Nyla McCarthy, a renowned stage actress, director, film actress, and social justice activist, embodies the essence of the Pacific Northwest's alternative spirit. Despite a traumatic head injury in 1968, which led to a coma, two neurosurgeries, and extensive physical therapy, Nyla persevered and relearned to walk and talk.
Growing up in Eugene, Oregon, during the height of hippy culture, Nyla was known for her rebellious nature and challenged the status quo, earning her the nickname "hippy chick." She co-founded the Oregon Repertory Theatre and appeared in several award-winning shows, including Commedia Nyla was appearing in at the Oregon Renaissance Festival in 1976.
Nyla's breakout role came in director Gus Van Sant's first motion picture, Mala Noche, in 1986. However, she had previously turned down a role in John Landis's Animal House in 1978 due to the demeaning lines her character was meant to deliver to an overweight actor.
In the late 1970s and 1980s, Nyla focused on mothering her two children and launching two more theaters, the Actor's Production Company and Artists Repertory Theatre. She appeared in several commercials, lent her voice to a classical Greek Theatre recording series for the blind, and played the lead in many memorable Portland stage productions.
Nyla took a sabbatical from film and stage in 1995, after co-founding Cygnet Theatre in Portland Oregon in 1993, where she starred in the acclaimed "In Dark Times." For the next 22 years, Nyla dedicated herself to social justice, serving in various leadership roles, including Chair of the Salem and Portland Human Rights Commissions, Founding Chair of the Portland Commission on Disabilities, and Commissioner on the Governor's Commission on Disabilities.
Nyla returned to performing in 2014, taking on the role of Madame Arcati in Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit at Pentacle Theatre. Throughout her remarkable career, Nyla has consistently demonstrated her commitment to social justice and her passion for the arts.
