Michel Côté (June 25, 1950 – May 29, 2023) was a Canadian actor from
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
. He is known for his performances in the films ''
Cruising Bar'', ''
Life After Love (La vie après l'amour)'' and ''
C.R.A.Z.Y.'', the theatrical show ''Broue'' and the television series ''Omertà''.
Background
Born in
Alma,
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, he did not originally aspire to become an actor, but took up the profession after starting to take amateur theatre roles as part of his university studies, and later enrolled at the
National Theatre School of Canada.
Career
Côté taught introductory acting and improvisation at the Option Théâtre in Sainte-Thérèse until 1977. He subsequently cofounded a small theatre, Voyagements.
In 1979, Côté began performing in the play ''Broue'' at the theatre; the play was intended to have a one-month run, but ended up being staged in many cities across Canada, and Côté continued to perform in all of the more than 2,000 performances that had happened by 2008.
Côté,
Marc Messier and
Marcel Gauthier performed ''Broue'' for nearly 40 years, with Côté's last performance occurring in 2017. In order to reduce costs, the actors performed all the roles themselves.
Côté played the lead role in the film ''Cruising Bar'', and was nominated for a
Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in 1990. He also played the lead role in the film ''C.R.A.Z.Y.'', and won a Genie in the same category for this film in 2005. In 2008, he revived his ''Cruising Bar'' characters in the sequel film ''
Cruising Bar 2'', for which he received a
Jutra Award Jutras may have several meanings :
* Claude Jutra: an award-winning French Canadian filmmaker
**Jutra Award: Film awards formerly given in the Canadian province of Quebec, named after the filmmaker and now known as Prix Iris
**The Claude Jutra Awa ...
nomination for
Best Actor at the
11th Jutra Awards,
In 2009, Côté played a lead role in the film ''
Father and Guns (De père en flic)'', which took in $10.5 million at the box office in Quebec. In 2010, he appeared as pilot
Robert Piché in the film ''
Piché: The Landing of a Man (Piché, entre ciel et terre)'', and in 2011 he starred as Roger Gendron in ''
A Sense of Humour
''A Sense of Humour'' () is a Canadian crime comedy film, directed by Émile Gaudreault and released in 2011.Charles-Henri Ramond"Sens de l’humour, Le – Film d’Émile Gaudreault" ''Films du Québec'', June 17, 2011. The film stars Louis-Jos� ...
(Le sens de l'humour)''.
Côté was appointed
Officer of the Order of Canada
The Order of Canada () is a Canadian national 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 centennial of Canadian Confederation, the ...
(OC) in the
2023 Canadian honours, "for his distinguished career as one of Quebec's most prominent actors on stage, on television and in film."
Personal life
Côté was married to French actress
Véronique Le Flaguais. They had two sons Charles and
Maxime. The latter is also an actor. Côté died on 29 May 2023, at the age of 72.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cote, Michel
1950 births
2023 deaths
20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
20th-century Canadian male writers
21st-century Canadian male writers
Canadian male film actors
Canadian male stage actors
Canadian male television actors
People from Alma, Quebec
Male actors from Quebec
Writers from Quebec
Canadian dramatists and playwrights in French
Best Actor Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners
Canadian male dramatists and playwrights
Best Supporting Actor Jutra and Iris Award winners
Officers of the Order of Canada
National Theatre School of Canada alumni