A Star Is Recognized: Remembering Gordon Pinsent

Gordon Pinsent was making a movie called Klondike Fever in Barkerville, a snowbound middle-of-nowhere British Columbia town deep in the province’s mountainous interior.

He was co-starring with Rod Steiger and Angie Dickinson, iconic American stars who by then were somewhat past their prime.

I arrived in town to do a magazine piece on Gordon. As an actor, writer, raconteur, and hard-working jack of all artistic trades, I had known Gordon slightly, mostly through his good friend Larry Dane. I got to know him a whole lot better hanging around the set of Klondike Fever. As always, Gordon was welcoming and friendly, a delight to spend time with.

Stranded in Barkerville, he and Rod Steiger had become pals.

The Academy Award-winning star of On The Waterfront and In the Heat of the Night was a man who carried the weight of a complicated life on his shoulders, but he carried it with a certain merry glint in his eye.

The glint in Gordon’s eye was equally merry but with a bit of roguishness thrown in for good measure. He never seemed too weighted down by life. Nonetheless, he and Steiger saw themselves as kindred spirits, stranded in a British Columbia snowbank. They obviously got a big kick out of each other.

One day, when he finished filming, Gordon asked me if I wanted to go to lunch. Sure, I said. He then turned to Rod Steiger and asked him to join us. Steiger grimaced and said he didn’t want to go out. Every time he did, people bothered him. It was too much.

Gordon pushed and finally persuaded a very reluctant Steiger to join us. Arriving at a nearly deserted restaurant, a server hurried over to greet us. As she did, her eyes widened in recognition.

Steiger groaned and shook his head. “I knew it,” he said in despair. “I knew this was going to happen.”

The server drew closer and now she was smiling happily. “Gordon!” she exclaimed. “Gordon Pinsent!”

Gordon warmly shook her hand while Steiger’s face fell. The server, excited to have Gordon Pinsent in her establishment, led us to a table. By now aware of his deflated friend, Gordon tried to share the spotlight.

 “By the way,” he said to the server. “I’d like you to meet my good friend, Rod Steiger.”

The server beamed at him as she shook his hand. “Rob…” she said enthusiastically. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

Steiger looked more deflated than ever.

Klondike Fever never amounted to much, but I’ve dined out on that story for years.  I’ve taken great pleasure in reminding Gordon of it any time I ran into him. I do believe he took equal pleasure in hearing it. In fact, a version of the story appeared in Next, Gordon’s autobiography written with George Anthony.

I thought of it again this morning, hearing the sad news of Gordon’s death at the age of 92. As Rod Steiger learned that day at lunch in Barkerville, Gordon was something unusual in this country—a true Canadian star.

And something else too—a great guy.