Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia
Labrèche, Gaétan
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
Labrèche, Marc
Magnificent Quebec-based character actor born November 20, 1960 in Montreal, Quebec. He is the son of the late actor/director Gaétan Labrèche.
He studied philosophy at the Université de Montréal before launching into a theatre career at 18, playing the title role in Harold et Maude opposite Yvette Brind'Amour (Théâtre du Rideau Vert).
Since then, he has performed in Bernard Slade's Chapeau/Tribute (1981, Rideau Vert), Pied de Poule (1983), Les Fourberies de Scapin (Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, 1986), Les Fausses confidences (Rideau Vert, 1988), Gala (Place des Arts, 1989), La Mandragore (Théâtre du Vieux Terrebonne, 1992), Frankenstein (which he co-wrote with Richard Gohier, Nouvelle Compagnie Théâtrale / Théâtre Denise-Pelletier, 1992), among others.
He took over the solo role in Robert Lepage's Aiguilles et opium which he performed world-wide in French and English.
Marc Labrèche has also had a very solid career in film and especially in television, where he was featured in the most popular series in the history of franco-Canadian television, La Petite Vie (1993-99). He also had a well-known comic current event television series.
His performances are marked by a supreme command of character detailing and a gigantic energy.
He was married to Fabienne Dor, who died of cancer in 2005, and has two children, one of whom, Léane Labrèche-Dor, is an actor for theatre and televsion.
Profile by Gaetan Charlebois.
Last updated 2021-02-26
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The Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia web site was originally conceived and developed in 1996 by Gaetan Charlebois—theatre critic, playwright, and actor.
