Aunt Hetty has Died (Actress Jackie Burroughs, 'Road to Avonlea')
September 22, 2010 - 9:01pm
Jackie Burroughs, the stage and screen actress best known for her role as schoolteacher Hetty King on TV's Road to Avonlea, has died at the age of 71.
The British-born Canadian actor died at home in Toronto Wednesday afternoon, CBC News has confirmed. She had been suffering from stomach cancer.
As the stiff but kindly Hetty King, Burroughs brought both dignity and comedy to Road to Avonlea. The CBC family series, adapted from Lucy Maud Montgomery's books, ran from 1990 to 1996 in Canada and the U.S.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2010/09/22/jackie-burroughs-obit.html
Jackie Burroughs was a really, really good actor how sad she's gone. If you only knew her as 'Aunt Hettie', check out the Philip Borsos film 'The Grey Fox' or 'Rhinocerous Eyes'. RIP Jackie
Tara Jackie
I was lucky enough to know Jackie, not because I'm in the acting community, but because we lived in the same neighbourhood, and had many mutual friends. The best word I can use to describe her is real. Overused as it may be, that's the only one I can think of to describe someone who seemed to have no pretense, who, though one of the most famous actors in Canada, took the time to faithfully attnded a friend's literary reading with 8 other people.
Jackie was waiting outside of a building once, smoking one of her frequent cigarettes. Three teenagers saw her puffing away, and were gobsmacked. One of them said, "You can't smoke. You're a celebrity." She just though it was funny. Celebrity wasn't something she admired, or seemed to desire.
A sad loss.
So she was a heavy smoker then? I wonder if that contributed to her premature death? Too bad.
I saw her on stage at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa 10 years back playing Maria Callas in "Master Class".
Jackie never claimed to be perfect. Unfortunately smoking probably did contribute to her death. I don't know how heavy it was. To me, 10 a day is too frequent.
The obit in the Globe today, had a notice for a funeral service next Wednesday, at 2:00 in St James Cathedral. Perhaps that's one of the few churches that's big enough.