Jefferson Mappin(1955-2026)

Tall, heavyweight Canadian character actor and producer, one of five siblings born in Montreal to John Mappin and his wife Judy (née Taylor). Jefferson began dabbling in the performing arts while still in high school. He received his professional acting training with the Dome Theatre Program at Dawson College in downtown Montreal. His stage career would eventually encompass three seasons with Canada’s Stratford Festival, as well as performances at the Factory Theatre in Toronto, the Gryphon Theatre in Barrie, Ontario, and Theatre Orangeville.Jefferson began acting on screen in supporting roles from 1978. Notably, in Clint Eastwood’s seminal western Unforgiven (1992), he was cast as a deputy, gunned down during a saloon shootout. The actor later wryly commented that Eastwood was ""the nicest director and star I ever worked with who shot me in the back!". Jefferson's other motion picture credits included the Marlon Brando crime comedy The Freshman (1990) and the Canadian drama Beautiful Dreamers (1990), starring Colm Feore and Rip Torn. A versatile player, he made many guest appearances on serial television, ranging from Cagney & Lacey (1981) and Counterstrike (1990) to Due South (1994) and Warehouse 13 (2009). Involved in the production side from 2017, he served as executive producer for the Canadian comedy series Avocado Toast (2020).Among several other executive positions, Jefferson held the office of National Vice President of the Alliance of Canadian Radio and Television Artists (ACTRA) from 1997 to 2002.