July 05, 2011

Gordon Tootoosis dies

Actor Gordon Tootoosis dies:  familyCelebrated actor Gordon Tootoosis has died, a family member is confirming to CBC News.

The cause of death was not immediately available but he was recently hospitalized for treatment of pneumonia. Tootoosis was 69.

He was born on the Poundmaker Reserve in rural Saskatchewan.

In addition to his film and television work, Tootoosis was also active in First Nations politics.

He was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2004 for his achievements as "an inspirational role model for Aboriginal youth."
Sask. actor, activist Gordon Tootoosis dead at 69Saskatchewan-born actor and aboriginal activist Gordon Tootoosis has died at the age of 69 after a brief illness.

Tootoosis, a Cree from the Poundmaker First Nation, was one of the stars of CBC's "North of 60" television series.

His long career ranged from the 1973 film "Alien Thunder" with Donald Sutherland and Chief Dan George to 1996's "Legends of the Fall" with Brad Pitt.

Tootoosis, who was awarded the Order of Canada in 2004, was also an accomplished stage actor and a founding member of the board of directors of the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company.

Assembly of First Nations national Chief Shawn Atleo called Tootoosis "a Cree and Canadian cultural icon."
Gordon Tootoosis remembered for arts, spirituality and public service

By Cam FullerTributes to Gordon Tootoosis continue to pour in a day after his death in North Battleford from pneumonia.

The actor’s passing resonates in both political and arts circles, owing to Tootoosis’s many interests in life.

About 30 Cree immersion elementary students in Onion Lake sang songs and said prayers in his honour at the start of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) assembly on Wednesday morning.

Delegates planned to pay tribute to Tootoosis throughout the two-day meeting. Tootoosis was the son of one of the FSIN’s founders, John B. Tootoosis.
Comment:  For more on the subject, see Who Are the Best Native Actors? and Gordon Tootoosis in Gordon Winter.

Below:  "Actor Gordon Tootoosis is shown in a scene from the film Hank William's First Nation."

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