Gordon Pinsent, beloved Canadian actor, dies at 92

Gordon Pinsent, the Canadian actor whose career went back to the 1950s and earned acclaim over a 60+-year run, has passed away at the age of 92.

Gordon Pinsent may be best known for playing Julie Christie’s husband in 2007’s Away from Her. While Christie received most of the acclaim as a wife suffering from Alzheimer’s, Pinsent’s performance was an emotionally complex one that served as the perfect counterpart to Christie’s. For his turn, Pinsent earned a Genie Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Gordon Pinsent was bestowed various accolades throughout his lengthy career, primarily in his home country of Canada. In addition to six Genie Award nods (with three wins), he also earned an astounding 11 Gemini Award (the Great White North equivalent of the Academy Awards) nominations, not including two honorary awards.

The appeal of Gordon Pinsent crossed generations. Not only was he heralded as a dramatic presence on the stage and screen, but he was also the voice of Babar the Elephant for more than 25 years. His career also crossed genres, appearing in a range of movies such as heist flick The Thomas Crown Affair, blaxploitation horror Blacula, adventurer Klondike Fever, comedy The Grand Seduction, and many more. He also worked extensively in television, with much praise for acting, writing and directing the TV movie Heydey!

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined many others in paying respects to Gordon Pinsent, tweeting, “Gordon Pinsent was one of Canada’s most iconic actors. He was passionate, captivating, and endlessly talented. His family has said that he ‘loved this country and its people, purpose, and culture to his last breath’ – and I hope he knew that we felt the same about him.”

Sarah Polley, who directed Gordon Pinsent in Away From Her, tweeted, “Gordon had an enormous capacity for joy in absolutely everything he did. It was infectious and educational. There wasn’t a moment without a twinkle of mischief and a determination to enjoy the moment.”

What was your favorite Gordon Pinsent performance and/or movie? You can pay respects to the late actor in the comments section below.