U of R awards honorary degree to Shirley Douglas

[Wes Pearce]

Shirley Douglas, one of Canada's best-known actors and activists and
daughter of the late Tommy Douglas, will be recognized for her lifetime
of work on February 24, 2011, when the University of Regina awards her
an honorary doctor of fine arts degree as part of a ceremony in Toronto.
Douglas was born in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. Her acting career has spanned
six decades. She began acting as a teenager at the Regina Little
Theatre, and then studied at the Banff School of Fine Arts. In 1954, she
graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England, and
then stayed in England for several years, performing in theatre and on
television. Since that time, she has performed on stage, film, radio and
television in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Douglas has been an activist on many fronts, dating back to the 1950s
when she participated in anti-nuclear marches in England. In the 1960s,
after moving to the United States, she became involved in the American
Civil rights Movement, and later campaigned against the Vietnam War. She
also advocated for the rights of immigrants and women. She returned to
Canada in 1977, and co-founded the first chapter in Canada of the
Performing Artists for Nuclear Disarmament (PAND). In addition, she is
one of the most prominent and tireless advocates for Canada's publicly
funded health care system.
Douglas was named an officer of the Order of Canada in 2003 and inducted
into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2004. She has been nominated several times
for various Gemini awards. She won a Gemini for her performance in the
television film Shadowlake and was presented with the 2001 Blizzard
Award for her performance in the film Law of Enclosures by the Manitoba
Motion Picture Industry Association. In 2004, she received the
University of Regina Lifelong Learning Centre's "Distinguished Canadian
Award."  
"Shirley Douglas has not simply inherited her father Tommy Douglas'
legacy of public service, but has built upon it in her own way to become
one of Canada's foremost actors, as well as a passionate advocate for
our publicly funded health care system," said Dr. Vianne Timmons,
President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Regina. "She has long
understood that her reputation as an actor provides a powerful
opportunity for her to help bring about social change, and by joining
the roles of actor and activist, throughout her career she has embodied
the motto of the University of Regina - ‘As One Who Serves.'"
Although the University of Regina normally confers honorary degrees at
convocation ceremonies in Regina each spring and fall, there have been
occasions where a degree is conferred in another community to
accommodate mobility restrictions that recipients may be facing. This is
an opportunity to present the honorary degree to Shirley Douglas as part
of a lifetime recognition ceremony by the Toronto chapter of the
Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA).


Wes D. Pearce
Associate Dean (Undergraduate)
Faculty of Fine Arts
University of Regina
306 585 5571

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