Viola Léger (June 29, 1930 – January 28, 2023) was an American-born Canadian actress and politician who served in the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...

from 2001 to 2005.Conway Daly, "Two new senators bring showbiz element". ''

Brantford Expositor The ''Brantford Expositor'' is an English language newspaper based in Brantford, Ontario and owned by Postmedia. It provides the readers with coverage of local news, sports and events to the community as well as coverage of provincial, national ...

'', September 1, 2001. Born in

Fitchburg, Massachusetts Fitchburg is a city in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The third-largest city in the county, its population was 41,946 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Fitchburg State University is located here. History ...

, Léger received a B.A. and a B.Ed. from the

Université de Moncton The Université de Moncton is a Canadian French-language university in New Brunswick. It includes campuses in Edmundston, Moncton, and Shippagan. The university was founded in 1963 following the recommendations of the royal commission on hig ...

, and an M.F.A. (Theater Education) from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

. As an actress, she was most noted for playing the title role in

Antonine Maillet Antonine Maillet (10 May 1929 – 17 February 2025) was an Acadian novelist, playwright and scholar. Early life and education Maillet was born on 10 May 1929 in Bouctouche, New Brunswick"Antonine Maillet." ''Paroles d'Acadie : Anthologie de ...

's play ''

La Sagouine ''La Sagouine'' is a play written by New Brunswick author Antonine Maillet that tells the story of ''la Sagouine'', an Acadian cleaning lady from rural New Brunswick. The play is a collection of monologues, written in chiac, a type of Acadian ...

'' for both stage and television, performing the role over 3,000 times over the course of her career from 1971 until 2016. She was appointed to the Senate at the recommendation of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a retired Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. He served as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, leader of t ...

, in 2001, representing the senatorial division of L'Acadie, New Brunswick. She was a member of the Liberal caucus. Léger retired from the Senate on June 29, 2005 at the mandatory retirement age of 75. Léger died in

Dieppe, New Brunswick Dieppe () is a city in the Canadian maritime province of New Brunswick. Statistics Canada counted the population at 28,114 in 2021, making it the fourth-largest city in the province. On 1 January 2023, Dieppe annexed parts of two neighbouring Lo ...

on January 28, 2023, at the age of 92.

Awards and honours

She was a

Dora Mavor Moore Award The Dora Mavor Moore Awards (also known as the Dora Awards or the Doras) are awards presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), honouring theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moor ...

winner for lead performance at the 1980 Dora Mavor Moore Awards for the production of ''La Sagouine'' at the

Théâtre Français de Toronto Théâtre français de Toronto (TfT) is a French-language theatre company presenting repertoire as well as original works in Ontario, Canada since 1967. Shows have been performed at the Berkeley Street Theatre since 1990. The company is a registe ...

. In 1989, she was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

. In 2007, she was awarded the

Order of New Brunswick The Order of New Brunswick is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The order was instituted through the ''Order of New Brunswick Act'', which was granted royal assent on 20 December 2000. The order is intended ...

. Léger received a

Governor General's Performing Arts Award The Governor General's Performing Arts Awards are an annual Canadian award, presented to honour distinguished achievements in Canadian performing arts and culture. Administered by the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation in associ ...

in 2013 for her work as an actress.Brent Mazerolle, "Governor General honours renowned performer; Accolades Viola Leger, best known for La Sagouine, given lifetime achievement award". ''

Telegraph-Journal The ''Telegraph-Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, owned by Postmedia Network. It serves as both a provincial daily and as a local newspaper for Saint John. The ''Telegraph-Journal'' is the only New ...

'', April 11, 2013.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leger, Viola 1930 births 2023 deaths Politicians of Acadian descent Actresses from New Brunswick American emigrants to Canada American people of French-Canadian descent Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni Canadian film actresses Canadian television actresses Women members of the Senate of Canada Canadian senators from New Brunswick Members of the Order of New Brunswick Officers of the Order of Canada People from Moncton Politicians from Fitchburg, Massachusetts Université de Moncton alumni Women in New Brunswick politics 21st-century members of the Senate of Canada 21st-century Canadian women politicians Canadian stage actresses 20th-century Canadian actresses Governor General's Award winners Dora Mavor Moore Award winners