Juliette Béliveau (October 28, 1889 – August 26, 1975) was a
French Canadian
French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...
actress and singer, who starred in various radio and television comedies and dramas, as well as in theatre productions. She was also the heroine of a weekly comic strip drawn by Dick Lucas, published by Radiomonde from 1950 through 1954.
Career
Born in
Nicolet, Quebec
Nicolet () is the county seat of Nicolet-Yamaska Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2016 Census was 8,169. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nicolet.
The residents of the town pronounce ...
, Béliveau's first public performance came at the age of ten, when she obtained a role in '' La Meunière'' performed at the Monument-National by Elzéar Roy's acting group Soirées de famille. It was here she was dubbed "la petite Sarah" by Louis-Honoré Fréchette, a reference to noted actress
Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including by Alexandre Dumas fils, ...
Béliveau's second job came at age twelve, when she gained a part in '' La Case de l'oncle Tom'' which was performed by the acting company of
Paul Cazeneuve
Paul Cazeneuve (10 January 1852, Lyon - 30 March 1934 Paris) was a French politician. He belonged to the Radical Party. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1902 to 1909 and a Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often ...
at the Théâtre National. She went to study for a time at the Académie Marchand, before returning to the theatre in 1902 to play the role of Fanfan in '' La Famille Benoîton'' at Théâtre Les Nouveautés. She followed that by playing the title role in '' Véronica'' in 1903. In 1911, Béliveau took a job with the acting companies Conservatoire Lasalle and Nationascope. She married in 1916, and as a result appeared in significantly fewer performances.
In 1920, Béliveau signed with the Starr label, and recorded a variety of songs, as well as humorous skits with
J. Hervey Germain
J, or j, is the tenth letter of the English alphabet.
J may also refer to:
* Palatal approximant in the International Phonetic Alphabet
* J, Cyrillic letter Je
Astronomy
* J, a provisional designation prefix for some objects discovered be ...
,
Elzéar Hamel Elzéar or Elzear may refer to:
*Elzéar Bédard (1799–1849), lawyer, member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
* Joseph-Elzéar Bernier (1852–1934), Canadian mariner who led expeditions into the Canadian Arctic
*Elzéar Auguste Cousin ...
Eugène Daigneault
Eugene is a common male given name that comes from the Greek εὐγενής (''eugenēs''), "noble", literally "well-born", from εὖ (''eu''), "well" and γένος (''genos''), "race, stock, kin".Ovila Légaré. During the 1920s, she is believed to have starred in about one hundred plays at the Théâtre National. Her performance there in '' Fridolin'' led to
Gratien Gélinas
Gratien Gélinas, (December 8, 1909 – March 16, 1999) was a Canadian writer, playwright, actor, director, producer and administrator who is considered one of the founders of modern Canadian theatre and film.
His major works include ''Tit ...
writing '' Fridolinades'', which Béliveau would go on to co-star in with Juliette Huot.
In 1935 she made her radio debut in an adaptation of
Honoré de Balzac
Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly ; ; born Honoré Balzac; 20 May 1799 – 18 August 1850) was a French novelist and playwright. The novel sequence ''La Comédie humaine'', which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is ...
's novel ''
Le Curé de village
''Le Curé de village'' (''The Village Priest'') is a novel by Honoré de Balzac. It first appeared in ''La Presse
is a French-language online newspaper published daily in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1884, it is now owned by an indep ...
'' on
CKAC
CKAC is a Canadian French, French-language radio station located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Owned by Cogeco, the station operates as a commercial travelers' information station, traffic information service branded as ''Radio Circulation 730''. ...
in 1935, a programme she would stay with until 1938. From 1937 until 1959 she was a cast member of '' Rue principale'' also aired on CKAC, and from 1939 until 1957 she was a cast member of '' Un homme et son péché'' on
société Radio-Canada
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...
. Her popularity lead to her own radio show, '' Le Programme Juliette Béliveau'' which aired on CKAC from 1947 through 1950.
Béliveau appeared in her first movie role in 1949 in ''Un homme et son péché'' directed by
Paul L'Anglais
Paul may refer to:
People
* Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people
* Paul (surname), a list of people
* Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament
* Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...
. She quickly landed several other roles, appearing in '' The Grand Bill (Le Gros Bill)'' in 1949, ''
The Nightingale and the Bells
''The Nightingale and the Bells'' () is a Canadian musical comedy-drama film, directed by René Delacroix and released in 1952.
(Le Rossignol et les cloches)'' in 1950 and ''
Tit-Coq
''Tit-Coq'' (lit. "Little Rooster") is a Canadian film, directed by René Delacroix and Gratien Gélinas, and released in 1952.
Plot
''Tit-Coq'' is a tale of love and the importance of family. It tells the story of Arthur Saint-Jean, a shy, awkw ...
'' in 1952. Her performance as Aunt Clara in ''Tit-Coq'' won a
Castor award
Castor most commonly refers to:
*Castor (star), a star in the Gemini constellation
*Castor, one of the Dioscuri/Gemini twins Castor and Pollux in Greco-Roman mythology
Castor or CASTOR may also refer to:
Science and technology
*Castor (rocket s ...
for the best supporting role in Quebec cinema in 1953. Béliveau began appearing in television programmes in 1953 with a role in the soap opera ''
La Famille Plouffe
''La famille Plouffe'' was a Canadian television drama, more specifically a téléroman, about a Quebec City family that first aired in the French language on Société Radio-Canada in 1953. The show was created to fill a void in francophone tel ...
'' airing on Télévision de Radio-Canada.
Béliveau returned to theatre work in 1956 with a role in '' Sonnez les Matines''. She would continue to work in theatre through the 1950s and 1960s, as well as on television until her death on August 26, 1975, in
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
A Man and His Sin
''A Man and His Sin'' () 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 Claude-Henri Grignon's 1933 novel ...
(Un homme et son péché)'' - 1949
* ''
The Nightingale and the Bells
''The Nightingale and the Bells'' () is a Canadian musical comedy-drama film, directed by René Delacroix and released in 1952.
(Le Rossignol et les cloches)'' - 1950
* ''
Tit-Coq
''Tit-Coq'' (lit. "Little Rooster") is a Canadian film, directed by René Delacroix and Gratien Gélinas, and released in 1952.
Plot
''Tit-Coq'' is a tale of love and the importance of family. It tells the story of Arthur Saint-Jean, a shy, awkw ...
'' - 1952
Television
* ''
La famille Plouffe
''La famille Plouffe'' was a Canadian television drama, more specifically a téléroman, about a Quebec City family that first aired in the French language on Société Radio-Canada in 1953. The show was created to fill a void in francophone tel ...
'' (1953–1957)
* ''
La feuille au vent
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
*La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
*"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...
Les Belles Histoires des pays d'en haut
''Les Belles Histoires des pays d'en haut'' (''The Beautiful Stories of the Upper Countries'') is a Canadian television drama series, which aired on Radio-Canada from October 8, 1956, to June 1, 1970. One of the longest-running programs in the his ...
Rue des Pignons
''Rue des Pignons'' was a Canadian French-language TV series which ran from 1966 to 1977. Radio-Canada Radio-Canada may refer to:
* CBC/Radio-Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
*Ici Radio-Canada Télé, the CBC's main French-language te ...