Canadian actor Maury Chaykin died yesterday, on his 61st birthday.

To say that Chaykin was a staple on the Canadian film and television landscape would be a dramatic understatement. Like the best character actors, he made a career of taking small supporting roles and elevating them to a level of great distinction -- be they in domestic productions (Trailer Park Boys, Less Than Kind) or Hollywood blockbusters (My Cousin Vinny, Dances With Wolves).

He did, of course, have his share of starring roles, including a Genie Award-winning turn as reclusive musician Desmond Howl in Whale Music, an acclaimed Canadian feature based on the late Paul Quarrington's novel of the same name. The film was an early favourite on this very cable channel, and its regular appearance on the Showcase broadcast schedule -- along with memorable roles in series such as Due South, Lexx, Nikita, and CSI -- helped ensure that his familiar face was a veritable fixture on the network.

His late work will allow that legendary presence to continue into the future, as well. Earlier this summer, Maury Chaykin filmed his scenes for The Drunk and on Drugs Happy Funtime Hour, the new series from Trailer Park Boys stars Mike Smith, JP Tremblay, and Robb Wells. In the show, Chaykin plays a mad scientist who develops a hallucinogen that sweeps a small Canadian town.

From The Canadian Press:

"The character was written as this sort of lighthearted sort of scientist but Maury wanted to play him like a true mad man and he did that," Smith said from Halifax, adding that the cast and crew considered it an honour to work with him.

"It was just fascinating to watch this character we wrote, watch Maury just take it to a completely different level than we had ever imagined."

For more thoughts from those who knew him well, view the full article here.