Jackie Burroughs (1939-2010)

2005 Lifetime Artistic Achievement (Screens and Voices (formerly Broadcasting and Film))

Described by Toronto theatre critic Gina Mallet as "the agent provocateur of Canadian culture," Jackie Burroughs is a fearless and focused artist, acclaimed across Canada and abroad for her independent, highly charged, and emotionally daring performances. She has starred at major theatres across Canada (Stratford, Shaw, National Arts Centre, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Tarragon Theatre, and more) in roles ranging from Shakespeare to the avant-garde, from blushing ingénues to ancient crones. She has appeared in numerous award-winning television series and has made over 75 feature films.

Born in Lancashire, England, in 1939, Ms. Burroughs "just sort of fell into acting." She made her stage debut in a Hart House (Toronto) production of A Resounding Tinkle directed by Herbert Whittaker, one of the great influences on her career; another was Robin Phillips at the Stratford Young Company.

Memorable television roles include the outspoken Aunt Hetty in the hit CBC TV series Road to Avonlea (two Gemini Awards, Best Performance by an Actress), Mother Mucca in Armistead Maupin's More Tales of the City and Further Tales of the City, and guest appearances on numerous series, including Due South and Made in Canada.

Film highlights include The Wars (1983 Genie Award, Best Supporting Actress); The Grey Fox (1984 Genie, Best Supporting Actress); John and the Missus (1987), with Gordon Pinsent; A Winter Tan (1988 Genie, Best Actress), for which she also wrote the script, produced and co-directed; and more recently The Republic of Love (2003) and Willard (2003).

Awards and honours include the Toronto Arts Award for Performing Arts, and the 2001 Earle Grey Award (Gemini Award) from the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television for her significant contribution to the international profile of Canadian television.

Jackie Burroughs reads Proust and dances every day. She lives in Toronto and Oaxaca, Mexico, where her regular visitors include six wild mountain dogs.