Dan MacDonald, an actor and former ACTRA and Canadian Actors’ Equity Association (CAEA) president, has died at the age of 89.

He died on Nov. 23 in his home province of Nova Scotia, at the Halifax Infirmary, a spokesperson for ACTRA National told Playback Daily.

MacDonald leaves a lasting legacy in the Canadian screen sector, having helped to establish the ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society (AFBS), which is billed as Canada’s only national insurance and investment provider launched by Canadian performers and screenwriters. He was the first president of the CAEA and served as president of ACTRA National from 1993 to 1995.

“Dan MacDonald’s unwavering dedication to the performing arts community echoes through generations, leaving an enduring mark on the stage and in the hearts of artists,” wrote ACTRA National in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).

He is also remembered for his roles in Wind at My Back, Road to Avonlea and The Trailer Park Boys: Don’t Legalize it, among others, though his prolific acting career took him as far as the U.K. and Egypt. He made history as the first Canadian to earn the Shakespearean Cup after he joined the Old Vic Company in London, England in the 1950s.

He was an active director of The Performing Arts Lodges, an initiative that provides housing and assistance to senior performers across Canada.

“Dan was a performer by trade, but a social activist by design,” says Robert Underwood, retired president of AFBS, who worked in tandem with MacDonald in supporting emerging performers for more than 25 years. “Of all of the individuals in the business, I would have to say Dan was the most obsessed with social justice and [was] a staunch supporter of performer rights in every respect.”

Image courtesy of ACTRA National