Gordon Pinsent stops on the red carpet at the Scotiabank Giller Bank Prize gala in Toronto on Monday, Nov.19, 2018. Tributes are pouring in for beloved Canadian actor Pinsent, with friends and fans recalling his playful humour and creative spirit. The Newfoundand native and award-winning star of the film “Away From Her" died Saturday evening at age 92. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Tributes are pouring in for beloved Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent, with friends and fans recalling his playful humour and creative spirit.
The Newfoundland native and award-winning star of the film “Away From Her” died Saturday at age 92.
Admirers from actors and politicians to everyday Canadians both mourned and honoured Pinsent in the wake of his passing, calling him a national treasure, a charming storyteller and an icon of the arts.
Comedian and fellow Newfoundlander Rick Mercer says Pinsent was “a true renaissance man,” adding the actor, writer, director, painter and one-time dance instructor was the “epitome of class and one hell of a funny guy.”
Canadian-American actor Kim Coates called Pinsent a legend and a “true red-blooded proud Canadian” who was adored the world over.
Canadian director Stephen Dunn, also from Newfoundland, says Pinsent “paved the way for all of us working in entertainment.”
“He was my hero. My friend. My family. And easily the funniest man on earth,” Dunn, creator of the Queer As Folk reboot, said on Twitter. “Eternally grateful to have known you.”
Even Canadians that had never met Pinsent offered short but heartfelt eulogies on social media, like one Twitter user who simply said: “I didn’t know Gordon Pinsent but it sure feels like we’ve been friends my entire life.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 26, 2023.
