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In this file photo, Shirley Douglas poses with her children — Kiefer Sutherland and Rachel Sutherland — after she received the ACTRA Toronto Award of Excellence at the 11th annual ACTRA awards in Toronto on Feb. 23, 2013.
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Shirley Douglas — actress, activist and Kiefer Sutherland’s mother — dies at 86

Galit Rodan, The Canadian Press / AP photo

Shirley Douglas — actress, activist and Kiefer Sutherland’s mother — dies at 86

April 2, 1934-April 5, 2020

Canadian actress and ardent activist Shirley Douglas, mother to actor Kiefer Sutherland, has died of pneumonia, her bereft son announced Sunday.

She was 86.

Ms. Douglas was the daughter of the founder of Canada's universal health care system, known as medicare, the Canadian Press reported, and was a lifelong advocate of publicly funded health care. Her acting career spanned several decades, starting in the early 1950s.

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Mr. Sutherland announced his mother's death on Twitter, noting that it was from "complications surrounding pneumonia" but qualifying that it was "not related to COVID-19," the coronavirus-caused illness that also can cause pneumonia in severe cases.

In his Twitter tribute, Mr. Sutherland lauded his mother's accomplishments while managing to think of others suffering devastating loss.

"My mother was an extraordinary woman who led an extraordinary life," Mr. Sutherland wrote. "Sadly she had been battling for her health for quite some time and we, as a family, knew this day was coming. To any families who have lost loved ones unexpectedly to the coronavirus, my heart breaks for you. Please stay safe."

Ms. Douglas had only just celebrated her 86th birthday Thursday. She was born on April 2, 1934, and was involved in both politics and the arts early on, the Canadian Press said. She campaigned against nuclear arms, lobbied for public health care and worked to put an end to the Viet Nam war, among other activist roles.

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One of those roles, as founder of a group called Friends of the Black Panthers, brought controversy in the form of a denied U.S. work visa and an arrest in 1969, the Associated Press reported. Her case was eventually dismissed, AP said.

Ms. Douglas studied at the Banff School of Fine Arts in Canada and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in England, AP said. She lived much of her life in Toronto.

From 1966-1971, Ms. Douglas was married to actor Donald Sutherland, a union that produced twins Kiefer and Rachel.

Over a 40-plus-year-career Ms. Douglas appeared in "Lolita," directed by Stanley Kubrick and released in 1962; David Cronenbert's "Dead Ringers," 1988, and "Shadow Dancing," in 1988, among many other works, The Hollywood Reporter said.

Over the years she was named as an Officer of the Order of Canada and won the Gemini Award, Canada's Emmy equivalent, for her role in "Shadow Lake," a 1999 television movie.

She also worked with her son, onstage in Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie," according to the Canadian Press, and in film in 1999's "Woman Wanted," which also featured Holly Hunter, reported EW.com.

Her last movie was the Canadian film "The Law of Enclosures" in 2000, and in 2008 she finished out her television career with an appearance in "Degrassi: The Next Generation," according to EW.

Besides Mr. Sutherland and his twin, survivors also include another son, Thomas, and a granddaughter, Veep actress Sarah Sutherland.

First Published: April 7, 2020, 6:07 a.m.

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In this file photo, Shirley Douglas poses with her children — Kiefer Sutherland and Rachel Sutherland — after she received the ACTRA Toronto Award of Excellence at the 11th annual ACTRA awards in Toronto on Feb. 23, 2013.  (Galit Rodan, The Canadian Press / AP photo)
Galit Rodan, The Canadian Press / AP photo
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