Denis Héroux, (; July 15, 1940 – December 10, 2015) was a Canadian film director and producer.

Biography

Born in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, 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 ...

, he was the older brother of prolific Quebec film and television producer Claude Héroux. Héroux wanted to become a teacher when he collaborated with

Denys Arcand Georges-Henri Denys Arcand (; born June 25, 1941) is a French Canadian film director, screenwriter and producer. His film '' The Barbarian Invasions'' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2004. His films have also been nominated three ...

and Stéphane Venne on the 1962 film about life as a student, '' Alone or with Others (Seul ou avec d’autres)''. That year he went on to become a teacher and for the next six years, in addition to teaching, he also wrote two history books and continued to direct. By the late 1960s Héroux had become one of the most successful independent filmmakers with hits like 1968's ''Valérie'' and '' Here and Now (L'Initiation)'' in 1970. In 1975, riding the success of several other popular features he directed, such as the swashbuckler ''Quelques arpents de neige'' (1973), he became involved in co-production projects and big-budget Quebec features as partner with his wife Justine Héroux in Ciné-Vidéo. He went on to helm international co-productions with films such as ''

Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris ''Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris'' is a musical revue of the songs of Jacques Brel. Brel's songs were translated into English by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman, who also provided the story. The original 1968 Off-Broadway produc ...

'' (1975), '' Atlantic City'' (1980), and '' Quest for Fire'' (1981). He was a co-founder of

Alliance Films Alliance Films (formerly Alliance Entertainment, Alliance Communications, Alliance Atlantis Releasing Ltd, Motion Picture Distribution LP and also known as Alliance Vivafilm in Quebec and also known simply as Alliance) was a Canadian motion pictur ...

, a company he left in the late eighties. Héroux was a

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for sc ...

nominee as producer of the

Best Picture This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

finalist ''

The Plouffe Family ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

(Les Plouffe)'' at the

3rd Genie Awards The 3rd Genie Awards were awarded on March 3, 1982, at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, Jay Scott, "Academy lists Genie nominees". '' The Globe and Mail'', February 4, 1982. and honoured Canadian films released in 1981.Liam Lacey, "Ticket ...

in 1981, and won as producer of '' The Bay Boy'' at the 6th Genie Awards in 1985. He also received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture for '' Atlantic City''. Héroux was a member of the jury at the 31st Berlin International Film Festival in 1981. In 1983, Héroux was made an Officer 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 c ...

. Héroux died on December 10, 2015 at the age of 75.André Duchesne
"Décès du réalisateur et producteur Denis Héroux"
'' La Presse, December 11, 2015.

Filmography

Features

*'' Alone or With Others (Seul ou avec d'autres)'' - 1962, co-directed with

and Stéphane Venne *''Over My Head (Jusqu'au cou)'' - 1964 *''No Holiday for Idols (Pas de vacances pour les idoles)'' - 1965 *''

Valérie Valerie is generally a feminine given name, derived directly from the French ''Valérie'' (a female-only name). Valéry or Valery is a masculine given name in parts of Europe (particularly in France and Russia), as well as a common surname in Fr ...

'' - 1968 *'' Here and Now (L'Initiation)'' - 1969 *''The Awakening (L'amour humain)'' - 1970 *''Les Défroqués'' - 1971 *''Seven Times a Day (7 fois... par jour)'' - 1971 *'' The Rebels (Quelques arpents de neige)'' - 1972 *'' Enuff Is Enuff (J'ai mon voyage!)'' - 1973 *'' There's Always a Way to Find a Way (Y'a toujours moyen de moyenner!)'' - 1973 *''

Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris ''Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris'' is a musical revue of the songs of Jacques Brel. Brel's songs were translated into English by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman, who also provided the story. The original 1968 Off-Broadway produc ...

'' - 1974 *'' Don't Push It (Pousse mais pousse égal)'' - 1975 *'' Born for Hell'' - 1976 *'' The Uncanny'' - 1977 *''

The Blood of Others ''The Blood of Others'' (french: Le Sang des autres) is a novel by the French existentialist Simone de Beauvoir first published in 1945 and depicting the lives of several characters in Paris leading up to and during the Second World War. The novel ...

'' - 1984

Other work

*''Cent ans déjà'' (Documentary short, 1967) *''Mais où sont les Anglais d'antan?'' (Documentary, 1967) *''Un ville à vivre'' (Documentary short, 1967) *''Les Acadiens'' (TV episode of the series ''La feuille d'érable'', 1971) *''La fille du Roy'' (TV episode of the series ''La feuille d'érable'', 1971) *''Bureau des inventeurs'' (Documentary short, 1971) *''Transports et communications'' (Documentary short, 1971) *''Un enfant comme les autres'' (Documentary, 1972) *''Le Ministère de l'Industrie et du Commerce du Canada'' (Short film, 1972) *''Le Ministère des Transports du Canada'' (Short film, 1972) *''La vallée-jardin'' (Short film Co-Directed with Justine Héroux, 1974) *''The Strikebreaker'' (TV episode of the series '' Sidestreet'', 1975)

References

External links

*
Denis Héroux - The Canadian EncyclopediaCanadian Film Encyclopedia - Denis Héroux
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heroux, Denis 1940 births 2015 deaths Canadian film producers Officers of the Order of Canada Film directors from Montreal National Film Board of Canada people