Alberta was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. Her birth name is Susan Alberta Watson. Her mother, Grace , worked in a factory and struggled as a single mom to raise her daughter.
At the age of 15 Alberta dropped out of school and joined an alternative theater group called Fog, which operated out of the Bathurst Street United Church. After a one year stay in a commune style farm she returned to Toronto and began her career in earnest.
She worked in commercials until she won a part in a CBC movie called Honor Thy Father.
In 1978, her performance as Mitzi in In Praise of Older Women earned her a Genie nomination, and a year later her work in a short Film called Exposure won her the best actress award at the Yorkton Film Festival. In 1981, Alberta got formal training and moved to New York to study with Gene Lasko.
The next 10 years she made a living working as an actor, taking television and film roles, developing her ability before moving to LA. She did work there but didn’t enjoy the atmosphere and returned to NY in 1986. Watson took the lead role in a small budget film called Spanking the Monkey. The film won the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award and her performance was critically acclaimed.
Watson returned to Toronto and continued to work in many films. In 1996 she won the role of Madeline, the Cheif Strategist, in La Femme Nikita. She was also free to work in other projects.
Watson lived in Toronto and spent free time at her home near Haliburton, Ontario.
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