Michel Côté

Michel Côté was a consummate and versatile actor who always delivered compelling performances, whether he portrayed a loveable rascal, a remorseful father, or an obstinate detective. Born in Alma, Québec, Canada, Côté attended the National Theatre School where he graduated in 1973. He made history for co-founding the comedy production "Broue" in 1979, along with fellow Canadians Marc Messier and Marcel Gauthier. In the play, Côté and his co-stars portrayed several colorful characters that came and went from a tavern. Hoping to run for a month, "Broue" ran till 2007, making it one of the longest running plays in Canada with the original cast. Côté also made inroads on television, with memorable appearances on the popular New Year's countdown and sketch comedy special "Bye-Bye" (Radio-Canada, 1968-2011), "Montréal ville ouverte" (1992), and the crime drama "Omerta, la loi du silence" (Radio-Canada, 1996-99). He also proved his versatility on the big screen in the comedy "La vie après l'amour" (2000) and in the acclaimed drama "C.R.A.Z.Y." (2005), as the conservative father of a gay man (Marc-André Grondin) who is dealing with homophobia and heterosexism in 1970s Québec. Côté's role in "C.R.A.Z.Y." won him a Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in 2006. He went on to star in "Ma fille, mon ange" ("My Daughter, My Angel") (2007), as a political advisor who goes on a frantic search for his daughter, whom he discovers was secretly working as a porn star. Michel Côté died on May 29, 2023 in Alma, QC, Canada at the age of 72.