Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Actress and former senator Viola Leger, best known as La Sagouine, dies at 92

Actress and teacher Viola Leger receives the Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award for Theatre shakes hands with Governor General David Johnston during a ceremony of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards at Rideau Hall the official residence of the Governor General in Ottawa on May 31, 2013. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Chartrand) Actress and teacher Viola Leger receives the Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award for Theatre shakes hands with Governor General David Johnston during a ceremony of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards at Rideau Hall the official residence of the Governor General in Ottawa on May 31, 2013. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Chartrand)
Share

Actress, teacher and former senator Viola Leger has died at the age of 92.

A release from management company Le Grenier musique says Leger died Saturday in Dieppe, New Brunswick.

Leger was best known for her portrayal of the character La Sagouine in the play of the same name by Antonine Maillet, playing the role more than three-thousand times and winning the Dora Mavor Moore Award in 1981 for her performance. In 2013, she was recognized by the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards with the Lifetime Artistic Achievement for theatre.

She was appointed to the Senate in 2001 by then Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien, serving as a representative of New Brunswick until 2005.

, federal Minister of Official Languages Ginette Petitpas Taylor wrote Acadia will never again have such a loyal ambassador, saying La Sagouine was not only the role of Leger's career and life, but "also represented a symbol of great pride and tenacity for all Acadians."

Leger was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1989.

She retired from public life in 2017 after having suffering a stroke.

Funeral arrangements will be announced in the near future.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2023.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'

A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.

A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.

At least two people are dead and others are injured after a fire ripped through a century-old building in Old Montreal early Friday morning, sources told Noovo Info.

The jury tasked with determining if Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard sexually assaulted a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago began deliberating Friday after nearly two weeks of testimony that saw the singer and his accuser give starkly different accounts of what happened.

Local Spotlight

Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.

From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.

A husband and wife have been on the road trip of a lifetime and have decided to stop in Saskatchewan for the winter.

The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.

A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.

Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north

What does New Westminster's təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.

The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.

New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.