lots of fish. When I was 5 years old, I attended a fair with my parents. There was one of those horse carousels – where you sit on a pony and it goes round and round. That was the beginning to a life with horses. After not wanting to leave my new best friend “Tony the Pony” my parents made a deal with the owner of the horses for me to visit the farm. After a few trips, I was able to lease Tony the Pony and make it a regular thing.
At 10 years old, I started taking more formal English riding lessons and by 12 I had my very own horse. A handsome redheaded Quarter Horse named Monty with four socks and a blaze. Shortly after I got this spunky young guy, I was cast as one of the lead roles on a kid’s television series called Super Rupert. This was my first taste of onscreen acting, and it couldn’t have been a better introduction. With a cast of mainly kids my age we had a ton of fun. Filming in Toronto meant I wasn’t able to see Monty often, so I leased him out to keep him conditioned and cared for while I was gone. Over the next several years I learned so much from having horses and the balance of working, attending school and keeping up with my responsibilities. There was never a moment where I ever felt bored!
At 15 I started working at a veterinary clinic nearby my high school. This helped me cover the costs of owning a horse and it was a convenient walk after school ended each day. On the weekends I would rollerblade to work at the vet clinic with my Border Collie, Dallas – who would then sleep under my reception desk as I checked in the many cats and dogs all day. Happily trotting back home beside me at the end of the day.
At the age of 18 I got a call that unknowingly, would shape my adult life. My agent had an audition for me to record and send in immediately. This was not out of the ordinary, I was recording 2-3 auditions per week at this time and typically wouldn’t hear back from most. My agent noted at the time, he thought I would enjoy this role as it was a horse girl who lived on a ranch in Alberta. The show was called Heartland. 18 years later, here I am still playing that horse girl who lives on a ranch in Alberta. But now – I essentially am that girl. Learn more about Heartland and my role as Amy Fleming here.
Feeling completely at home in the west I fully relocated myself in 2009, and purchased a small farm outside of Calgary, Alberta and a year later I met my husband, Shawn. We were married at our quaint farm property in 2013, surrounded by friends, family and the many animals who we opened our home to. I give thanks to my busy youth and finding the balance of working, having animals and keeping up with my responsibilities.
Shawn and I decided to move our farm a little further out in 2020 and now have a beautifully treed property with a log cabin and barn, that we share with our horses, cows, cats, dogs and birds of all kinds. If you want to see the animals who make up our family, click here!
Filming Heartland runs from April – September each year, so my summers can be a little hectic, but since my winters were quiet, I decided to open a store. My store has both an online presence and a physical location in Diamond Valley, Alberta. At the store we sell my Amber Marshall apparel, Western wear, accessories, and so much more. Check out my store here.
I am starting to find that balance again with work, home, my animals and family. It is always evolving, and I feel I am the most inspired when I’m presented with a new challenge. Thanks again for stopping in, and I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about where I came from and why I am who I am.
If you want to see the farm and my life through my eyes, follow along on my Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube.
I share biweekly newsletters about my life and Marshall's Country Store, which you can sign up to receive here.
If you are wanting to send fan mail to myself other members of Heartland, find the addresses here.
Take care, and above all, be kind.
~Amber