Nicole Germain, C.M. (born Marcelle Landreau; November 29, 1917 – February 11, 1994) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

actress in

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 ...

radio and film in the 1940s and 1950s and later as a journalist. In 1974, she was named a member of the Order of Canada.

Personal life

Germain was born Marcelle Landreau. Her father was George Landreau, director of the Montreal Conservatory. She was also niece to Chief Justice Rinfret. She studied at the LaSalle Conservatory. Her daughter is Liette Desjardins.

Career

Germain began acting in radio in 1939 and became so popular she was voted the French Canadian "Miss Radio 1946". Success in radio led Germain to a role starring in the French version, '' La Fortresse'', of the 1947 film '' Whispering City'' which is notable as one of the earliest attempts of a Canadian film to break into the U.S. market. The film, popular in Quebec, the English version failed to find an audience, either in the United States or Canada. In 1949, she played Donalda in ''

A Man and His Sin ''A Man and His Sin'' (french: Un homme et son péché) is a Canadian drama film, directed by Paul Gury and released in 1949.Charles-Henri Ramond"Un homme et son péché – Film de Paul Gury" ''Films du Québec'', August 6, 2012. Adapted from Cla ...

'', the film adaptation of Claude-Henri Grignon’s novel ''Un homme et son péché'', followed by the film '' Séraphin'' a year later. In 1952, she played a concert pianist in ''

The Nightingale and the Bells ''The Nightingale and the Bells'' (french: Le rossignol et les cloches) is a Canadian musical comedy-drama film, directed by René Delacroix and released in 1952.What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...

'', ''Chacun son Metier''. In 1955 she appeared as a contestant on the American ''What's My Line?'' (Episode #242), first as a contestant, then joining the panel next to Bennet Cerf. She was co-chairman of the 1960 Christmas Gift Campaign for the Quebec Division of the Canadian Mental Health Association which raised gifts for Quebec's hospitalized mentally ill. At a conference on the French language held at the

Menton Menton (; , written ''Menton'' in classical norm or ''Mentan'' in Mistralian norm; it, Mentone ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italian border. Me ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in 1971, Germain urged the creation of an organization to find substitute French words when new English words are created.

Awards and honours

In 1974 Nicole Germain was named a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

for her efforts to promote the French language.

References

External links

* * by Germain with NHL player Butch Bouchard. {{DEFAULTSORT:Germain, Nicole 1917 births 1994 deaths Actresses from Montreal Canadian women non-fiction writers Canadian women journalists Canadian television personalities Canadian radio actresses Canadian film actresses Canadian women television personalities Journalists from Montreal Members of the Order of Canada Television personalities from Montreal Writers from Montreal 20th-century Canadian women writers 20th-century Canadian actresses Place of death missing