Actor Kim Coates to receive honorary degree from the University of Saskatchewan

On June 6, Coates will return home to Saskatoon to take centre stage when he is awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters by his alma mater at U of S Spring Convocation at TCU Place.

“I have great memories of my time at the U of S and I am so proud to be from Saskatoon and from our great province,” said the 59-year-old Coates, who earned a Bachelor of Arts at the U of S in 1981. “The time that I spent at the university opened up a whole new world of opportunity for me. I am always excited to come home—and to come home for this kind of an honour, from our beautiful university, is so exciting and I am so grateful.”

Since graduating from the U of S, Coates has gone on to acclaimed success in all genres of stage, television and film. He started his career by appearing in more than 50 plays across North America, from the title role in Macbeth at the legendary Stratford Theatre to playing Stanley Kowalski in the Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire. From there, Coates comfortably transitioned to the screen and has now appeared in more than 100 movies and television series, from Academy Award-winning films like Black Hawk Down and Pearl Harbor to the wildly successful FX hit TV series Sons of Anarchy.

Coates’ passion for acting is matched by his commitment to charitable and community work off screen. Coates supports multiple charities and non-profit organizations, from Creative Kids Saskatoon—connecting local youth to artistic and cultural experiences in the community—to One Heart Source—providing sustainable homes and health and education programs in Africa. Coates has gone overseas to do USO tours to help lift the spirits of American and Canadian troops and often returns home to volunteer his time to support the U of S drama department and to help promote the Saskatchewan film industry.

“We are extremely proud to honour Kim Coates, not only for his success on stage and screen, but also for his tireless work with a multitude of charities and his ongoing support for our university,” said U of S President Peter Stoicheff. “While he has gone on to shine in the bright lights of Hollywood, he has never forgotten his Prairie roots and his love of community. Kim is a shining example of the breadth of the programming that we offer at the U of S , including the creative arts, and just how far you can go when you have a passion and a commitment to your craft. We are extremely proud to call him one of our own.”

Coates was recently awarded the 2016 Actra Award of Excellence for his extensive body of work in acting and producing, his charitable commitments, and his ongoing support of the Canadian film industry.

Coates will be the first of six honorary degree recipients at this year’s U of S Spring Convocation from June 5-8 at TCU Place. He will be honoured during the 9 am convocation ceremony on June 6.

For the full convocation schedule, please visit: https://students.usask.ca/events/spring-convocation.php