Pierre Maurice Joseph Cossette (December 15, 1923 – September 11, 2009) was a

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

producer. Cossette produced the first television broadcast of the Grammy Awards in 1971. Cossette was inducted into

Canada's Walk of Fame Canada's Walk of Fame (french: link=no, Allée des célébrités canadiennes) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of Canadians who have excelled in their respective fields. It is a ...

in 2005. Born in Valleyfield,

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, he also has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

. In 2006, a Golden Palm Star on the

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...

, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.Palm Springs Walk of Stars by date dedicated
/ref> His autobiography, ''Another Day In Showbiz: One Producer's Journey'', offers his vision of the industry, detailing stars, directors, producers, movies, TV companies, record companies, and the art, creation, and exhibition of stage productions such as ''

The Will Rogers Follies ''The Will Rogers Follies'' is a musical with a book by Peter Stone, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Cy Coleman. It focuses on the life and career of famed humorist and performer Will Rogers, using as a backdrop the Ziegfeld ...

'', ''The Scarlet Pimpernell'', and ''The Voice of Woody Guthrie''. In the book, Cossette describes a conversation he had with his personal friend,

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

, about his having cast Marla Maples into his Broadway production of ''The Will Rogers Follies'' (Maples became Trump's second wife shortly thereafter). He went from agent to producer with the help and support of entertainment giant

Harry Cohn Harry Cohn (July 23, 1891 – February 27, 1958) was a co-founder, president, and production director of Columbia Pictures Corporation. Life and career Cohn was born to a working-class Jewish family in New York City. His father, Joseph Cohn, wa ...

. Cossette booked shows in Las Vegas, brought The Grammy Awards to TV, and managed performers such as Dick Shawn and Buddy Hackett. His son,

John Cossette John Cossette (February 22, 1957 – April 26, 2011) was an American theater and television producer known for his work on televised award shows, especially the television broadcasts of the Grammy Awards. Cossette's father, television producer ...

, became the producer of the Grammy Awards following Pierre Cossette's retirement. Cossette died from

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

on September 11, 2009, in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

at the age of 85.

References

External links

* * French Quebecers People from Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Canadian television producers Canadian theatre managers and producers Grammy Awards 1923 births 2009 deaths {{Canada-tv-bio-stub