TOP 5 OF THE MOST FAMOUS FRANCOPHONES IN CANADA
Too often underestimated, the Francophones of Canada are however present on the national, and even international, scene. They have numerous successes in the music world, cinema, medicine, politic, hockey or even literature. The Alliance française d’Ottawa is giving you a small list of some of the most famous Francophones artists in Canada!
1. Céline Dion (1968- )
Photo credit: Sony Music Canada
No one can argue that Celine Dion is one of the most famous divas in the world. Originally from the small town of Charlemagne, Quebec, the last daughter of a family of fourteen children, Celine Dion stood out from the launch of her first title Ce n’était qu’un rêve. One thing leading to another, she quickly became a world star thanks to titles like My Heart Will Go On in the movie Titanic, S’il suffisait d’aimer, All By Myself, I’m Alive, and many more.
She is one of the first singers to establish a residence in Las Vegas, a place that will be taken by many after her departure. In Hollywood, on the famous sidewalk of Hollywood Boulevard, the Walk of Fame, she has a star alongside artists like Queen, The Beatles, Charles Aznavour or Elvis Presley. Look out, the diva should appear on the big screen in the film Love Again next May.
2. Jean-Marc Vallée (1963-2021)
PHOTO : GETTY IMAGES / JASON MERRITT/TERM
Quebec director, screenwriter and editor, born in Montreal, Jean-Marc Vallée is well known in the film industry. His first feature film Liste noire (1995), became the highest-grossing film in Quebec history and won several awards and nominations. Subsequently, his film C.R.A.Z.Y., telling the story of a Quebec family in the 1970s, was a huge success when it was released in 2005.
Remarqué grâce à son succès au Québec, Vallée se fait confier plusieurs scripts à l’international. Il signe donc des films comme Victoria : Les Jeunes Années d’une reine (2009), Dallas Buyers Club (2013), Wild (2014) ou encore la série Big Little Lies (2017-2019).
Noticed thanks to his success in Quebec, Vallée was entrusted with several scripts internationally. He signs films like The Young Victoria (2009), Dallas Buyers Club (2013), Wild (2014) and the series Big Little Lies (2017-2019).
3. Maurice Richard (1921-2000)
What hockey fan doesn’t know the great Maurice Richard? Born in Montreal, this star player of the Canadiens de Montréal, nicknamed the Rocket, was the first to score 50 goals in 50 games in the 1944-1945 season. Eight Stanley Cups will be won by the Canadiens de Montréal, including five in a row between 1956-1960, when Richard was part of the team.
Recognized for his considerable contribution to sport and the many victories of the Canadiens, he also played a major role in the place of Francophones in Canadian hockey teams. Through the newspapers, he encourages managers (anglophones) to stop their discriminatory behavior towards French-speaking players.
In short, this great man of hockey will definitely had a great impact on the evolution of this sport. A few weeks after announcing his retirement, his jersey with the number 9 was retired by the Canadiens, followed, several months later, by his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
You can see a statue erected in honor of Maurice Richard at the entrance to Jacques-Cartier Park in Gatineau.
4. Lucille Teasdale (1929-1996)
Lucille Teasdale is a Montreal-born physician and pediatric surgeon. She is recognized as one of the pioneers who contributed to the development of health services in Uganda from 1961 until her death in 1996.
With her husband Piero Corti, they work to treat the sick at low cost. During the revolution by the general-in-chief of the armed forces Idi Amin Dada, Teasdale decides to stay rather than flee like many expatriates. The negligence and mismanagement of the country led to the collapse of the country’s economy and infrastructure, leading to a period of insecurity for the hospital. During the Uganda-Tanzania war, she continued to treat more and more patients.
In her career, she trained several doctors and treated many patients. A film was made about her life, Dr. Lucille (2001), with Marina Orsini as Doctor Teasdale. Lucille Teasdale devoted her life to the poor, sick and victims of civil war in the heart of Africa before dying of AIDS in 1996.
5. Luc Plamondon (1942- )
PHOTO : Julie Mainville
Luc Plamondon, born in Saint-Raymond, is a Quebec producer and lyricist. A great lover of musicals, he decided that this art would be his vocation. He will also sign two great musicals: Starmania and Notre-Dame-de-Paris.
It is said that all his titles become directly successful. Plamondon has written lyrics for singers in the Quebec music industry such as Céline Dion (the album Dion chante Plamondon), Ginette Reno (J’ai besoin de parler), Steve Fiset (Dans ma Camaro or Les Chemins d’été), Robert Charlebois (J’t’aime comme un fou), Claude Dubois (Les Blues du businessman) and many others.
A great man in the Quebec music industry, Plamondon has received numerous nominations and awards in his career.
FRANCO-ONTARIEN BONUS: Roy Dupuis (1963- )
Although this article includes a majority representation from Quebec (Quebecers represent nearly 85% of the Francophonie in Canada), it is nevertheless necessary to underline the many francophone artists or public figures of Ontario.
Roy Dupuis, born in New Liskead, Ontario, is a Franco-Ontarian actor who has performed in theatre, film and television. It can be seen in the phenomenon television series Les Filles de Caleb (1990-1991), in the mini-series Maurice Richard (2005), in the film Pieds nus dans l’aube (2017) or in Séraphin: Un homme et son péché (2002).
Apart from these five famous people from the Canadian Francophonie, several other names can also be mentioned. Here is a small additional list of French-speaking personalities known across Canada:
Alanis Morissette (Ontario), Julie Payette, Denys Arcand, Gabrielle Roy (Manitoba), Félix Leclerc, Julie Payette, Pierre-Elliot Trudeau, Michaëlle Jean, Roch Voisine (New Brunswick), René Lévesque, Émile Nelligan, René Bourque (Alberta), Michel Tremblay, Dany Laferrière, Daniel Poliquin (Ontario), Jeanne Sauvé (Saskatchewan), Antonine Maillet (New Brunswick), Jean Béliveau, Phil Comeau (Nova Scotia), Louis Riel (Manitoba), Pierre Lapointe, Eugénie B.