Photo: christopherharte / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Gordon Pinsent feels like one of those quietly monumental figures every country needs but few celebrate loudly enough. He acted, wrote, directed, and sang, and earned Canada's highest honours, yet what moves me most is that he voiced King Babar for over twenty-five years. That kind of sustained devotion to gentle, child-facing work tells you something about a person's character. Coming out of small-town Newfoundland and building a career that broad takes real grit. He lived to ninety-two, and I like to think the long arc of that life was as warm and generous as the roles he gave us.
Overview
Gordon Edward Pinsent (July 12, 1930 – February 25, 2023) was a Canadian actor, writer, director, and singer. He was known for his roles in numerous productions, including Away from Her, The Rowdyman, John and the Missus, A Gift to Last, Due South, The Red Green Show, and Quentin Durgens, M.P. He was the voice of King Babar in the Babar the Elephant television and film productions from 1989 to 2015.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Gordon Pinsent
- Name (Japanese)
- ゴードン・ピンセント
- Reading
- ごーどん・ぴんせんと
- Born
- July 12, 1930 – February 25, 2023
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Horse
- Origin
- Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film director / screenwriter / stage actor / film actor / actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- Companion of the Order of Canada
- 1997 Earle Grey Award
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
- 2007 Canada's Walk of Fame
- 2004 Governor General's Performing Arts Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Film director — see all → · Screenwriter — see all → · More people from Canada →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.