[1] She studied at the University of British Columbia where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
[3][4] She occasionally appeared on television series such as Queer as Folk and Street Legal.
[5] Among Semple's performances at the Shaw Festival were the title roles in Camille and Candida in, respectively, 1981–82 and 1983; The Magic Fire in 2006, The Cassilis Engagement in 2007 and Desirée in A Little Night Music in 2008.
Her final performances were for the Shaw Festival's production of Noël Coward's Brief Encounters in the 2009 season.
After this and a family vacation in Venice, her health deteriorated due to the metastasis of her cancer.