Sean McCann and the cast of The Last Mass. From left: Billy McLellan, Tabby Johnson, Frank Orsini , Sean McCann and Nick Mancuso.The blue-eyed, shaggy-browed Canadian character actor Sean McCann played almost as many kinds of roles in life as he did on the screen. The ubiquitous Mr.
“When he started telling stories, he would lock you in,” his admiring son Jonas McCann said. “But at the same time, there was a real honesty and humility to him. He made you feel that you could achieve what he had achieved.” Sean’s older brothers served during the Second World War and one of his sisters became a nun. He came close to taking holy orders as well, studying at St. Peter’s Seminary in London, Ont., but the lure of the stage won out. After early successes as an amateur actor, he turned pro and joined the Sun Parlor Players, a summer theatre troupe in Leamington, Ont., whose members included future Stratford Festival star Martha Henry.