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Ouellette, Rose (La Poune)

CTE photo
Mme Ouellette, shortly before her death

Actor born Rose-Alma Ouellette in Montreal, Quebec August 25, 1903; died in Montreal September 4, 1996 after a 75-year career. She left school early to help support her family, and worked at a shoe factory. At the age of twelve, she was kicked out of a job for playing accordion at work. She began her stage career in an amateur talent contest. After an apprenticeship in burlesque alongside Olivier Guimond, she became a star in her own right. She assumed the direction first of the Théâtre Cartier in 1928 and then the Théâtre National (1936-53), which, under her, became the heart of emerging popular Quebec culture and comedy. In her character of La Poune, an odd sailor-hatted androgyne, and through an astounding gift for improvisation, she captured the hearts of the country, and went on to exploit this affection on television and in film.

She worked with many of the stars of the Quebec burlesque, vaudeville and comic stage (and for this reason was never taken seriously as a cultural figure until she achieved the status of an icon). Among these burlesque performers were Gilles Latulippe, Janine Sutto, and Juliette Pétry.

The atmosphere of the heyday of Quebec variety and the Théâtre National (featuring Pétry and Ouellette) are colourfully described in Michel Tremblay's novel La Duchesse et le roturier.

Profile by Gaetan Charlebois

Last updated 2021-01-15