Shirley Douglas

Shirley Jean Douglas, OC is a Canadian television, film and stage actress and activist. Her acting career combined with her family name has made her recognisable in Canadian film, television and politics. Douglas was born in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, the daughter of Irma May and Tommy Douglas , former Canadian statesman and Premier of Saskatchewan. She attended high school at Central Collegiate Institute in Regina. She is the mother of three children: Thomas, from her first marriage, and of twins Rachel and Kiefer Sutherland, from her second marriage to actor Donald Sutherland. In later... years, she was confined to a wheelchair. Douglas's acting career began in 1950 with a role in the Regina Little Theatre entry at the Dominion Drama Festival, where she won the best actress award. In 1952 Shirley graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, UK, and stayed in England for several years, performing for theatre and television, before returning to Canada in 1957. She is not to be confused with the child actress who appeared in Gone with the Wind, the Wizard of Oz, and Show Boat.
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