TORONTO — The husband of Judi Cooper-Sealy, an award-winning wig and hair stylist who designed on-screen dos for some 40 years, says their Toronto home looks like a “flower shop” as condolences pour in from comedians she coiffed during her time on “SCTV.”
Joe Sealy says he woke up Wednesday morning to find a bouquet from Eugene Levy on his doorstep, and received a note from Martin Short as news got around of his 77-year-old wife’s death in mid-December after a battle with dementia.
He says the Halifax-raised hair stylist moved to Toronto in the mid-1970s to work on a show with broadcaster Peter Gzowski, where she impressed John Candy with her scissor skills, and was asked to join “SCTV.”
Costume designer Juul Haalmeyer, who worked with Cooper-Sealy on the comedy series, says she was a hair “magician,” and cast members would “wet their pants” from laughing as they tried on wigs that would bring their zany characters to life.
Cooper-Sealey continued to style Short throughout his career, and earned praise for her reviving period hairdos in blockbuster musicals “Hairspray” and “Chicago,” winning her second Emmy in 2011 for her work on “The Kennedys” miniseries. Her first Emmy was for “My Mother Was Never a Kid,” a 1980s after-school special.
Sealy says his wife would have been an artist in whatever medium she applied herself, but beyond her curled, coloured and cropped hair creations, it’s her generosity that will be missed by those who had the pleasure of sitting in her chair.
The Canadian Press
