Pinsent, the youngest of six children, was born inGrand Falls,Newfoundland (present-dayNewfoundland and Labrador, Canada).[3] His mother, Florence "Flossie" (née Cooper), was originally from Clifton, Newfoundland and his father, Stephen Arthur Pinsent, was a papermill worker and cobbler originally fromDildo, Newfoundland.[4] His mother was "quiet spoken" and a religiousAnglican; the family was descended from immigrants fromKent andDevon in England.[5] He was a self-described "awkward child" who suffered fromrickets.[1]
Pinsent began acting on stage in the 1940s at the age of 17. He soon took on roles in radio drama on theCBC, and later moved into television and film as well. In the early 1950s, he took a break from acting and joined theCanadian Army, serving for approximately four years as a private in theRoyal Canadian Regiment.[6]
Pinsent's professional acting career began in 1957 at Winnipeg's Theatre 77 (later known as theRoyal Manitoba Theatre Centre) under the direction ofJohn Hirsch. In the years that followed, he performed in many theatrical productions in Winnipeg, Toronto and at theStratford Festival.[7]
One of Pinsent's largest roles was playing the character of Hap Shaughnessy onThe Red Green Show from 1991 to 2006. Hap was notorious for telling largely exaggerated stories about his past. He was frequently called out on his fabrications by his friend Red Green (played by Canadian comedian and show co-creatorSteve Smith) or others.
His first memoir,By the Way, was published in 1992 by Stoddart Publishing. His second,Next (withGeorge Anthony), was published in 2012 byMcClelland and Stewart.[11]
On March 8, 2007, it was publicly announced inToronto, Ontario, Canada, that Pinsent had accepted the appointment of honorary chairman of the "Building for the Future"[12] fundraising campaign forThe Royal Canadian Regiment Museum.[13]
During the 2008, 2010, and 2011 summer periods ofCBC Radio One, Pinsent presented a radio documentary series calledThe Late Show featuring extended obituaries of notable Canadians whom the producers believed deserved attention.[14]
Pinsent appeared in one of Canadian directorStephen Dunn's early short films titledLife Doesn't Frighten Me, which won various awards, including the CBC Short Film Face-Off, with a cash prize of C$30,000.[15] The film also won awards at theToronto Student Film Festival and theTribeca Film Festival in 2013.[16]
He had a guest starring role as Maurice Becker on the February 3, 2010, episode of Canadian television seriesRepublic of Doyle. He was also a featured guest reader onBookaboo.[17]
He attained notoriety when a comedic segment of him reading dramatically fromJustin Bieber's autobiography onThis Hour Has 22 Minutes went viral on October 20, 2010.[18]
Pinsent married actressCharmion King in 1962. They remained together until her death in 2007. Their daughter,Leah Pinsent, is also an actress.[19] Pinsent also has two children, Barry and Beverley, from a previous marriage.[20]
On February 25, 2023, Pinsent died at a hospital in Toronto at age 92, from complications of a cerebral hemorrhage.[3][21][2]
Pinsent received anLL.D from theUniversity of Prince Edward Island in 1975, and honorary doctorates from Queen's University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Lakehead University (2008) and the University of Windsor (2012).[26]
It was on July 12, 2005, in his hometown of Grand Falls-Windsor, and in honour of his 75th birthday, that the Arts & Culture Centre was renamed The Gordon Pinsent Centre for the Arts.[28]
On September 25, 2008, at a "Newfoundland- and Labrador-Inspired Evening" atThe Windsor Arms Hotel in Toronto,the Company Theatre presented Pinsent with the inaugural Gordon Pinsent Award of Excellence.[29]
Canadian Film Awards 1968–1978,Genie Awards 1980-2011,Canadian Screen Awards 2012–present. Separate awards were presented by gender prior to 2022; a single unified category for best performance regardless of gender has been presented since.
Canadian Film Awards 1968-1978,Genie Awards 1980-2011,Canadian Screen Awards 2012-present. Separate awards were presented by gender prior to 2022; ungendered awards for best performance regardless have been presented since.
