Famed Canadian actress Shirley Douglas has passed away at the age of 86.

Ms. Douglas is best remembered for her role as matriarch May Bailey in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s (CBC) series Wind at My Back.  She also appeared as Madeleine Albright in the miniseries, The Path to 9/11.  Other series include Road to Avonlea, Flash Gordon, and Street Legal.

Ms. Douglas was the daughter of Tommy Douglas, the man who spearheaded medicare in Canada and a Premier of Saskatchewan and was born in Weyburn, Saskatchewan.

She was married for a numbered of years to Donald Sutherland and is the mother of three, including Kiefer Sutherland.

Ms. Douglas was also an activist, campaigning against the Vietnam War in the 1960s while living in the USA with her husband, Donald Sutherland, and in the Civil Rights Movement.  She would later be deported by the USA for her activism, following her divorce from Mr. Sutherland.

She received many awards over the years, including a Gemini Award, an honorary Doctorate from Ryerson University, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and was an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Ms. Douglas passed away due to complications from pneumonia, unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic, in Toronto on April 5th, 2020, three days after her birthday.