Jacqueline "Jackie" Burroughs (2 February 1939 – 22 September 2010) was a British-born Canadian actress.

Early life

Born in

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

(now

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wi ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, she emigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

on 26 August 1948 with her mother Edna, her father Harry and younger brother Gary.

Career

Burroughs started acting in live theatre at

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

's famous Stratford Festival, including starring as Portia in ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'' in 1976. Her film credits included '' The Dead Zone'' (1983), ''

The Grey Fox ''The Grey Fox'' is a 1982 Canadian biographical Western film directed by Phillip Borsos and written by John Hunter. It is based on the true story of Bill Miner, an American stagecoach robber who staged his first Canadian train robbery on 1 ...

'' (1982), and a voice-over stint in the legendary animated anthology '' Heavy Metal'' (1981), while her TV-series resume includes the roles of Mrs. Amelia Evans in '' Anne of Green Gables'' (1985) and Hetty King in '' Road to Avonlea'' (1990). In 1987, Jackie Burroughs produced, directed, co-wrote, and starred in '' A Winter Tan'', a film based on the letters of

Maryse Holder Maryse Holder (October 19, 1940 – September 1977) was an American memoirist and feminist writer, who was the author of '' Give Sorrow Words''. The book was published posthumously in 1979 by Grove Press, with an introduction by feminist author ...

, published in 1979 as the book ''Give Sorrow Words – Maryse Holder's Letters from Mexico'', later receiving a Genie Award for best performance by an actress in a leading role for the film, and won several more Genies and Geminis during her career. Her first award was the 1969

Canadian Film Award The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1978. These honours were conducted annually, except in 1974 when a number of Quebec directors withdrew their participation and prompted a cancellation. In the 1970s ...

for best actress, for starring in the television film ''

Dulcima ''Dulcima'' is a 1971 British drama film directed by Frank Nesbitt. It was entered into the 21st Berlin International Film Festival. The story revolves around a love triangle: a farmer, his housekeeper and the handsome neighbour. Plot Dulcima G ...

''. In 2001, she was awarded the

Earle Grey Award The Earle Grey Award is the lifetime achievement award for television acting of the Canadian Screen Awards, and its predecessor the Gemini Awards. It can be presented to an individual or collaborative team (such as SCTV or Royal Canadian Air Farce) ...

for her contributions to arts and entertainment over the years by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. In 2005, Burroughs received a

Governor General's Performing Arts Award A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts. Burroughs played the voice of The Spirit in 1985's ''

The Care Bears Movie ''The Care Bears Movie'' is a 1985 animated musical fantasy film directed by Arna Selznick from a screenplay by Peter Sauder. This was the second feature film from the Canadian animation studio Nelvana (after the 1983 film ''Rock & Rule''), ...

''. She also played teacher Nancy Galik in ''The Undergrads'' (1985) opposite

Art Carney Arthur William Matthew Carney (November 4, 1918 – November 9, 2003) was an American actor and comedian. A recipient of an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and six Primetime Emmy Awards, he was best known for his role as Ed Norton on the si ...

. She was perhaps best known to American audiences for her portrayal of the fictional character, Hetty King, in the CBC Television series '' Road to Avonlea'' from 1990 to 1996. The series was based on the works of Canadian author

Lucy Maud Montgomery Lucy Maud Montgomery (November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942), published as L. M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a collection of novels, essays, short stories, and poetry beginning in 1908 with ''Anne of Green Gables''. She ...

and produced by

Sullivan Entertainment Kevin Roderick Sullivan (born c. 1955) is a Canadian writer, director and producer of film and television programs. Kevin Sullivan is best known for detailed period movies such as the ''Anne of Green Gables'' series of films, his movie adaptati ...

. She also played Mother Mucca in the television adaptations of Armistead Maupin's '' More Tales of the City'' and ''Further Tales of the City''. Burroughs again played a mother role in 2003's '' Willard''. She appeared in the 2006 film '' The Sentinel''. She also appeared in the '' Smallville'' season one episode "Hourglass" as the elderly blind prophetess Cassandra Carver.

Personal life

Burroughs was married to Zalman Yanovsky, co-founder (with

John Sebastian John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist who founded the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969The Lovin' Spoonful The Lovin' Spoonful is an American rock band popular during the mid- to late-1960s. Founded in New York City in 1965 by lead singer/songwriter John Sebastian and guitarist Zal Yanovsky, the band is widely known for a number of hits, including ...

; they separated in 1968. They had one daughter, Zoe (a restaurant owner and author in Kingston).

Death

Burroughs died at her home in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

on 22 September 2010, aged 71, after suffering from stomach cancer.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * * (A publication of The Film Reference Library/a division of the Toronto International Film Festival Group)
Images of Jackie Burroughs from the Toronto Telegram fonds at the Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections, York University

Jackie Burroughs
aveleyman) {{DEFAULTSORT:Burroughs, Jackie 1939 births 2010 deaths Actresses from Lancashire Canadian film actresses Canadian television actresses Canadian voice actresses Deaths from cancer in Ontario Deaths from stomach cancer English film actresses English television actresses English voice actresses Best Actress in a Drama Series Canadian Screen Award winners Best Actress Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Best Supporting Actress Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Governor General's Performing Arts Award winners English emigrants to Canada Canadian Shakespearean actresses Best Supporting Actress in a Television Film or Miniseries Canadian Screen Award winners