Brianna Bisson is a Canadian professional makeup artist, beauty educator and former actress who has built a career that stands firmly on her own achievements. She is also known as the eldest daughter of Canadian actor Yannick Bisson, famous for playing Detective William Murdoch in Murdoch Mysteries. Growing up in a family connected with television gave Brianna early exposure to the creative world, yet she eventually chose professional makeup artistry as the main direction for her working life. Over more than a decade, she has gained experience in freelance beauty work, cosmetics development, luxury retail, brand coordination and professional training.
Born on 17 March 1989, Brianna has moved through several stages of her career while maintaining strong ties to Toronto, Ontario. She studied History at York University before receiving professional makeup training at Complections. Her employment has included Joe Fresh, MAC Cosmetics, L’Oréal, Anastasia Beverly Hills and MAKE UP FOR EVER. She also had a short acting career, with television credits including Murdoch Mysteries, The Listener, Wingin’ It and Overruled!. Away from work, she is married to Craig Franklin and is a mother.
Who Is Brianna Bisson?
Brianna Bisson is best described as an experienced makeup artist and beauty professional based in Toronto. Her career has covered both freelance and corporate roles, allowing her to work directly with clients while also developing experience in training, retail and cosmetics brands. Her professional path began years before she joined MAKE UP FOR EVER, and the range of positions she has held demonstrates a long-term commitment to the beauty industry.
Her family connection has naturally attracted attention because her father, Yannick Bisson, has enjoyed a successful television career. However, Brianna has not built her working life around her father’s fame. Instead, she has focused on makeup, hairstyling, beauty education and customer-focused roles. Her work has involved creative application as well as teaching other people how to improve their own techniques.
Brianna Bisson Age and Date of Birth
Brianna Bisson was born on 17 March 1989, making her 37 years old as of 2026. Her birth date can be established through a personal story written by her mother, Shantelle Bisson. In that account, Shantelle recalled events from March 2005 and specifically referred to 17 March as Brianna’s 16th birthday. Counting back sixteen years places her birth in 1989.
Her birthday falls on St Patrick’s Day, giving the date an easy connection to remember. Brianna is the eldest of three daughters in the Bisson family and grew up during the years in which her parents were developing their careers and raising their children in Canada.
Brianna Bisson Parents and Family Background
Brianna’s father is Yannick Bisson, one of Canada’s best-known television actors. He is recognised internationally for his long-running role as Detective William Murdoch in Murdoch Mysteries. His career stretches across television and film, but the historical detective drama became the role most closely connected with his name.
Her mother is Chantal Craig, who is also known professionally as Shantelle Bisson. She has experience in acting and has also developed work as an author, writer and entrepreneur. Brianna has spoken warmly about her mother’s determination and work ethic, showing that their relationship extends beyond the family’s entertainment connections. Brianna once contributed a personal introduction to a feature about her mother, describing the qualities she admired in her.
Brianna Bisson Siblings
Brianna has two younger sisters, Dominique Bisson and Mikaela Bisson. The three daughters grew up in a household where acting and creative work formed a natural part of family life. Both of Brianna’s sisters have also had connections with entertainment, although each has followed her own direction.
Being the eldest daughter gave Brianna a different experience from her younger sisters. She was already moving into adulthood by the time Murdoch Mysteries became an established television success. Rather than pursuing acting as a full-time career, she chose a professional route centred on beauty and cosmetics.
Brianna Bisson Education
Brianna attended York University from 2007 until 2012, where she completed a Bachelor of Arts in History. Her studies included an Honours History major and an English minor. This academic background is quite different from the industry in which she later built her career, showing that her professional direction developed through a combination of education, creativity and practical training.
During 2012, she also studied at Complections, completing a 14-week Essential Makeup Artist programme. The course helped strengthen her technical skills and prepared her for more specialised professional work. By this stage, she had already begun working independently as a makeup artist, meaning her formal training supported experience she was developing through real clients and assignments.
From History Graduate to Makeup Professional
Brianna’s move from a university degree in History into professional beauty highlights the flexibility of her career path. Her academic work developed skills in communication, research and written expression, while professional makeup training gave her a practical creative foundation. Instead of limiting herself to one area, she combined both forms of education before committing herself fully to the beauty industry.
Brianna Bisson Makeup Career
Brianna began working through Brianna Bisson Makeup in June 2011, establishing a freelance career that has continued for many years. Freelance beauty work gave her direct experience with clients and allowed her to develop her own style while adapting to different faces, preferences and occasions.
Her career later expanded into major cosmetics companies. In July 2012, she became an Assistant Cosmetic Product Developer at Joe Fresh, remaining in the position until December that year. This role added product development experience to her practical makeup skills and gave her an early view of how cosmetics move from concept to consumer.
MAC Cosmetics and L’Oréal
From November 2013 until December 2014, Brianna worked under contract with MAC Cosmetics in the Greater Toronto Area. Working with a major professional cosmetics brand gave her valuable experience with products, customer expectations and beauty trends while allowing her to strengthen the skills she had developed as a freelance artist.
She later moved into roles connected with L’Oréal. From September 2014 until May 2015, she worked as a Beauty Advisor for Lancôme. She then worked as a Beauty Advisor for YSL from May until October 2015. These positions placed her within the luxury cosmetics sector and helped develop her knowledge of premium beauty products, personal consultations and customer service.
Brianna Bisson and Anastasia Beverly Hills
In October 2015, Brianna joined Anastasia Beverly Hills as a Freelance Artist. She held that role until April 2016 before advancing to the position of Account Coordinator. She continued as an Account Coordinator from April 2016 until April 2017.
This progression was an important stage in her career because it demonstrated her ability to move beyond hands-on makeup application. Account coordination required a broader understanding of brand operations, professional relationships and the commercial side of the cosmetics industry. It added another layer of experience that later supported her move into specialist and training work.
Brianna Bisson at MAKE UP FOR EVER
Brianna joined MAKE UP FOR EVER in January 2018 as a Market Specialist in the Greater Toronto Area. The position became one of the longest and most important roles of her career. Her responsibilities extend beyond presenting or demonstrating products, as she also works in a training capacity.
She has described teaching as an important part of her work. Brianna can adapt instruction to people with different levels of experience, including ordinary clients and other professional makeup artists. This ability to teach shows how her career developed from practising makeup techniques herself to helping other people improve their skills.
Brianna Bisson as a Beauty Educator
Professional training requires more than technical ability. A beauty educator needs to explain techniques clearly, recognise differences in skill level and help individuals feel confident while learning. Brianna’s years of experience across freelance artistry, retail and cosmetics brands give her a broad foundation for this kind of work.
Her approach also reflects her interest in creativity. She has described trying new ideas and thinking outside conventional boundaries as strengths, while maintaining a strong focus on helping clients achieve the look they want.
Brianna Bisson Instagram and Professional Presence
Brianna uses the Instagram account @briannabissonmakeup, which focuses on her work in beauty. The account identifies her as being based in Toronto and describes her as a Certified MUAH, a term commonly used for a professional makeup artist and hairstylist.
Her account has more than 8,600 followers and over 1,300 posts, although these figures naturally change over time. Her biography also includes the statement “NO PHOTOSHOP”, reflecting an emphasis on showing makeup work without heavily altering the final image through digital editing.
Brianna Bisson in Murdoch Mysteries
Brianna has a personal and professional connection with Murdoch Mysteries. Her father leads the series as William Murdoch, but Brianna also played a character herself. In 2010, she played Penny Ranton in the Season 3 episode “Love and Human Remains.”
Her role was a guest part rather than a continuing position in the programme. The episode is particularly interesting because her mother, Chantal Craig, was also involved, giving the Bisson family a shared connection with the production.
Brianna Bisson Other Acting Roles
Her television work was not limited to Murdoch Mysteries. Brianna played Connie in Overruled! in 2009 and later took the role of Tinsley in Wingin’ It. In 2012, she played Samantha Lawrence in an episode of The Listener titled “Curtain Call”.
Her acting career remained relatively brief, and she eventually concentrated on makeup artistry rather than pursuing television as her main profession. She later combined her beauty skills with screen production, receiving hair and makeup credits for the 2016 short film Static as a key hairstylist and key makeup artist.
Brianna Bisson Husband Craig Franklin
Brianna Bisson is married to Craig Franklin. The couple married on 14 October 2017 at the McMichael Art Gallery in Kleinburg, Ontario. Their wedding used an elegant Art Deco theme with black, white, silver, gold and emerald green forming part of the design.
Craig proposed during a celebration of their third anniversary. Their day included attending The Nutcracker and having dinner before returning to Brianna’s parents’ home, where her family helped create the surprise. The proposal became a meaningful family occasion rather than simply a private moment between the couple.
Brianna Bisson Wedding
Brianna’s professional skills also became part of her wedding day. As an experienced makeup artist, she helped with her own bridal makeup alongside another beauty professional. Their dogs were included in the ceremony as ring bearers, adding another personal element to the celebration.
After her marriage, she has also used the name Brianna Bisson-Franklin on certain occasions.
Brianna Bisson Children and Motherhood
Brianna and Craig have a son named Rory Ian Franklin, who was born on 22 August 2021. His arrival was an important milestone for the wider Bisson family because Rory became Yannick and Shantelle Bisson’s first grandchild.
Brianna has kept a clear balance between her professional identity and private family life. Her social presence is strongly connected with beauty and creativity rather than turning her marriage or motherhood into the central part of her career.
Brianna Bisson Today
Today, Brianna Bisson has more than a decade of experience within professional beauty. Her career has moved through freelance work, product development, luxury cosmetics, brand coordination and education. Working with companies including MAC Cosmetics, L’Oréal, Anastasia Beverly Hills and MAKE UP FOR EVER has given her knowledge across different sides of the industry.
Her brief television career remains an interesting part of her story, particularly her role in Murdoch Mysteries, yet makeup artistry became her lasting professional direction. She has built her own identity while remaining part of a well-known Canadian entertainment family.
Final Thoughts on Brianna Bisson
Brianna Bisson has created a career that combines artistic skill, education and professional beauty experience. Born on 17 March 1989, she is the eldest daughter of Yannick Bisson and Shantelle Bisson and the sister of Dominique and Mikaela Bisson. She earned a History degree from York University before completing specialist makeup training at Complections and developing a career with some of the biggest names in cosmetics.
Her life also includes television work, a strong connection with Murdoch Mysteries, marriage to Craig Franklin and motherhood to their son Rory Ian Franklin. Rather than depending on her family’s fame, Brianna has spent years establishing herself as a skilled makeup artist and beauty educator with a professional path of her own.
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