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Gordon Pinsent on 'Away From Her'

Sixty years after entering the acting game, Canadian stage and screen legend Gordon Pinsent is getting some of the best reviews of his career for the Academy Award-nominated drama Away From Her. In this 2006 interview, the elder statesman of Canadian acting reflects on his role, including joining Julie Christie in bed to break one of the last cinematic taboos.
• Away from Her, a film written and directed by Sarah Polley about a couple dealing with Alzheimer's disease, was a hit on the awards circuit. It netted 38 major awards including seven Genie Awards. Gordon Pinsent won a Genie and an ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) award for his role in the film.
 

• As a child, Pinsent was often called Porky, a name he's kept in later life. His 1992 autobiography By The Way includes chapters titled "Big-city Porky" and "Porky Goes Shakespeare."

• Gordon Pinsent was named an officer of the Order of Canada in 1979, then was promoted to companion of the order in 1988. The citation calls him a "living icon of theatre, film, radio and television, " and commends his efforts to nurture "future generations of Canadian artists by his tireless promotion of our cultural scene for more than three decades."

Medium: Television
Program: CBC News
Broadcast Date: Jan. 15, 2007
Guest(s): Gordon Pinsent
Interviewer: Sandra Abma
Duration: 11:18

Last updated: March 2, 2012

Page consulted on October 1, 2012

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