Jean Coutu

The following is taken from a statement made on November 2, 1999 in the House of Commons by the member for Laval West in Québec, Raymonde Folco: “Born in Montreal, Jean Coutu began his career in 1943. In September, 1952, he played a role in one of the first French broadcasts in Canada, a presentation of Oedipe Roi by Jean Cocteau. Jean Coutu is quite rightly viewed as one of the pioneers of French language television. He played the title role in the television series based on Germaine Guèvremont’s novel, Le Survenant, or The Outlander, one of our literary masterpieces. As a member of the Compagnons de Saint-Laurent , the company directed by Father Paul-Émile Legault, he also helped to launch French language theatre in Montreal. Later, in the 1950s, he played the role of Ti-Mé in the popular series Les Plouffe, by Roger Lemelin. The artistic and cultural community pays him a resounding tribute, in honour of his talent as an actor, his untiring energy, and his role as a builder of French language culture in Canada.”

Also see Angèle Coutu.