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Labrèche, Gaétan

Gaétan Labrèche
Gaétan Labrèche

Quebec actor/director who was an undisputed master of comedy, and popular with audiences of both stage and television. Gaétan Labrèche was born January 15, 1931; died of lung cancer in Montreal on November 25, 1990 at the age of 59.

He began acting at the age of nine in Madeleine et Pierre, a popular radio soap opera. He was a member of the Compagnons de Saint-Laurent troupe before joining the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde (TNM), where he made his debut in 1954 in Molière's Malade imaginaire. He played in twenty works there in ten years.

Labrèche performed or directed in virtually all of Quebec's other top venues, including the Théâtre du Rideau Vert (where he was a favourite), acting in Les portes claquent (1962); L'Heureux stratagème and Les Gueux au paradis (1963; La Guerre de Troie n'aura pas lieu (1964); Un otage and Ne perdez pas la tête (1964); La Répétition ou l'Amour puni (1965); Fleur de Cactus/Cactus Flower (1965); Chat en poche (1966); Le contrat and Treize à table (1971); Samedi, dimanche, lundi/Saturday, Sunday, Monday (1990).

For Théâtre du Rideau Vert, he directed Faut pas payer (1980); and L'heure du lunch (1981). For Théâtre du Nouveau Monde he acted in La Main Passe, among others; and for Théâtre de Marjolaine, he acted in Le Gros Lot and directed Michel Tremblay's Les Héroes de mon enfance, among others. For Compagnie Jean-Duceppe, he acted in Biedermann et les incendiares/Biederman and the Firebugs and directed Un jour dans la mort de Joe Egg/A Day in the Death of Joe Egg.

On television, he was probably best known for his role as Aristide Cassoulet, "Le Major Plum Pouding."

His son, Marc Labrèche, is also a fine comic actor.

Profile by Gaetan Charlebois.

Last updated 2021-02-26