TORONTO — Gordon Pinsent, a Canadian acting star who gained international acclaim for his role in the 2006 film “Away From Her,” died Saturday. He was 92.
Pinsent suffered a brain hemorrhage at home on Friday and died the next day at Toronto General Hospital, The Globe and Mail reported.
Pinsent’s death was confirmed to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation through a statement released by his family.
“Gordon Pinsent was one of Canada’s most iconic actors,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted on Sunday. “He was passionate, captivating and endlessly talented.”
I’m sending my deepest condolences to the Pinsent family, to his friends, and to his many fans across the country and around the world. May you all find comfort knowing that his work will continue to inspire and entertain people in the years ahead. https://t.co/GwZumXElme
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 26, 2023
Pinsent had more than 150 film and television acting credits in a career that spanned seven decades, Variety reported.
His role as a husband losing his wife (played by Julie Christie) to Alzheimer’s disease in “Away From Her” earned him best actor honors at the Academy of Canadian Television and Cinema’s Genie awards and ACTRA awards, the entertainment news website reported.
Sarah Polley, the Canadian filmmaker who directed “Away From Her,” tweeted that Pinsent “had an enormous capacity for joy in absolutely everything he did.
“It was infectious and educational,” Polley tweeted. “There wasn’t a moment without a twinkle of mischief and a determination to enjoy the moment.”
2/ (btw that was a picture of Gordon with my brother, Mark Polley, in A Gift To Last.)
— @realSarahPolley (she/her) (@realsarahpolley) February 26, 2023
Born on July 12, 1930, in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, Pinsent began acting when he was 17, Variety reported.
His notable credits include “Due South,” “The Red Green Show” and “The Grand Seduction,” the website reported. He also appeared in “It Takes a Thief,” “Silence of the North” and the 1968 “Thomas Crown Affair.”
“My whole career has depended on the happiness that I get when asked to do something,” Pinsent said in a 2010 Toronto Life interview, according to the CBC. “Pick up the phone and say ‘yes.’ I do that a lot.”
Pinsent also had a notable role as a voice actor in the role of Babar the elephant in the 2001 feature “Babar and the Adventures of Badou,” Variety reported.
Pinsent had surgery in 2013 for trigeminal neuralgia, a condition that had caused him pain since 2000, The Globe and Mail reported.
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