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Faucher, Françoise

CTE photo
Françoise Faucher

One of the "grandes dames" of Canadian theatre, Françoise Faucher was born in Montmorency, France in 1929, and emigrated to Canada in 1950. She currently lives in Montreal, Quebec.

She made her début with the Compagnons de Saint-Laurent in 1951, and has since played the international repertory from Guitry and Claudel to Ibsen, from Albee to Williams.

Quite aside from playing in most of the province's great theatres, Faucher has often elected to play some of its smallest, including the studio space at the Monument National, Espace Go when it was housed in a former garage, and the Théâtre La Chapelle. She goes where the difficult roles are, and has delighted audiences and critics as Winnie in Beckett's Oh! les beaux jours/Happy Days and as Sarah Bernhardt in Sarah et le cri de la langouste (both at the minuscule and now defunct Café de la Place des Arts). She more recently performed in Espace Go's controversial production of Koltès Quai Ouest.

She has played comedy and drama with equal success, and is considered to be one of the most reliable performers in the business. She is married to television and radio producer Jean Faucher and has frequently acted herself in both media as well as in cinema.

Françoise Faucher also directs, including at Théâtre les gens d'en bas (Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt's Le Visiteur); Pygmalion at Théâtre du Rideau Vert (1999); and Un mari idéal/An Ideal Husband at Compagnie Jean-Duceppe (1999).

She has received many awards, including: Compagne des arts et des lettres du Québec, 2019; Governor General’s Award for Performing Arts, 2010; and Chevalier de l'ordre des arts et des lettres, 1977.

Viewings: L'Annonce faite à Marie, dir. Jean-Paul Fugère, Radio-Canada, 1956. A production of the Claudel play staged for television.

Profile by Gaetan Charlebois

Last updated 2020-03-27