Ann-Marie MacDonald (born October 29, 1958) is a Canadian playwright, novelist, actor and broadcast host who lives in Toronto, Ontario. The daughter of a member of Canada's military, she was born at an air force base near Baden-Baden, West Germany. She is of Lebanese descent through her mother. MacDonald hosted the CBC documentary series Life and Times for seven seasons and CBC's flagship documentary program, Doc Zone for eight. She appeared in the films I've Heard the Mermaids Singing and Better Than Chocolate, among others. MacDonald is married to playwright and theatre director Alisa Palmer.